Evolution Time And Space

Illustrative examples from recent research publications and "classic" studies are prominently featured throughout the book. Research techniques are highlighted in "special interest" boxes. Illustrations and descriptions of research techniques are provided with examples such as fire-scars from trees used to reconstruct disturbance, fossil pollen used to reconstruct vegetation change and plant migration, transect and quadrate sampling. Includes key biogeographical theories that link space and time to the distribution of life. Some of these theories include: 1. Ranges, Reflicts, Refuges, Corridors, Barriers, 2. Centers of Origins, 3. Cladistics, 4. Variance, 5. Island BioGeography, 6. Diversity Theory, 7. Gap Analysis for Conservation.

As concerns about the change in global climate and the loss of biodiversity have mounted, attention has focused on the depletion of the ozone layer and the destruction of tropical rainforests. But recently scientists have identified another seriously endangered ecosystem: coral reefs. In Corals in Space and Time, J.E.N. Veron provides a richly detailed study of corals that will inform investigations of these fragile ecosystems. Drawing on twenty-five years of research, Veron brings together extensive field observations about the taxonomy, biogeography, paleontology, and biology of corals. After introducing coral taxonomy and biogeography, as well as relevant aspects of coral biology for the non-specialist, he provides an interpretation of the fossil record and paleoclimates, an analysis of modern coral distribution, and a discussion of the evolutionary nature and origins of coral species. Revealing a sharp conflict between empirical observations about the geographical variation within species, Veron introduces a non-Darwinian theory of coral evolution. He proposes that the evolution of coral species is driven not primarily by natural selection, but by constantly shifting patterns of ocean circulation, which produce changing variations of genetic connectivity. This mechanism of speciation and hybridization has far-reaching consequences for the study of all types of corals and potentially many other groups of organisms as well.

Though biogeography may be simply defined--the study of the geographic distributions of organisms--the subject itself is extraordinarily complex, involving a range of scientific disciplines and a bewildering diversity of approaches. For convenience, biogeographers have recognized two research traditions: ecological biogeography and historical biogeography. This book makes sense of the profound revolution that historical biogeography has undergone in the last two decades, and of the resulting confusion over its foundations, basic concepts, methods, and relationships to other disciplines of comparative biology. Using case studies, the authors explain and illustrate the fundamentals and the most frequently used methods of this discipline. They show the reader how to tell when a historical biogeographic approach is called for, how to decide what kind of data to collect, how to choose the best method for the problem at hand, how to perform the necessary calculations, how to choose and apply a computer program, and how to interpret results.

Biodiversity.

From Simon & Schuster, Evolution from Space is Sir Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe's theory of cosmic creationism in this daring and fascinating sequel to Lifecloud and Diseases from Space. Evolution from Space presents the revolutionary theory that mathematics can establish the probable existence of God and suggests that life began in space under the direction of a great intelligence.

Students often find it difficult to grasp fundamental ecological and evolutionary concepts because of their inherently mathematical nature. Likewise, the application of ecological and evolutionary theory often requires a high degree of mathematical competence. This book is a first step to addressing these difficulties, providing a broad introduction to the key methods and underlying concepts of mathematical models in ecology and evolution. The book is intended to serve the needs of undergraduate and postgraduate ecology and evolution students who need to access the mathematical and statistical modelling literature essential to their subjects. The book assumes minimal mathematics and statistics knowledge whilst covering a wide variety of methods, many of which are at the fore-front of ecological and evolutionary research. The book also highlights the applications of modelling to practical problems such as sustainable harvesting and biological control. Key features: Written clearly and succinctly, requiring minimal in-depth knowledge of mathematics Introduces students to the use of computer models in both fields of ecology and evolutionary biology Market - senior undergraduate students and beginning postgraduates in ecology and evolutionary biology