Encyclopedia of Adaptations in the Natural World

Encyclopedia of Adaptations in the Natural World PDF Author: Adam Simmons
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 0313355576
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description
This is a fascinating encyclopedia comparing the most important adaptations and evolutions in the natural world with the most important discoveries and inventions of human history. Welcome to the amazing world of adaptations, where species—including humans—develop fascinating new capabilities to ensure a competitive edge in their environment, or in some cases, survival itself. Encyclopedia of Adaptations in the Natural World is a wide-ranging catalog of the most important of those adaptations—from photosynthesis to the the peculiar "vampire"-like behavior of the tiny life form called the prion. The seven chapters in the Encyclopedia cover the key survival challenges all organisms face. Entries within those chapters cover specific adaptations from all forms of life, including animals, plants, bacteria, algae, fungi, and viruses. For each adaptation, the book also describes a related technological breakthrough in the human world, showing how engineers today study natural processes to help them develop new inventions.

Encyclopedia of Adaptations in the Natural World

Encyclopedia of Adaptations in the Natural World PDF Author: Adam Simmons
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 0313355576
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 216

Get Book Here

Book Description
This is a fascinating encyclopedia comparing the most important adaptations and evolutions in the natural world with the most important discoveries and inventions of human history. Welcome to the amazing world of adaptations, where species—including humans—develop fascinating new capabilities to ensure a competitive edge in their environment, or in some cases, survival itself. Encyclopedia of Adaptations in the Natural World is a wide-ranging catalog of the most important of those adaptations—from photosynthesis to the the peculiar "vampire"-like behavior of the tiny life form called the prion. The seven chapters in the Encyclopedia cover the key survival challenges all organisms face. Entries within those chapters cover specific adaptations from all forms of life, including animals, plants, bacteria, algae, fungi, and viruses. For each adaptation, the book also describes a related technological breakthrough in the human world, showing how engineers today study natural processes to help them develop new inventions.

Encyclopedia of Adaptations in the Natural World

Encyclopedia of Adaptations in the Natural World PDF Author: Adam Simmons
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Science & Technology
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This is a fascinating encyclopedia comparing the most important adaptations and evolutions in the natural world with the most important discoveries and inventions of human history. Welcome to the amazing world of adaptations, where species--including humans--develop fascinating new capabilities to ensure a competitive edge in their environment, or in some cases, survival itself. Encyclopedia of Adaptations in the Natural World is a wide-ranging catalog of the most important of those adaptations--from photosynthesis to the the peculiar "vampire"-like behavior of the tiny life form called the prion. The seven chapters in the Encyclopedia cover the key survival challenges all organisms face. Entries within those chapters cover specific adaptations from all forms of life, including animals, plants, bacteria, algae, fungi, and viruses. For each adaptation, the book also describes a related technological breakthrough in the human world, showing how engineers today study natural processes to help them develop new inventions.

Encyclopedia of Tidepools and Rocky Shores

Encyclopedia of Tidepools and Rocky Shores PDF Author: Mark W. Denny
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 9780520251182
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 742

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Book Description
"This is the book I have been waiting for! Written by experts in each field, this Encyclopedia provides a wealth of information not only about the tidepool and shore life but also the oceanography associated with these habitats. This will be a major reference guide for years to come."--Dr. Nigella Hillgarth, Executive Director, Birch Aquarium at Scripps, Scripps Institution of Oceanography "The "Encyclopedia of Tidepools and Rocky Shores" covers much more than one might guess. It ranges from oceanography, to physiology, biomechanics, and conservation science, along with the expected treatment of the diverse groups of organisms that live in those habitats. The coverage of each topic is kept short and comprehensible to almost everyone, from high schools to colleges, and certainly to the general public interested in learning more about this fascinating part of our natural world. Best of all, the editors have managed to get some of the best scientists in the world, the absolute experts in their fields, to write the articles. The relatively short length of each entry also makes this book an ideal source for assigned readings to accompany marine biology, ecology, or oceanography classes, laboratories and field trips. It will be much appreciated by teachers and students."--Ken Sebens, Director of the Friday Harbor Marine Laboratories, University of Washington "The place where vast oceans meet the land is wondrous, complex and fascinating. Visitors from research scientists to toddlers have explored these ecosystems--one of nature's most popular theme parks. Anyone who has spent time amongst the sea stars, crabs and kelp departs full of unanswered questions. Now these questions can beanswered by dipping into the "Encyclopedia of Tidepools and Rocky Shores," The editors and contributors to this reference have created a new standard that will be an immediate classic."--Leon Panetta, Director, The Leon & Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy "This volume is a wonderful introduction to the hidden and fascinating world of rocky tidepools. Grab a copy and head out with your kids or students for an outdoor experience that's sure to get them hooked. From remarkable adaptations of marine algae to weird animal life histories, tidepools hold amazing stories to tell. They deserve our interest--and our care--as part of earth's natural systems that sustain us all."--Julie Packard, Executive Director, Monterey Bay Aquarium "Tide pool lovers the world around will satisfy their curiosity, uncover new gems of insight and renew their wonder of nature at lands' end in this authoritative, fascinating and insightful compilation. Revealed within are the secrets of rocky shores and tide pools--that most dynamic of interfaces between the land and the sea, that treasure chest of rich biodiversity and keen insight, that world where science, literature, beauty and stewardship combine to form the now that integrates the past and tempts the future."--Jane Lubchenco, Wayne and Gladys Valley Professor of Marine Biology, Oregon State University

Outrageous Animal Adaptations

Outrageous Animal Adaptations PDF Author: Michael J. Rosen
Publisher: Twenty-First Century Books (Tm)
ISBN: 1512429996
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 100

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Book Description
A fish that walks on land, a frog that makes its own sunscreen, and an insect that can become invisible? These are just a few examples of how Earth's creatures have evolved some outrageous features and tricks to ensure survival.

