Gymnosperms: structure and evolution

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Gymnosperms: structure and evolution
Charles Joseph Chamberlain
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B0006BO8X8

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The morphology of gymnosperms;: The structure and evolution of primitive seed-plants
K. R Sporne
Manufacturer: Hutchinson University Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B0006BNIA2

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Gymnosperms Structure and Evolution
Charles Joseph Chamberlain
Manufacturer: The Univ. of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MFKUFI

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Gymnosperms Structure and Evolution
Chamberlain Charles Joseph
Manufacturer: University of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LAY8FC

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Gymnosperms: Structure & Evolution
Charles Chamberlain
Manufacturer: Dover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000V2LS26

Book Description

Take a trip to a unique habitat--the cloud forests of Central America! In his previous journey, Sneed Collard introduced the water habitats of Our Wet World--a "Reading Rainbow" selection and an NSTA/CBC Notable book. Now he takes the reader to the mountains of Costa Rica to see the glorious resplendent quetzal, the fierce margay, the slow-moving two-toed sloth, the startling harlequin frog, and dozens of other colorful and secretive animals. They inhabit a very special place, a rain forest of the mountains--the cloud forest. This lavishly illustrated book takes the reader on an incredible journey to this habitat, warns of the threats to it, and suggests what readers can do to help or to learn more. A glossary, a list of suggested websites and books, and a map are included.

The EARTH DWELLERS: Adventures in the Land of Ants

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Go to the Ants!
Excellent book for anyone who's ever wondered about ants
Slaves, gardeners and warriors
Solid, well written, easy to read
This is a great book and I'm not a myrmecologist

The EARTH DWELLERS: Adventures in the Land of Ants
Erich Hoyt
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0684830450

Customer Reviews:

Go to the Ants!.......2006-06-09

Erich Hoyt has written a book, not just about army ants, leafcutter ants, fire ants, amazon ants and bullet ants, but about the nature of the social insects and how they fit into the world. From the ground to the trees to the canopy we learn about how the ants interact with other ants, other insects, other animals and even the trees themselves. From the jungle to the rest of the world, we learn about their history, their societies and maybe also learn a tad about ourselves.
Ants and mankind are social creatures who make wars. Ants and mankind also change their surroundings by building cities, roads and gardens. They raise livestock and communicate together, organizing thousands, sometimes millions of members to work together.
The book also focuses on the many scientists who have studied or are still studying the tiny creatures. Most of the chapters seem to focus on Edward O. Wilson which they should. He IS the Ant Man of the late 20th and early 21st Century.
Tons of wit and humor, many of the chapters follow the lives of ant colonies in the nature reserve of La Selva in Costa Rica. Many of details of daily life really added to my knowledge of ants. Most authors just don't bother with the small stuff in other books but Erich Hoyt understood that with ants the small stuff IS the important stuff.

