Do you know silica, the tetrahedra of silicon and oxygen constituting the crystals of New Agers and the desiccant in a box of new shoes? It's no mere mundane mineral. As chemically reacting silicate rocks, silica set off the chain of events known as the origin of life. As biomineralized opal, it is the cell wall, skeleton, spicules, and scales of organisms ornamenting numerous lobes of the tree of life. Cryptocrystalline silica made into stone tools helped drive the evolution of our hands ...

Since 1985, scientists have been documenting a hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico each year. The hypoxic zone, an area of low dissolved oxygen that cannot s- port marine life, generally manifests itself in the spring. Since marine species either die or ee the hypoxic zone, the spread of hypoxia reduces the available habitat for marine species, which are important for the ecosystem as well as commercial and recreational shing in the Gulf. Since 2001, the hypoxic zone has averaged 2 1 16,500...

The Universe and Me is his most ambitious work to date. A tour de force, this book represents a synthesis of at least a dozen separate scientific disciplines, including cosmology, physics, chemistry, microbiology, paleobiology, paleoclimatology, paleontology, botany, optics, mammology, primatology, anthropology and the history of science. All of these skillfully and woven together into a fabric of great charm. This is, literally, the greatest story ever told. It is our story. The story of ...

Parasites have evolved independently in numerous animal lineages, and they now make up a considerable proportion of the biodiversity of life. Not only do they impact humans and other animals in fundamental ways, but in recent years they have become a powerful model system for the study of ecology and evolution, with practical applications in disease prevention. Here, in a thoroughly revised and updated edition of his influential earlier work, Robert Poulin provides an evolutionary ecologis...

Fundamentals of Ecosystem Science provides a compact and comprehensive introduction to modern ecosystem science. This book covers major concepts of ecosystem science, biogeochemistry, and energetics. It addresses, contrasts, and compares both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. It combines general lessons, concepts, frameworks, and challenges in highly accessible synthesis chapters. It presents firsthand case studies, written by leaders in the field, offering personal insights into how ado...

A History Of Life On Earth, is a guided tour from the beginning of time until modern times. Taking the reader from the origins of everything, without which life on Earth would not be possible. To the origins of life, through the different Eons and Geological Periods, explaining the diversifications and adaptations of all life. A History Of Life On Earth presents the scientific evidence and explains the origins of that evidence. The Earth has also gone through various changes, ideal conditi...

Freshwater Ecology: Concepts and Environmental Applications is a general text covering both basic and applied aspects of freshwater ecology and serves as an introduction to the study of lakes and streams. Issues of spatial and temporal scale, anthropogenic impacts, and application of current ecological concepts are covered along with ideas that are presented in more traditional limnological texts. Chapters on biodiversity, toxic chemicals, extreme and unusual habitats, and fisheries increa...

The remarkable scientific story of how Earth became an oxygenated planetThe air we breathe is twenty-one percent oxygen, an amount higher than on any other known world. While we may take our air for granted, Earth was not always an oxygenated planet. How did it become this way? Donald Canfield—one of the world's leading authorities on geochemistry, earth history, and the early oceans—covers this vast history, emphasizing its relationship to the evolution of life an...

This fully revised and expanded edition of Fundamentals of Soil Ecology continues its holistic approach to soil biology and ecosystem function. Students and ecosystem researchers will gain a greater understanding of the central roles that soils play in ecosystem development and function. The authors emphasize the increasing importance of soils as the organizing center for all terrestrial ecosystems and provide an overview of theory and practice of soil ecology, both from an ecosystem and e...

You may be asking "why does a primary teacher like me need to know anything about science? Is there any chance of my enjoying this book if I am not a scientific nerd?" Fair questions. Here are the answers. Our general aim in writing this textbook material was to provide some basic knowledge about how science works. After all, we live in a very science-oriented and techno world, and it would be nice, surely, to understand a bit about how it all works. We are also wanting...

The third edition of Insect Ecology: An Ecosystem Approach provides a modern perspective of insect ecology that integrates two approaches traditionally used to study insect ecology: evolutionary and ecosystem. This integration substantially broadens the scope of insect ecology and contributes to prediction and resolution of the effects of current environmental changes, as these affect and are affected by insects. The third edition includes an updated and expanded synthesis of feedback and ...

"Delightful alchemy: Curt Stager transforms atomic science into lustrous, golden stories about the hidden connections that unite us all." —David George Haskell, two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of The Forest UnseenWhat do atoms have to do with your life? In Your Atomic Self, scientist Curt Stager reveals how they connect you to some of the most amazing things in the universe.You will follow your oxygen atoms through fire and water...