Evolution of Island Mammals

Evolution of Island Mammals PDF Author: Alexandra van der Geer
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 111967574X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 576

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Book Description
EVOLUTION OF ISLAND MAMMALS Evolution on islands differs in a number of important ways from evolution on mainland areas. Over millions of years of isolation, exceptional and sometimes bizarre mammals evolved on islands, such as pig-sized elephants and hippos, giant rats and gorilla-sized lemurs that would have been formidable to their mainland ancestors. Evolution of Island Mammals, Second Edition, provides an updated and expanded overview of the current knowledge on fossil island mammals worldwide, ranging from the Oligocene to the onset of the Holocene. The book addresses evolutionary processes and key aspects of insular mammal biology, exemplified by a variety of fossil species. Readers familiar with the first edition will find here a host of updated and enhanced material, including: An entirely new chapter on the island rule Updated and expanded theoretical chapters Updated and improved taxonomic information Extensive coverage of new discoveries Body masses or body size indices for most extinct island mammals New figures visualizing the richness of the fossil record This accessible and richly illustrated textbook is written for graduate level students and professional researchers in evolutionary biology, palaeontology, biogeography, zoology, and ecology.

Evolution of Island Mammals

Evolution of Island Mammals PDF Author: Alexandra van der Geer
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 111967574X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 576

Get Book

Book Description
EVOLUTION OF ISLAND MAMMALS Evolution on islands differs in a number of important ways from evolution on mainland areas. Over millions of years of isolation, exceptional and sometimes bizarre mammals evolved on islands, such as pig-sized elephants and hippos, giant rats and gorilla-sized lemurs that would have been formidable to their mainland ancestors. Evolution of Island Mammals, Second Edition, provides an updated and expanded overview of the current knowledge on fossil island mammals worldwide, ranging from the Oligocene to the onset of the Holocene. The book addresses evolutionary processes and key aspects of insular mammal biology, exemplified by a variety of fossil species. Readers familiar with the first edition will find here a host of updated and enhanced material, including: An entirely new chapter on the island rule Updated and expanded theoretical chapters Updated and improved taxonomic information Extensive coverage of new discoveries Body masses or body size indices for most extinct island mammals New figures visualizing the richness of the fossil record This accessible and richly illustrated textbook is written for graduate level students and professional researchers in evolutionary biology, palaeontology, biogeography, zoology, and ecology.

Evolution of Island Mammals

Evolution of Island Mammals PDF Author: Alexandra van der Geer
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1444391283
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 512

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Book Description
Evolution on islands differs in a number of important ways from evolution on mainland areas. Over millions of years of isolation, exceptional and sometimes bizarre mammals evolved on islands, such as pig-sized elephants and hippos, giant rats and gorilla-sized lemurs that would have been formidable to their mainland ancestors. This timely and innovative book is the first to offer a much-needed synthesis of recent advances in the exciting field of the evolution and extinction of fossil insular placental mammals. It provides a comprehensive overview of current knowledge on fossil island mammals worldwide, ranging from the Oligocene to the onset of the Holocene. The book addresses evolutionary processes and key aspects of insular mammal biology, exemplified by a variety of fossil species. The authors discuss the human factor in past extinction events and loss of insular biodiversity. This accessible and richly illustrated textbook is written for graduate level students and professional researchers in evolutionary biology, palaeontology, biogeography, zoology, and ecology.

40 Years of Evolution

40 Years of Evolution PDF Author: Peter R. Grant
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691160465
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 432

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Book Description
An important look at a groundbreaking forty-year study of Darwin's finches Renowned evolutionary biologists Peter and Rosemary Grant have produced landmark studies of the Galápagos finches first made famous by Charles Darwin. In How and Why Species Multiply, they offered a complete evolutionary history of Darwin's finches since their origin almost three million years ago. Now, in their richly illustrated new book, 40 Years of Evolution, the authors turn their attention to events taking place on a contemporary scale. By continuously tracking finch populations over a period of four decades, they uncover the causes and consequences of significant events leading to evolutionary changes in species. The authors used a vast and unparalleled range of ecological, behavioral, and genetic data—including song recordings, DNA analyses, and feeding and breeding behavior—to measure changes in finch populations on the small island of Daphne Major in the Galápagos archipelago. They find that natural selection happens repeatedly, that finches hybridize and exchange genes rarely, and that they compete for scarce food in times of drought, with the remarkable result that the finch populations today differ significantly in average beak size and shape from those of forty years ago. The authors' most spectacular discovery is the initiation and establishment of a new lineage that now behaves as a new species, differing from others in size, song, and other characteristics. The authors emphasize the immeasurable value of continuous long-term studies of natural populations and of critical opportunities for detecting and understanding rare but significant events. By following the fates of finches for several generations, 40 Years of Evolution offers unparalleled insights into ecological and evolutionary changes in natural environments.

Species Conservation

Species Conservation PDF Author: Jamieson A. Copsey
Publisher: Ecology, Biodiversity and Cons
ISBN: 0521899397
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 407

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Book Description
Biodiversity studied by researching island species recovery and management.

