Our Changing Planet: An Introduction to Earth System Science and Global Environmental Change (3rd Edition)

Book Description

This book offers a general, interdisciplinary discussion of global environmental change oriented toward the non-specialist in science. The unifying theme of the book is consideration of aspects of both natural and human-induced global environmental change. The two part organization according to this distinction allows for easy reading on specific topics. This book is useful for anyone interested in learning more about Earth's systems.

Borror and DeLong's Introduction to the Study of Insects

Average customer rating:

Great Book
Fantastic insect key
Important for both biologists and non-biologists
Still an essential insect text despite a half-hearted update
An Updated Version of a Great Classic

Borror and DeLong's Introduction to the Study of Insects
Norman F. Johnson , and Charles A. Triplehorn
Manufacturer: Brooks Cole
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0030968356

Book Description

Understand the insect world with BORROR AND DELONGÂ'S INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF INSECTS! Combining current insect identification, insect biology, and insect evolution, this biology text provides you with a comprehensive introduction to the study of insects. Numerous figures, bullets, easily understood diagrams, and numbered lists throughout the text help you grasp the material.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book.......2007-01-17

An entomologists must have. I have an older edition and bought this for my dad, who is an amateur entomologist.

Fantastic insect key.......2006-03-30

I purchased this book mostly as an insect key. It is organized well, and has a very extensive key, easy to understand, and covers a broad spectrum. If you are interested in insect ID or collection, or just want some information about them, this is a great book to get. Depending on your interests, I would also recommend the "Forest Entomology, Ecology and Management" book written by Coulson & Witter.

Important for both biologists and non-biologists.......2005-08-23

Everything about insects is fascinating, and this book gives a comprehensive overview of their behavior, anatomy, and classification. For non-experts in entomology, such as this reviewer, the book provides the necessary background for further study. Topics such as the molecular genetics of insects and the genetic engineering of insects are not covered, but there are plenty of other books that treat these topics in detail. Only the first four chapters were read by this reviewer, but only chapter four will be discussed here.

Early on in chapter four, the authors dispel the prejudice that since insects have small nervous systems and have short life spans, they are not automatons and can exhibit a remarkable degree of spontaneity. Insects can adjust to the circumstances of their environment and the organization of their activities can be extremely complex. What is most interesting about their discussion of insect behavior is the emphasis on how it depends on the internal state of the insect, and not only its nervous system but also its internal organs.

The authors view the basic unit of behavior in an insect as being a `reflex'. A receptor that is stimulated will cause a particular group of insects to contract, which is observed as a body movement of the insect. A `releaser' is the stimulus that actually triggers a specific collection of movements. This results in what is called a `fixed-action pattern', which, as the name implies, occurs the same way every time it occurs. To be contrasted with these are the `modal-action patterns' that adapt to changes in the body position of the insect relative to external objects. A `central pattern generator' the authors write, is responsible for the leg and wing movements of insects, and allows them to navigate in noisy environments. All of these considerations of insect behavior are interesting in themselves, but even more so considering that they are being applied to unexpected fields such as artificial intelligence. Indeed, the learning abilities of insects are being emulated in various machines in the last few years, with good success. And even, a new area of artificial intelligence called `swarm intelligence' has arisen that is based on the behavior of ants.

Along these same lines, the authors discuss four categories that he believes are useful in characterizing insect behavior. These categories clarify to a large extent the difference between `preprogrammed' and modified behaviors. The first of these are called `closed instincts', which are fixed programs. The second is more flexible and are called `open instincts', where experience feeds back and changes the program. The third consists of `restricted learning' and is the analog of classical conditioning. The last one is `flexible learning', wherein experience can result in significant changes in the behavior pattern. All of these categories have found expression in machines, as well as the types of learning that the authors believe exists in insects: habituation, and associative, latent, and insight learning. The authors admit though that insight learning, where familiarity with relationships among (neutral) stimuli is obtained, has not been established without controversy in insects. Honey bees though they quote as examples of insects that can engage in insight learning. Very interesting also in this discussion of the behavior of insects is the use of mathematical models. As expected intuitively, these models involve control theory, but even more "exotic" approaches such as optimality theory and dynamic stochastic modeling. Optimality theory is used with the assumption that insects evaluate their state variables and engage in decision-making that optimizes their gain according to some criterion.

