Patterns of Life: Biogeography of a changing world

by Howard Mielke

Overview

Insight into universal nature provides an intellectual life? Why are so many plants and animals, especially delight and sense of freedom that no blows of fate and freshwater species, at risk of extinction? These are a few no evil can destroy. of the questions that have intrigued observers of nature Alexander von Humboldt, 1805 and the Earth. By studying the Earth's patterns of life, students of biogeography ultimately ponder some of the ... on that small spot, that little blue and white thing, most basic questions about life and the cosmos. is everything that means anything to you - all of history and music and poetry and art and death and birth and love, tears, joy, games, all of it on that little Historical roots of biogeography spot out there that you can cover with your thumb. The topic of biogeography has its roots in the work of And you realize from that perspective that you've Alexander von Humboldt, the recognized father of plant changed, that there's something new there, that the geography (Detwyler 1969, Browne 1983). From its relationship is no longer what it was.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780045740338
Publisher:	Springer Netherlands
Publication date:	08/24/1989
Pages:	370
Product dimensions:	7.44(w) x 9.69(h) x 0.03(d)

Table of Contents

One Physical Foundations.- One The planetary and geological context of life.- Two The Earth, life, and energy cycles.- Two Past Events and their Biogeographic Significance.- Three Evolution of the biosphere.- Four Continental drift.- Five Biogeographic patterns and ice age events.- Three Present Environments and Biogeographic Patterns.- Six The climatic environment.- Seven Marine and terrestrial environments.- Eight Freshwater environments.- Nine Island environments.- Ten Environments linked through animal movements.- Eleven Organisms and environments integrated through coevolution.- Four the Human Impact.- Twelve Fire as an old and new agent of change.- Thirteen Man the maker and exterminator of plants and animals.- Fourteen Biogeographic repercussions of the intensification of agriculture.- Fifteen The impact of urban-industrial development on patterns of life.- References.