Encyclopedia of Indian Natural History

Encyclopedia of Indian Natural History PDF Author: R. E. Hawkins
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 706

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Book Description
This Encyclopaedia Will Appeal To Anyone Curious About The Richness And Variety Of Life On The Sub-Continent And Will Create A Better Understanding Of Our Own Responsibility To Presence It For The Future.

Adaptation in Natural and Artificial Systems

Adaptation in Natural and Artificial Systems PDF Author: John H. Holland
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262581110
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description
Genetic algorithms are playing an increasingly important role in studies of complex adaptive systems, ranging from adaptive agents in economic theory to the use of machine learning techniques in the design of complex devices such as aircraft turbines and integrated circuits. Adaptation in Natural and Artificial Systems is the book that initiated this field of study, presenting the theoretical foundations and exploring applications. In its most familiar form, adaptation is a biological process, whereby organisms evolve by rearranging genetic material to survive in environments confronting them. In this now classic work, Holland presents a mathematical model that allows for the nonlinearity of such complex interactions. He demonstrates the model's universality by applying it to economics, physiological psychology, game theory, and artificial intelligence and then outlines the way in which this approach modifies the traditional views of mathematical genetics. Initially applying his concepts to simply defined artificial systems with limited numbers of parameters, Holland goes on to explore their use in the study of a wide range of complex, naturally occuring processes, concentrating on systems having multiple factors that interact in nonlinear ways. Along the way he accounts for major effects of coadaptation and coevolution: the emergence of building blocks, or schemata, that are recombined and passed on to succeeding generations to provide, innovations and improvements.

Green Planet

Green Planet PDF Author: Stanley A Rice
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
ISBN: 0813546532
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 315

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Book Description
Plants are not just a pretty part of the landscape; they keep the entire planet, with all of its human and nonhuman inhabitants, alive. Stanley Rice documents the many ways in which plants do this by making oxygen, regulating the greenhouse effect, controlling floods, and producing all the food in the world. Plants also create natural habitats for all organisms in the world. With illustrations and clear writing for non-specialists, Green Planet helps general readers realize that if we are to rescue the Earth from environmental disaster, we must protect wild plants. Beginning with an overview of how human civilization has altered the face of the Earth, particularly by the destruction of forests, the book details the startling consequences of these actions. Rice provides compelling reasons for government officials, economic leaders, and the public to support efforts to save threatened and endangered plants. Global campaigns to solve environmental problems with plants, such as the development of green roofs and the Green Belt Movement—a women's organization in Kenya that empowers communities worldwide to protect the environment—show readers that efforts to save wild plants can be successful and beneficial to the economic well-being of nations. Through current scientific evidence, readers see that plants are vital to the ecological health of our planet and understand what can be done to lead to a better—and greener—future Benefits of plants: Help modulate greenhouse gases Produce almost all oxygen in the air Create cool shade that reduces energy costs Prevent floods, droughts, and soil erosion Produce all of the food in the world Create and preserve soil Create natural habitats Heal the landscape after natural and human disasters

Adaptation and Natural Selection

Adaptation and Natural Selection PDF Author: George Christopher Williams
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691185506
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 335

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Book Description
Biological evolution is a fact—but the many conflicting theories of evolution remain controversial even today. When Adaptation and Natural Selection was first published in 1966, it struck a powerful blow against those who argued for the concept of group selection—the idea that evolution acts to select entire species rather than individuals. Williams’s famous work in favor of simple Darwinism over group selection has become a classic of science literature, valued for its thorough and convincing argument and its relevance to many fields outside of biology. Now with a new foreword by Richard Dawkins, Adaptation and Natural Selection is an essential text for understanding the nature of scientific debate.

Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals

Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals PDF Author: William F. Perrin
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0080919936
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 1355

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Book Description
This thorough revision of the classic Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals brings this authoritative book right up-to-date. Articles describe every species in detail, based on the very latest taxonomy, and a host of biological, ecological and sociological aspects relating to marine mammals. The latest information on the biology, ecology, anatomy, behavior and interactions with man is provided by a cast of expert authors – all presented in such detail and clarity to support both marine mammal specialists and the serious naturalist. Fully referenced throughout and with a fresh selection of the best color photographs available, the long-awaited second edition remains at the forefront as the go-to reference on marine mammals. - More than 20% NEW MATERIAL includes articles on Climate Change, Pacific White-sided Dolphins, Sociobiology, Habitat Use, Feeding Morphology and more - Over 260 articles on the individual species with topics ranging from anatomy and behavior, to conservation, exploitation and the impact of global climate change on marine mammals - New color illustrations show every species and document topical articles FROM THE FIRST EDITION "This book is so good...a bargain, full of riches...packed with fascinating up to date information. I recommend it unreservedly it to individuals, students, and researchers, as well as libraries." --Richard M. Laws, MARINE MAMMALS SCIENCE "...establishes a solid and satisfying foundation for current study and future exploration" --Ronald J. Shusterman, SCIENCE

Encyclopedia of Animals

Encyclopedia of Animals PDF Author: Karen McGhee
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 9780792259367
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Book Description
This volume presents a who's who of the animal kingdom in this highly readable and vividly illustrated reference book.