Excellent book for anyone who's ever wondered about ants.......2004-12-23

A solid look into the world of ants, Hoyt uses an interesting and engaging mix of dramatic narrative and more traditional discussion. At least half of the book contains the trappings of a novel, tracking the lives of individual ants and colonies as they exemplify points in his discourse. He also, less successfully, maintains this device when discussing ant god Edward Wilson, who is legendary among myrmecologists everywhere. Readers are invited to identify with the leafcutter scout who eventually sacrifices her life in service of her queen, or the two enormous bullet ants who slowly wind up their tales after their colony is destroyed. The book explores the mating cycle of the ants, the relationships between individuals within the colonies, the relationships between different colonies of the same or different species, and the way that ants deal with adverse environmental conditions. He also touches on the relationship of ants to the larger ecosystem that surrounds it, and gives the reader the theoretical knowledge necessary to see an ant colony as a superorganism.
The Good and the Bad:
I really enjoyed this book. The scientific discussion was easy for me to follow as a layman, and the narratives were very engaging and even exciting in parts. Even though I've read one or two other books on ants, this is the first time that I've walked away feeling as though I have a good handle on what ants are, and what they mean to the world. What's more, I put the book down caring about ants, and wanting to observe them in their natural habitat. I think it's safe to say that I will never walk past an ant on the sidewalk without devoting a moment's thought to what that ant is up to. Hoyt also gives a good cross section of species that exemplify all of the oddities that are the mark of a highly diverse and evolved group of insects, and I liked that he explored some of the non-obvious issues that come up when studying ants. For example, he talks a bit about how ant species are named, and how researchers collect the ants they study.
I also appreciated the drawings that were included throughout the text, and the quotations that kick off each chapter. Little touches like this make the journey more fun.
On the downside, Hoyt makes the mistake of devoting a lot of space to discuss Wilson and myrmecological colleague William Brown. I enjoyed the facts, but I just felt that Hoyt was too close to these subjects to portray them objectively. Two scientific giants who are very active in their field can't be treated objectively by a science writer who has a personal relationship with them, in my opinion. As a result, we as readers are subjected to a lot of compliments and almost no criticisms of Wilson and Brown, and we also have to hear about their side of the story in scientific controversies. It's not that I didn't find the topics interesting; I just question whether I was reading a colored version of the truth.
What I learned:
So much that it can't be capsulized, but I will note a couple of interesting ant facts that stuck with me. Ants enter into a series of complex interdependent relationships with the animals and plants around them. Birds and other predators might track a marching column of army ants in order to benefit from the flood of escaping prey. Beetles disguise themselves as ants in order to gain access to their homes. Aphids are kept as cows, and protected in exchange. Mites attach themselves to the feet of ants, giving the ants extra climbing power. Trees attract ants with food and shelter, in exchange for which the ant colony will keep more damaging foragers away. Leafcutter ants collect bits of leaves by the thousands, but they don't eat them. Instead, they use them as mulch to grow a certain kind of fungus, which they do eat. When a queen leaves a colony to found her own new colony, she places a bit of fungus beneath her tongue and uses it to start a new garden. If she forgets to do this, or the new fungus doesn't grow, she will die. Amazon ants can't do anything for themselves, but they can raid other colonies, stealing the pupae to raise as slave workers. Without the slaves, the Amazons couldn't even feed themselves.

Slaves, gardeners and warriors.......2004-07-25

Hoyt, a nature writer who made his reputation writing about whales, turns his lively narrative and organizational skills to the world of ants. He succeeds in capturing the ants' eye view so vividly that readers may never consider these creatures beneath their notice again.

Focusing primarily on colonies in the rain forest preserve of La Selva, Costa Rica, Hoyt reveals the daily habits and life cycles of leafcutters, swarm raiders, fire ants, aztecs, bullets, weavers and more, and relates these habits to ant species worldwide.

Chemicals rule the ant world. Hoyt demonstrates this through specifics - the leaf cutter scout laying a pheromone trail to a new type of leaf, the foreign male swarm raider gaining access to a virgin queen by acquiring the scent of her colony, threatened workers releasing clouds of soldier-recruitment chemicals, ant slaves adoring their conquerors by aid of propaganda gas. He details the laboratory experiments of scientists confirming ant recognition and communication by scent.

Taking us inside the leaf cutter colony, Hoyt explores its architecture and gardens. The leafcutters feed their fungus gardens with the leaf bits they harvest - the fungus cannot survive without ant propogation. He provides many fascinating examples of symbiosis, from the aphid cattle protected and milked, to beetles which acquire a colony's scent and live within it, to the cecropia tree which provides food and habitat in return for ant patrols which keep the fast growing tree free of other insects and encroaching greenery like strangler figs.

One chapter explores several varieties of ant reproduction from the laying of the royal brood eggs to their care and feeding and finally the nuptial flights or, in the case of swarm raiders, colony division with workers adhering to a favored queen until only two factions are left.

Hoyt returns to specific colonies again and again. He follows a virgin leafcutter queen from her first nearly disastrous flight in heavy rains to her long wait for a clear day (during which time other colonies are washed away and the leafcutters themselves forced to higher ground) to a second successful flight and the arduous task of beginning a new colony - each step tense with danger few of the royals survive.

From these anecdotal foundations, Hoyt branches out to discuss theories of evolution, behavior and communication, the scientists who work at developing the theories, and examples from other ant colonies world wide.

He devotes another chapter to war and slave making. As a cecropia tree grows to maturity (at eight inches a month) the aztec colonies war to the death until only one is left to reign supreme. Amazon ants do nothing well but fight. They fight to get slaves who do all the work of the colony, from feeding the individual amazons to caring for the brood. When a scientist removed the slaves from a colony the amazons deteriorated rapidly although they did begin, ineptly, to work for themselves.