Needless to say the learning abilities and behavior of insects is fascinating, and no doubt there are many surprises waiting for future entomologists. Their research efforts will not only assist in the better understanding of the most important representatives of the animal kingdom but they will be immediately used by those who are attempting to emulate this "primitive" intelligence of insects in machines.

Still an essential insect text despite a half-hearted update.......2004-08-06

Borror and Delong's weighty "Introduction to the Study of Insects" enters its 7th edition as the standard text for students of North American insect taxonomy. This latest edition is brought up to date by Charles Triplehorn and Norman Johnson after a 15 year gap.

As in earlier editions, Borror and DeLong is a comprehensive survey of North American insect diversity, containing identification keys for the insects and other arthropods along with brief overviews of each family and tips for collection and specimen preparation. Keys are mostly at the order and family levels of the Linnean hierarchy, with subfamily keys presented for select groups. This text is not a field guide; many groups are not illustrated, or are represented only by line drawings of particular parts of their anatomy. Rather, it is best used as a laboratory reference, a single-volume source for identifying insects and spiders to family. No other single reference has the breadth of this text, so Borror and DeLong should retain its place on the shelf of any serious entomologist.

"Introduction to the Study of Insects" also contains chapters on insect ecology, physiology, and systematics, but these are brief. More appropriate texts for these areas are available elsewhere (for instance, Gullan and Cranston's "An Outline of Entomology".)

The 7th edition has been sorely needed. A recent wealth of DNA sequence data and rapid advances in the methodology and philosophy of systematics have produced a flowering of research on insect relationships. As taxonomic improvements accumulated, the 6th edition- the only resource of its kind- had grown increasingly out of touch with the state of the field. So it should come as no surprise that the most noticeable changes in the new edition (aside from the leafy green cover and smaller font size of the text) are in the classifications. Gone is the order Homoptera, sunk at long last into Hempitera. A number of families have disappeared into synonymy (e.g., Anthophoridae into Apidae), while others have been split out (e.g., Stenopelmatidae from Gryllacrididae). Other changes include a completely new beetle key, a considerably improved treatment of spiders, and the inclusion of a newly-discovered order of African insects, Mantophasmatodea.

Triplehorn and Johnson unfortunately are uneven in adopting taxonomic updates across groups. For instance, the wasp family Sphecidae is retained in spite of a long-standing consensus among Hymenopterists that it does not represent a natural group, while other groups like the calyptrate fly family Fanniidae are split out in spite of a lack of consensus among Dipterists over its status. The authors also mix Linnean ranked categories (Family, Order, etc.) with non-ranked clades in several places, with confusing results. Given the extraordinarily dynamic state of the field, however, the authors can be forgiven for some of their decisions.

Many of the revisions appear hasty, as though the book were primarily product of a publisher's deadline. For example, the utility of Michael Ivie's improved beetle key is marred by its incongruous insertion into the largely unaltered text of the previous edition. The chapter introduction treats the user to explanations of 6th edition characters that no longer appear in the new key, while scores of new and often complex characters are not explained in the text, do not appear in the glossary, and are not illustrated. I had to refer to Arnett's American Beetles numerous times to make sense of the new characters. In fact, with few exceptions (like Trichoptera), the figures have not been updated for several editions and users are left to puzzle over scores of unexplained couplets. Microsetose antennal grooves in Coleoptera? Dorsal versus ventral abdominal spiracles in Lygaeoid bugs? Adequate explanations will not be found in the text.

The editing is sloppy. The formatting of taxonomic synopses appears not to have been checked as there are errors in indentation (e.g., the Calyptrate muscoid fly families are indented equal to their header). Page headers for keys persist well beyond the keys themselves. For instance, scale insect descriptions (pg. 324-328) are found on pages labeled, oddly enough, "Key to the Subfamilies of Cicadellidae." The index is conspicuously error-laden (e.g., the beetle family Ciidae is nowhere to be found, but appears erroneously as "Cidae" and "Cilidae". And who knew that "Cermanbycidae"(sic) were long-horned beetles?). Some figure references in the keys have not caught up to the new arrangement of the illustrations; couplet 53 in the fly key points to an illustration that has since moved elsewhere.