Evolution in Isolation

Evolution in Isolation PDF Author: Kevin C. Burns
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108422012
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 239

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Book Description
Tests for repeated patterns in evolution of island plants, which together comprise an 'island syndrome' analogous to animals.

Island Bats

Island Bats PDF Author: Theodore H. Fleming
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226253317
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 568

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Book Description
The second largest order of mammals, Chiroptera comprises more than one thousand species of bats. Because of their mobility, bats are often the only native mammals on isolated oceanic islands, where more than half of all bat species live. These island bats represent an evolutionarily distinctive and ecologically significant part of the earth’s biological diversity. Island Bats is the first book to focus solely on the evolution, ecology, and conservation of bats living in the world’s island ecosystems. Among other topics, the contributors to this volume examine how the earth’s history has affected the evolution of island bats, investigate how bat populations are affected by volcanic eruptions and hurricanes, and explore the threat of extinction from human disturbance. Geographically diverse, the volume includes studies of the islands of the Caribbean, the Western Indian Ocean, Micronesia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and New Zealand. With its wealth of information from long-term studies, Island Bats provides timely and valuable information about how this fauna has evolved and how it can be conserved.

Island Africa

Island Africa PDF Author: Jonathan Kingdon
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 9780002194433
Category : Africa
Languages : da
Pages : 287

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Book Description
Om Afrikas planter og dyr med vægt på det udviklingshistoriske aspekt

Evolution of Island Mammals

Evolution of Island Mammals PDF Author: Alexandra van der Geer
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119675731
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 62

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Book Description
EVOLUTION OF ISLAND MAMMALS Evolution on islands differs in a number of important ways from evolution on mainland areas. Over millions of years of isolation, exceptional and sometimes bizarre mammals evolved on islands, such as pig-sized elephants and hippos, giant rats and gorilla-sized lemurs that would have been formidable to their mainland ancestors. Evolution of Island Mammals, Second Edition, provides an updated and expanded overview of the current knowledge on fossil island mammals worldwide, ranging from the Oligocene to the onset of the Holocene. The book addresses evolutionary processes and key aspects of insular mammal biology, exemplified by a variety of fossil species. Readers familiar with the first edition will find here a host of updated and enhanced material, including: An entirely new chapter on the island rule Updated and expanded theoretical chapters Updated and improved taxonomic information Extensive coverage of new discoveries Body masses or body size indices for most extinct island mammals New figures visualizing the richness of the fossil record This accessible and richly illustrated textbook is written for graduate level students and professional researchers in evolutionary biology, palaeontology, biogeography, zoology, and ecology.

Ocean Island Volcanoes: Genesis, Evolution and Impact

Ocean Island Volcanoes: Genesis, Evolution and Impact PDF Author: Adriano Pimentel
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 288963728X
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 180

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Book Description
Ocean island volcanoes constitute some of the most prominent and rapidly-formed features on Earth, and yet they cannot be explained by conventional plate tectonics. Although typically associated with intraplate settings (hotspots), these volcanoes also occur in different geodynamic settings (near mid-ocean ridges). The nature of ocean island magmatism is still the subject of intense debate within the geological community. Traditionally it has been linked to the presence of mantle plumes at depth (e.g. Hawaii), although the interaction with plate tectonics is also recognized to play a significant role (e.g. Azores, Galápagos). Magma compositions may range from basaltic to more differentiated, which consequently is accompanied by striking changes in the eruption style from effusive-dominated to highly explosive volcanism. Understanding how these magmas evolve and how volcanic processes act at ocean island volcanoes are key issues of modern volcanology. Moreover, the growth of ocean island volcanoes from their rise on the seafloor as seamounts, to island emergence and subsequent formation of shield volcanoes (and in some cases large caldera volcanoes) is governed by multiple interrelated changes. It is well known that competing processes model ocean island volcanoes during alternating and/or coeval periods of construction and destruction. The geological evolution of these volcanoes results from the balance among volcanism, intrusions, tectonics, subsidence/uplift, mass wasting, sedimentation, and subaerial and wave erosion. A better knowledge of the interplay between these processes is crucial to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the evolution of such volcanoes, and to the eventual formulation of a unified model for ocean island evolution. Ocean islands are especially vulnerable to volcanic eruptions and other geological hazards on account of their typical small size, rough topography and isolation, which make risk management and evacuation difficult. Volcanic eruptions, in particular, may have a significant impact on local populations, infrastructures, economy and even on the global climate. It is therefore fundamental to monitor these volcanoes with complementary geophysical, geodetic and geochemical techniques in order to forecast future eruptions and their impacts. However, the assessment of volcanic hazards on ocean islands is challenging due to the large variety of phenomena involved (e.g. lava flows, tephra fallout, pyroclastic density currents, lahars, gas emissions). Different approaches are used to assess volcanic hazards, either based on empirical methods or sophisticated numerical models, focusing on a single phenomenon or the combination of different hazards. This Frontiers Research Topic aims to promote discussion within the scientific community, representing an important step forward in our knowledge of ocean island volcanoes in order to serve as a reference for future research.

Islands in the Cosmos

Islands in the Cosmos PDF Author: Dale A. Russell
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 0253352738
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 481

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Book Description
The evolution of life on Earth from its origins to the present day