Keeping All the Pieces: Perspectives on Natural History and the Environment

by Whit Gibbons, Eugene P. Odum (Foreword by)

Overview

With scholarly expertise and infectious enthusiasm, Whit Gibbons explores the many pieces that support our natural environment. Whether describing caterpillar disguises, fish that produce antifreeze, the mutual reliance of rhinoceroses and Trewia trees, or the origins of tumbleweed, he affirms the delicate and intricate biological relationships between species and encourages a deeper knowledge of our natural world. In these essays Gibbons celebrates the beauty of biodiversity and laments the tragedy of “ecovoids,” a term he coined to describe missing components of our environment that we wish were still present but can never be replaced.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780820332482
Publisher:	University of Georgia Press
Publication date:	06/15/2010
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	687,494
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

WHIT GIBBONS is a professor emeritus of ecology at the University of Georgia and author or coauthor of several books on herpetology and ecology, including Keeping All the Pieces, Snakes of the Southeast, Revised Edition, Frogs and Toads of the Southeast, Lizards and Crocodiles of the Southeast, Turtles of the Southeast, and Salamanders of the Southeast (all Georgia).

WHIT GIBBONS is a professor emeritus of ecology at the University of Georgia and author or coauthor of several books on herpetology and ecology, including Keeping All the Pieces, Snakes of the Southeast, Revised Edition, Frogs and Toads of the Southeast, Lizards and Crocodiles of the Southeast, Turtles of the Southeast, and Salamanders of the Southeast (all Georgia).

Table of Contents

Foreword by Eugene P. Odum xi
Preface to the 2010 Edition xiii
Preface to the 1993 Edition xvii
Acknowledgments xxi
Prologue: A World without Wildlife 1
part one. 5
The Natural Complexity of Species and Their Relationships
The Primrose Path of Ecology 7
Disguises of a Caterpillar 15
The Advantage of Being a Cold Fish 25
Why You Need a Rhinoceros If You Own a Trewia Tree 36
part two. 47
Endangered and Threatened Species: The Specter of Extinction Nowadays, Extinction Is Usually an Unnatural Act 49
Birds and the Ecovoid 59
Where Have All the Panthers Gone? 68
Don’t Tread on Me 79
And the Good News Is Franklinia 89
part three. 95
The Search for Environmental Culprits
We Probably Killed the Last Mammoth, and the Tigers Better Watch Out 97
Most People’s Attitude: We Have Met the Environmental Enemy, and He Is Them, Not Us 104
The Riddle of Reelfoot Lake 114
Add People, Subtract Wildlife 123
part four. 129
Curbing Environmental Destruction What Can an Individual Do? 131
Choosing an Environmental Organization 140
Biotechnology: A Cure or a Band-Aid? 150
Ecology Starts at Home 161
It’s Time for an Environmental Attitude Adjustment 169
Epilogue: The Way the World Could Be 173
Index 177

Editorial Reviews

Gibbons’ essays offer a palatable introduction to ecology for people who don’t understand all the ‘fuss’ over the threat to endangered species.

Los Angeles Times Book Review

Gibbons takes his readers on a journey that puts them in touch with the intricacies of the natural world, making it easy to understand why and how we must all become involved in keeping all the pieces.

former president of the National Wildlife Federation - Jay D. Hair

Gibbons’ essays offer a palatable introduction to ecology for people who don’t understand all the ‘fuss’ over the threat to endangered species.

Los Angeles Times Book Review

“Gibbons takes his readers on a journey that puts them in touch with the intricacies of the natural world, making it easy to understand why and how we must all become involved in keeping all the pieces.”—Jay D. Hair, former president of the National Wildlife Federation

“Gibbons’ essays offer a palatable introduction to ecology for people who don’t understand all the ‘fuss’ over the threat to endangered species.”—Los Angeles Times Book Review

From the Publisher