Distressingly, a few errors from the previous edition are left uncorrected, and new errors have been introduced. For example, couplet 11 of the Hymenoptera key still asks users to decide if certain wing crossveins are "present" or "present" (11' should read "absent"). Couplet 14 shunts wingless wasps to couplet 16 (the Apoidea) instead of couplet 106. Most moths in the common family Noctuidae will be incorrectly identified as Pantheidae because of a text error at couplet 59 in the Lepidoptera key.

The family descriptions that follow the keys in each chapter are a mixed bag. Usually they are succinct and accurate, but some of the assessments of North American species numbers are dated. There are occasional taxonomic errors that result from outdated text carried uncritically over from older editions. For example, our Nearctic army ants have been classified in the genus Neivamyrmex since the 1950s, yet the text several editions later still refers to them as Eciton.

The Borror and DeLong text remains without an equal as an all-in-one volume for the identification of North American insect families. As such, it is a shame that my impression of the 7th edition is one of missed opportunity. 15 years since the 6th edition should be plenty of time to draw up new figures to keep pace with taxonomic advances and illustrate the updated keys, and certainly enough time to put the text through the rigorous proof-reading that it apparently never received.

(note: the reviewer uses this text in teaching a field entomology class at the University of California at Davis)

An Updated Version of a Great Classic.......2004-07-05

This is the book on insect taxonomy that most entomologists had as their text in introductory courses. The current (7th) edition is revised to fit recent changes in classification and certainly continues the standard set by Borror and DeLong many years ago. It was never intended to be a text in physiology, behavior or ecology. There are texts for these subjects available and just covering the systematic aspects of insects thoroughly is enough of a task.

My only quibbles have to do with some changes in arrangement of orders that I am not sure of (such as the union of Hemiptera and Homoptera, and Anoplura and Mallophaga - the latter was also true of the 6th ed.) and the fact that scorpion taxonomy was apparently not revised at all, despite numerous changes in the last several years.

However, that said, this edition is a continued improvement of a great classic of entomology. Among highlights are Jeremy Miller's and Darrell Ubick's excellent revision of the spider section and the new format for keys to the insects making them easier to use.

Customer Reviews:

Short and usefull.......2007-08-08

I'm back from Costa Rica and I can say this booklet is a good resumé of what you can see in that wonderful country. On 152 differents species shown on the booklet we saw 16 of them. I will bring it with me on my next trip in hope to see more.

Expected more.......2007-05-13

This handy pocket guide has the most frequently seen species, but I expected a bit more. Handy, but not what I expected.

Glad I had it!.......2007-03-29

I wasn't holding out much hope for value on this little "brochure" of wildlife but it turned out to be very nice to have. We just returned from a trip to Panama and Costa Rica and the guides - experienced naturalists with National Geographic and also from the parks and the Smithsonian - used it along with others. They are available for different regions and types of wildlife and I purchased two more when I was down there. Easy to carry on a hike, easy to refer to and great for the kids. They are certainly very basic but we were in isolated areas and some of us only got glimpses of an anteater or agouti so as the naturalists were talking about it, we could look at the guide and try to spot it again. Then if I only saw the tail, I knew what it looked like! Hiking up 300-500 ft. on muddy uneven trails with a camera in one hand, binoculars around my neck and a small backpack with water and such, it was hard to pull out a book for reference so if your trip is going to be at all like that, I recommend them.

Pocket Guide Intro.......2006-03-16

This booklet was offered as a bundle with another book I purchased. The booklet itself is well done, but not very extensive re: the wildlife of Costa Rica. It seemed to be a bit pricey to me, even at a discounted rate, for what I received.

Nice laminated quick guide to common animals/birds.......2005-09-29

These are great for families, casual wildlife fans. For die-hard bird fans, you'll need the BIG Birds of Costa Rica book.

An Introduction to Genetic Algorithms (Complex Adaptive Systems)

Average customer rating:

Good Theoretical GA Textbook
Not for beginners
An introduction and much more
A Great Introduction to Genetic Algorithms
Good introduction for such a short book

An Introduction to Genetic Algorithms (Complex Adaptive Systems)
Melanie Mitchell
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0262631857

Book Description

Genetic algorithms have been used in science and engineering as adaptive algorithms for solving practical problems and as computational models of natural evolutionary systems. This brief, accessible introduction describes some of the most interesting research in the field and also enables readers to implement and experiment with genetic algorithms on their own. It focuses in depth on a small set of important and interesting topics--particularly in machine learning, scientific modeling, and artificial life--and reviews a broad span of research, including the work of Mitchell and her colleagues. The descriptions of applications and modeling projects stretch beyond the strict boundaries of computer science to include dynamical systems theory, game theory, molecular biology, ecology, evolutionary biology, and population genetics.

