The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions“Compulsively readable—a masterpiece, maybe the masterpiece of science journalism.” —Bill McKibben, Audubon A brilliant, stirring work, breathtaking in its scope and far-reaching in its message, The Song of the Dodo is a crucial book in precarious times. Through personal observation, scientific theory, and history, David Quammen examines the mysteries of evolution and extinction and radically alters our understanding of the natural world and our place within it. In this landmark of science writing, we learn how the isolation of islands makes them natural laboratories of evolutionary extravagance, as seen in the dragons of Komodo, the elephant birds of Madagascar, the giant tortoises of the Galapagos. But the dark message of island studies is that isolated ecosystems, whether natural or human-made, are also hotbeds of extinction. And as the world’s landscapes, from Tasmania to the Amazon to Yellowstone, are carved into pieces by human activity, the implications of this knowledge are more urgent than ever. An unforgettable scientific adventure, a fascinating account of an eight-year journey of discovery, and a wake-up call for our time, David Quammen’s The Song of the Dodo is an exquisitely written book that takes the reader on a globe-circling tour of wild places and extraordinary ideas. |
Contents
Thirty Six Persian Throw Rugs | 9 |
The Man Who Knew Islands | 15 |
So Huge a Bignes | 115 |
Copyright | |
13 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
The Song Of The Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions David Quammen Limited preview - 2012 |
The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions David Quammen Limited preview - 1997 |
The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions David Quammen Limited preview - 2011 |
Common terms and phrases
Aborigines adaptive radiation Alfred Wallace alleles Amazon Analamazaotra animals archipelago Australia Bali Bedo beetles biological biologists birds boat Charles Darwin coast colony conservation creatures Diamond dispersal diversity dodo ecological ecologist ecosystem eggs elephant endemic evolution evolutionary extinction finches flightless forest Galápagos genetic giant Gilpin Guam Guinea habitat human Ibid iguanas inbreeding indri insects insular island biogeography Jared Diamond Jones kestrel komodo land landscape later live lizard Lovejoy Lyell MacArthur and Wilson Madagascar mainland male mammals Mauritius Mauritius kestrel Mayr miles monkeys Montes Claros muriqui named native natural number of species Nyoman ocean pair paper park patch pattern pigeon plant predators ratites reptiles reserve River Robert MacArthur says scientific seems Simberloff snake sort Soulé speciation species-area specimens Strier subspecies survived Tasmania Tasmanian Tasmanian Aborigines tenrecs there's thylacine tion tortoises tree tropical Truganini Wallace Wallace's wild wildlife wrote young