Features
- Cover Type: Paperback with 304 pages
- Published by: Oxford University Press, USA February 18, 1999
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 0198500203
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-0198500209
-
Book Dimensions:
9.6 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
- Weighs: 1.4 pounds
Product Review
"This book balances individuality and theory well. A thorough and even-handed account of island theory is given, providing many new insights, and it also provides a mine of stimulating facts about island life. It is sure to emerge as the standard text for university teaching of island issues."--Trends in Ecology & Evolution
"Robert Whittaker's Island Biogeography delivers a sweeping lesson in island ecology enhanced by the author's long-term involvement in the research on Krakatau."--Nature
"The last decade or more has witnessed renewed interest in the flora and fauna of oceanic islands, no doubt due in part to the growing awareness that the plant and animal life of these miniature worlds is extremely fragile. There is growing appreciation that species extinctions in island ecosystems result in the loss of some of the most remarkable products of the evolutionary process. Also, there seems to be a renewed appreciation for what Charles Darwin, Alfred Russell Wallace, and Ernst Mayr recognized, namely that islands are natural laboratories for studying evolution. The book by Whittaker is very timely because it fills the need for a general discussion of topics ranging from the formation of islands to the conservation of biodiversity on islands. The book would be an great text for any general course or seminar on island biology, and could serve as an introduction for those pursuing particular island topics in greater depth."--Plant Systematics and Evolution
Product Description
Work on evolution on islands has a long-established biogeographical pedigree, stretching back to the work of Darwin and Wallace. Research generated ideas, theories, and models which have played a central role in the development of mainstream ecology, evolutionary biology, and biogeography.
Island Biogeography is a new textbook, aimed at advanced undergraduates and graduate students. This is the first comprehensive book to be written on the topic since 1981. It provides a much needed synthesis of recent development across the discipline, linking current theoretical debates with applied island ecology. Some themes that the book covers include: the nature and formation of island environments, island ecological theories concerning species numbers, species assembly, and composition, and an assessment of the human impact on island biodiversity.
Written by an author who has been researching and teaching biogeography for many years, Island Biogeography is wide-ranging, authoritative, and accessible to students from across geography and the life sciences. This is the first truly modern textbook on a fascinating and important subject in evolution and ecology.
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