Customer Reviews:

Good Theoretical GA Textbook.......2005-05-06

This book primarily deals with the theoretical side of genetic algorithms. If you are looking for practical knowledge of how to implement a GA you should look elsewhere. For all intents and purposes this is a textbook. It's heavy on theory and proofs, but doesn't always explain everything in depth (that's what class time is for). There are problems at the end of each chapter that can be assigned to students.

There are case studies of many academic projects that seem to drone on forever and aren't really that useful in helping you learn how to write your own GA. Chapter 1 gives an overview and provides all of the appropriate terminology. Chapter 5 gives an high-level overview of how to implement a GA. Those are the 2 must-read chapters, all of the others can be used as torture for CS students.

To recap, if you're teaching a class in artificial intelligence this book is good. If you're trying to figure out how to implement a GA to solve a practical problem not so good. That evens out to 3 stars for my rating. I recommend searching the web, there are a few good sites on GA programming.

Not for beginners.......2004-02-04

I have an engineering degree, and I found this to be a little tough to follow for two reasons:

1. Not enough step by step prodecure especially at the beginning. Mitchell is too quick to start with the math formulas. It turns out that Genetic Algorithms are fairly straight forward and easy to follow, but you have to read this book twice before you "get it" because Mitchell clouds the discussion with proofs and mathematical representations of systems. It is tough to follow.

2. Mitchell does a poor job of selecting meaningful examples to illustrate the points. A nice simple set of examples where the average person easily picture the system would have been delightful. Instead this author chooses to illustrate the Genetic Algorithms through uncommon neural networks amoung other exotic applications. I found myself struggling to understand both the example (I didn't know a thing about neural networks!) and the genetic algorithm.

When buying an Introduction type book, I expected it to be more 'down to earth'. this book is for advanced minds!

An introduction and much more.......2004-01-26

First it must be said that the book is not an introduction that the non-scientist will easily understand. Some knowledge of computer programming is assumed. It acknowledges this in the last paragraph of the preface. Many of the notations in the book are unfamiliar to business or financial readers. There is no mathematics beyond algebra so the aforementioned prerequisites are the main hills to climb.

Mitchell's book is an overview of genetic algorithm analysis techniques as of 1996. The author gives a history of pre-computer evolutionary strategies and a summary of John Holland's pioneering work. A description of the basic terminology is presented and examples of problems solved using a GA (such as the prisoner's dilemma). The second chapter discusses evolving programs in Lisp and cellular automata. Also included in this chapter is a discussion of predicting dynamical systems. This was the section that has the most interest for me. Also interesting was the summary in this chapter about putting GAs into a neural network so that the ANNs could evolve.

The fifth chapter discusses when to employ a GA for maximum success. I appreciate the clearly thought out discussion of when to choose a GA for a problem. Sometimes authors of these types of books mimic the man with a hammer that thinks everything looks like a nail.

A Great Introduction to Genetic Algorithms.......2002-12-07

This is a great place to start to learn about genetic algorithms. The writing is clear and not bogged down by jargon. The book is not overly technical; it is written for the layman and has a casual conversational style that is a pleasure to read.

About half of the book is devoted to presenting examples of studies that have used genetic algorithms. These examples are interesting in themselves and also serve to illustrate the variety of genetic approaches that are available. The book also presents conflicting points of view of experts about which algorithms work best and why. This is helpful in combatting the impression that a beginner sometimes gets that everything is simple and all the answers are known.

Good introduction for such a short book.......2002-04-07

Although short, this book gives a good introduction to genetic algorithms for those who are first entering the field and are looking for insight into the underlying mechanisms behind them. It was first published in 1995, and considerable work has been done in genetic algorithms since then, but it could still serve as an adequate introduction. Emphasizing the scientific and machine learning applications of genetic algorithms instead of applications to optimization and engineering, the book could serve well in an actual course on adaptive algorithms. The author includes excellent problem sets at the end of each chapter, these being divided up into "thought exercises" and "computer exercises", and in the latter she includes some challenge problems for the ambitious reader.

Chapter 1 is an overview of the main properties of genetic algorithms, along with a brief discussion of their history. The role of fitness landscapes and fitness functions is clearly outlined, and the author defines genetic algorithms as methods for searching fitness landscapes for highly fit strings. An elementary example of a genetic algorithm is given, and the author compares genetic algorithms with more traditional search methods. The author emphasizes the unique features of genetic algorithms that distinguish them from other search algorithms, namely the roles of parallel population-based search with stochastic selection of individuals, and crossover and mutation. A list of applications is given, and two explicit examples of applications are given that deal with the Prisoner's Dilemna and sorting networks. The author also gives a brief discussion as to how genetic algorithms work from a more mathematical standpoint, emphasizing the role of Holland schemas. The reader more prepared in mathematics can consult the references for more in-depth discussion.

The next chapter stresses the role of genetic algorithms in problem solving, beginning with a discussion of genetic programming. Automatic programming has long been a goal of computer scientists, and the author discusses the role of genetic programming in this area, particularly the work of John Koza on evolving LISP programs. In addition, she discusses the current work on evolving cellular automata and its role in automatic programming. The latter discussion is more detailed, this resulting from the author's personal involvement in artificial life research. Those interested in time series prediction tools will appreciate the discussion on the use of genetic algorithms to predict the behavior of dynamical systems, with an example given on predicting the behavior of the (chaotic) Mackey-Glass dynamical system. The author also gives applications of genetic algorithms in predicting protein structure, an area of application that has exploded in recent years, due to the importance of the proteome projects. The area of neural networks has also been influenced by genetic algorithms, and the author discusses how they have replaced the familiar back-propagation algorithm as a method to find the optimal weights.

Chapter 3 is more in line with what the author intended in the book, namely a discussion of the relevance of genetic algorithms to study the mechanisms behind natural selection. She discusses the "Baldwin effect", which gives a connection between what an organism has learned (a small time-scale process) to the evolutionary history of the Earth (a long time-scale process). A simple model of the Baldwin effect is given using a genetic algorithm, along with a discussion of the Ackley-Littman evolutionary reinforcement learning model, which involves the use of neural networks, and which is another computational demonstration of the Baldwin effect. In addition, the author discusses models for sexual selection and ecosystems based on genetic algorithms. These are the "artificial life" models that the author has been involved in, and she gives a very understandable overview of their properties.

Chapter 4 should suit the curiosity of the mathematician or computer scientist who wants to understand the theoretical justification behind the use of genetic algorithms. Again employing the Holland notion of schemas and adaptation as a "tension between exploration and exploitation", the author formulates a mathematical model, called the Two-Armed Bandit Problem, of how genetic algorithms are used to study the tradeoffs in this tension. The level of mathematics used here is very elementary with the emphasis placed on the intuition behind this model, with only a sketch of the model's solution given. To address the role of crossover in genetic algorithms, the author discusses in detail a class of fitness landscapes, called "Royal Road functions" that she and others have developed. The performance of the genetic algorithm employed is then compared against the three different hill-climbing methods. Formal mathematical models of genetic algorithms are also discussed, one of which involves dynamical systems, another using Markov chains, and one using the tools of statistical mechanics. The latter is very interesting from a physics standpoint but is only briefly sketched. The interested physicist reader can consult the references given by the author for further details.

Practical use of genetic algorithms demands an understanding of how to implement them, and the author does so in the last chapter of the book. She outlines some ideas on just when genetic algorithms should be used, and this is useful since a newcomer to the field may be tempted to view a genetic algorithm as merely a fancy Monte Carlo simulation. The most difficult part of using a genetic algorithm is how to encode the population, and the author discusses various ways to do this. She also details various "exotic" approaches to improving the performance of genetic algorithms, such as the "messy" genetic algorithms. One must also choose a selection method when employing genetic algorithms, and the author shows how to do this using various techniques, such as roulette wheel and stochastic universal sampling. In addition, genetic operators must also be chosen in implementing genetic algorithms, and the author emphasizes crossover and mutation for this purpose. Lastly, the values of the parameters of the genetic algorithm, such as population size, crossover rate, and mutation rate must be chosen. The author discusses various approaches to this. Although brief, she does give a large set of references for further reading.

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The Cultural Landscape : An Introduction to Human Geography (Updated 7th Edition)
James M. Rubenstein
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Textbook Binding

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How to Prepare for the AP Human Geography Exam (Barron's How to Prepare for the Ap Human Geography Advanced Placement Exam)

Zoya's Story: An Afghan Woman's Struggle for Freedom

Human Geography in Action

Introducing Physical Geography

Places and Regions in Global Context: Human Geography

ASIN: 0130460230

Book Description

This mid-edition revision of the seventh edition of The Cultural Landscape has been revised to incorporate the September 11th attack on the United States. The book has an established track record as the leader in the field due to its timeliness and readability. It is widely praised because it is clearly written and organized, up-to-date, and it approaches topics in ways that appeal to the majority of readers. This new editon includes topics such as a geographic tools box titled “Aftermath of Terror”, a new heading in chapter 6 called “Taliban vs. Western Values” which discusses Islam in the context of extremist positions, and a new Key Issue in Chapter 8 called “Why has terrorism increased?” For readers who want to know morwe about geography and the changing world.

Introduction to Forest Ecosystem Science and Management

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Introduction to Forest Ecosystem Science and Management

Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471331457

Book Description

Conveying the wide-ranging scope of forestry and the great challenges that lie ahead, this Third Edition brings together leading forestry experts and gives readers a broad overview of the field. Coverage ranges from the basic cell, individual trees, and the forest stand, to management of the forest stand and acquisition of goods and services from the forest.

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A stimulating insight in animal (and human) behaviour

An Introduction to Behavioural Ecology
J. R. Krebs , and N. B. Davies
Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0632035463

Book Description

The third edition of this successful textbook looks again at the influence of natural selection on behavior - an animal's struggle to survive by exploiting resources, avoiding predators, and maximizing reproductive success. However, in this edition, new examples are introduced throughout, many illustrated with full colour photographs. In addition, important new topics are added including the latest techniques of comparative analysis; the theory and application of DNA fingerprinting techniques; extensive new discussion on brood parasite / host coevolution; the latest ideas on sexual selection in relation to disease resistance; and a new section on the intentionality of communication. Written in the lucid style for which these two authors are renowned, the text is aided by boxed sections illustrating important concepts and new marginal notes which guide the reader through the text. This book will be essential reading for students taking courses in behavioural ecology.

Customer Reviews:

A stimulating insight in animal (and human) behaviour.......2000-08-18

A well balanced, unique mix of ethology and sociobiology, with strong emphasis on the biologic and evolutionary sides of behaviour. It is concise but is easy reading. A must have, for those seriously interested in the field.

Human Adaptability: An Introduction to Ecological Anthropology, Second Edition

Average customer rating:

Great integration of Modern Ecological Anthropology

Human Adaptability: An Introduction to Ecological Anthropology, Second Edition

Manufacturer: Westview Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 081331254X

Book Description

This is the first text to thoroughly cover nongenetic strategies of human adaptation to a variety of ecosystems. Designed to help students understand the multiple levels at which human populations respond to their surroundings, it is the most complete discussion of environmental, physiological, behavioral, and cultural adaptive strategies available. Among the unique features that make Human Adaptability outstanding as both a textbook and a reference are a complete discussion of the development of ecological anthropology and of relevant research methods; the use of an ecosystem approach with emphasis on arctic, high altitude, arid land, grassland, and tropical rain forest environments; the most extensive bibliography on ecological anthropology published to date, with over 700 references both classic and recent; and a comprehensive glossary of technical terms. In this updated edition, the author also addresses the impact of political economy, global environment change, demography, and health in the study of human ecology.

Customer Reviews:

Great integration of Modern Ecological Anthropology.......2007-05-09

I would say quite hastily that this book is probably the best introduction to Ecological Anthropology, written by a massive authority on the subject. What I love about the book is its ability to present the pertinent aspects of the subject matter in a way that forces you to understand why it is important. My only caveat about the book is that it does assume a certain degree of knowledge about environmental science that I found most students of anthropology (including myself when I read it) do not have. Keeping this in mind, if you do have supplementary texts available on the natural science aspects of this subject, than you will definately be able to appreciate the depths of human adaptability that Moran describes. This cannot necessarily be considered a weakness of the book, since the natural science has been discussed elsewhere. On the other hand, the material in this book is a great compilation of cultural, physiological, and genetic adaptations around the world. Since it is this that Moran stresses, it is of no detriment to the book that the natural science is not as detailed as it must be.

Below is a list of supplementary texts that should be read alongside this book, the most important one being the soil science textbook.

1) The Nature and Properties of Soils - by Nyle Brady & Ray Weil
2) Ecology: Theories and Applications - by Peter Stiling
3) A book on Human Biology and Human Physiology (I have not found one to my liking which is why I don't recommend a specific one here).

Animals Without Backbones: An Introduction to the Invertebrates (New Plan Texts at the University of Chicago)

Average customer rating:

The best book for Invertebrate Zoology
A must for Biologist of all levels.
A great classroom resource!
the best ever

Animals Without Backbones: An Introduction to the Invertebrates (New Plan Texts at the University of Chicago)
Ralph Buchsbaum , Mildred Buchsbaum , John Pearse , and Vicki Pearse
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0226078744

Book Description

Animals Without Backbones has been considered a classic among biology textbooks since it was first published to great acclaim in 1938. It was the first biology textbook ever reviewed by Time and was also featured with illustrations in Life. Harvard, Stanford, the University of Chicago, and more than eighty other colleges and universities adopted it for use in courses. Since then, its clear explanations and ample illustrations have continued to introduce hundreds of thousands of students and general readers around the world to jellyfishes, corals, flatworms, squids, starfishes, spiders, grasshoppers, and the other invertebrates that make up ninety-seven percent of the animal kingdom.

This new edition has been completely rewritten and redesigned, but it retains the same clarity and careful scholarship that have earned this book its continuing readership for half a century. It is even more lavishly illustrated than earlier editions, incorporating many new drawings and photographs. Informative, concise legends that form an integral part of the text accompany the illustrations. The text has been updated to include findings from recent research. Eschewing pure morphology, the authors use each group of animals to introduce one or more biological principles.

In recent decades, courses and texts on invertebrate zoology at many universities have been available only for advanced biology majors specializing in this area. The Third Edition of Animals Without Backbones remains an ideal introduction to invertebrates for lower-level biology majors, nonmajors, students in paleontology and other related fields, junior college and advanced high school students, and the general reader who pursues the rewarding study of the natural world.

Customer Reviews:

The best book for Invertebrate Zoology.......2003-03-19

As a new teacher of Zoology, this book has become my most valuable resource for the invertebrates. The information is easy to understand and the labeled photos are wonderful. If I could chose a textbook for my students, this would definitely be it. My students have also found it to be a great resource for their studies.

A must for Biologist of all levels........2001-10-29

The beginning zoology student has a daunting task before them. There are at least thirty phyla of animals on earth, most with several unique ecologically important sub groups. The arthropods, for example, include almost a million species of terrestrial insects as well as countless aquatic animals ranging in size from the minute copepod to crabs over two meters in width. To get a grasp on all of these requires a good bit of effort, a well organized mind and no small amount of perseverance. While anybody who has tried is no doubt familiar with the several very good invertebrate zoology textbooks available this is the only book on the subject that can be appreciated by the mass market.

The book groups animals by the traditional phyla, and gives critical information on each. Characteristics, development, ecology and diversity are all included. There are many good black and white photographs and a few good line drawings. If I had one complaint about this book it would be unity. I would like to have seen each chapter organized along a set pattern. This would be no easy feat either. I would also have liked to seen more line illustrations. I did like the books treatment of the protozoans as well.

If you are a student of zoology, beginning or PhD, you should try and get your hands on this book. It will help you understand things better than anything single resource I have seen.

A great classroom resource!.......2000-08-31

I have used the book "Animals Without Backbones" for 5 years now in my Honors Zoology class here in Maryland. This text is great - it is easy to read and understand and the photos are fabulous! The only thing is that all the pictures are black and white, unlike the "fancy" new biology books. It reads at a level lower than my students, which are honors juniors and seniors. I give them additional information to supplement their studies, but I can't say enough about the photos and the labelled diagrams! A great book!

the best ever.......2000-04-02

This book is a necessity for anyone interested in the fascinating structure of spineless creatures. As an artist, I find this collection of photographs to be a priceless visual dictionary, and a sumptuous treat for the eyes. The writing is scholarly and dense, absolutely comprehensive. Also important for academes: Where drawing illustrations are necessary for clarity, they are doubled up with the photographic representation.

The Deep Sky: An Introduction (Sky & Telescope Observer's Guides)

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Never Go Observing Without It
Essential reference work for the amateur astronomer
A Valuable Reference for Beginning Amateur Astronomers

The Deep Sky: An Introduction (Sky & Telescope Observer's Guides)
Philip S. Harrington
Manufacturer: Sky Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0933346808

Book Description

Here is the perfect reference for anyone who owns a telescope or a pair of binoculars, but doesn't know what to look for amid the constellations. It explains how to find double and multiple stars, variable stars, open and globular clusters, nebulae, and galaxies -- and what you'll see when you do. Includes 36 full-page sky charts; equipment, books, and software suggestions; sketches of how deep-sky objects look through a small telescope; and more than 100 black-and-white photographs.

Customer Reviews:

Never Go Observing Without It.......2005-02-27

I have a well used, copy of this book that I find essential while planning a nights viewing session; I also keep it next to my telescope when observing. As the title suggests, only deep sky objects such as nebulas and galaxies are covered. Objects like the moon and planets are "shallow sky" objects and aren't listed. Most of the objects are probably visible in telescopes of medium size from dark sky locations.

This book is divided into 3 main portions. The first briefly covers various types of objects, and equipment and techniques to observe them. The next part lists constellations seasonally. Deep sky objects are listed along with descriptions and star-hopping methods for locating them. The last part is a Mag 6 star atlas, with all the listed objects shown.

One of the other reviewers bemoaned that the descriptions don't mention the pages they appear in the atlas. I agree it would be a nice touch, and is the one thing that I'd wish for.
In my case, I've scribbled notes and underlined portions of text.

Despite this, I highly recommend this book. I find it one of the better beginner-intermediate selections in this field. It doesn't take up too much valuable space, but lists a number of objects both common and overlooked. I keep it with my charts, and it's one of a very select group of objects I keep with my telescope.

Essential reference work for the amateur astronomer.......2004-04-07

This work by Phil Harrington should be in the reference library of any amateur astronomer. Although it has been to some extent superseded by the author's "Star Watch" , information is provided on a more exhaustive listing of objects.

The general impression one receives upon cracking the cover of this book , is of library quality rather than a "field book" , since the paper stock is of high quality gloss finish. I would use this book indoors to plan my observing sessions and use either photocopies of the star charts appended at the end of the book , or a field type star chart for outdoor use.

More classes of objects are covered in this volume than in "Star Watch" : galaxies , asterisms , star clusters , multiple stars , and quasars are all represented. Rather extensive verbal descriptions are included with directions for finding approximately 300 celestial objects , along with very interesting descriptions and explanations of them. The only criticism I have is that a few of the Messier objects are not included.

In a direct comparison with "Star Watch" , I find this volume to be more difficult to use. For a beginning astronomer , I would recommend this book as a follow-up project once the skies are familiar. "Star Watch" is a bit more user friendly for beginners. I still rate this work 5 stars and recommend it. The author has an excellent approach to finding and explaining celestial wonders.

A Valuable Reference for Beginning Amateur Astronomers.......2002-06-21

The well written content of this book aids the reader in star-hopping to find about 300 of the finest deep sky objects down to 60S declination, using excellent text, photos and sketches to describe their appearance.

The first five chapters contain excellent instructive material, followed by the seasonally ordered descriptive material. The reference material in the back includes useful listings of data on the objects described in the book, the constellations, the Messier Objects, an excellent Bibliography and useful addresses listing many web sites in both cases, in addition to a Star Atlas.

The unusual atlas included at the back is appropriate for the magnitudes of the objects described in the book. Unfortunately the author failed to include a crucial bit of information for each description by omitting a page reference for the location of the objects in the Atlas. Perhaps this will be corrected in a future edition of a book which will certainly merit further printings.

Despite this annoying defect, this is a good buy and a valuable tool for a beginning star observer. Although some of the objects described can be seen with good binoculars and a few with the naked eye, you will need at least a 100mm telescope or better to see many of them.

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