Hoyt's book is filled with these kinds of fascinating illustrations of behavior and biology. His ants'-eye-view or day-in-the-life approach takes years of ant research and personalizes it, making reader identification more complete. Less fascinating, ironically, is his up-close and personal view of the scientists themselves.

Finally, most readers will close the book wishing that Hoyt would do for our northeast backyard ants what he's done for the rain forest species of Costa Rica.

Solid, well written, easy to read.......2001-01-02

Erich Hoyt's work sets forth tons of interesting ant information (and some information about the myrmecologists who study ants) in a readable, useful format. This is lighter reading than Wilson and Holldobler's classic The Ants, but it is still chock-ful of good information about ants and about Professor Wilson. I found myself wanting to know more details about more types of ants, and a bit more coverage of the domestic US ants than this work provides, but it's still a fine work. If you want to read something insightful about ants but don't want a hard science tome, this is a good pick.

This is a great book and I'm not a myrmecologist.......2000-06-26

This book was very entertaining and I learned a lot about a few types of ants. The ant perspective was kind of a cool way to present the information. He does a good job of presenting ants and their ecological importance without getting so technical that it sounds like a paper in ecology. He did focus on Costa Rica but how can you blame somebody for doing that. I really got into it. The way he divided the story between the ants and the ant guys, E. O. Wilson namely, was a nice change of pace. It reads fast and the glossaries in the back help with any terms that aren't familiar. I really enjoy it. Buy the book, you'll learn lots and you will be entertained at the same time.

Adventures in Nature Costa Rica (Adventures in Nature Series)

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Excellent guide
one of the two best
The best book for nature lovers
Natural History Tourism At Its Best
Great Book!

Adventures in Nature Costa Rica (Adventures in Nature Series)
Ree Sheck
Manufacturer: Avalon Travel Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1562614142

Book Description

With Adventures in Nature: Costa Rica, you'll get top choices instead of a long, comprehensive list that leaves you wondering which way to turn for environmentally friendly adventure. You'll find a wide variety of accommodation and dining options, along with lots of maps that make it easy to organize your trip and locate where you want to go once you arrive in Costa Rica. Plus, you'll get an explanation of the country's new "green seal" for tourist-related businesses, with details on how to find out which hotels and private reserves have earned it.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent guide.......2006-08-16

It's been many years since we traveled to Costa Rica, but the nature preserves we remember best are well described in this current, and useful guide.

We especially recommend the inns at Monteverdi--a long, five hour drive up a dusty, mountain road, and worth every second, every pothole and every rut--and Drake Bay at the amazing reserve in Corcovado.

From all appearances, all the other highlights of a nature adventure in Costa Rica was well represented here, as well. It's the vacation of a lifetime, which you will remember for a lifetime. And this book is one of the better places to look for the little gems in that little gem of a country.

one of the two best.......2004-01-31

This book along with the coffee-table tome "Costa Rica : The Last Country the Gods Made" should be owned by anyone who loves Costa Rica, even if they think they despise natural history monologues as too narrow in their scope of a country. This book's spirit is undeniable.

The best book for nature lovers.......2003-05-16

Ree Strange Sheck does an excellent job describing lodges, locations, activities, and nature. I work in nature travel and use this book often. I highly recommend it for anyone planning a trip to Costa Rica who is interested in experiencing the beauty of this amazing country.

Natural History Tourism At Its Best.......1999-09-18

Costa Rica has it all--volcanoes, rainforests, beaches, cosmopolitan cities, whitewater rivers, and a rich tapestry of cultures--and so does this guidebook. Ree Sheck has done a terrific job of focusing on what's best about this amazing country, particularly with respect to its natural history, parks, and wildlife. There's a lot of information about hotels, restaurants, services, and transportation -- certainly enough for any traveler -- but where this guidebook really shines is in its description of the land, the people, and the natural resources of Costa Rica. I can't recommend it highly enough. Buy a copy and go!

Great Book!.......1999-06-25

Hi I am worjing at ILISA Spanish language institute in San Jose, Costa Rica and I just want to let you know that this book helps our students a lot by giving them helpful information and by arranging their travel plans for the weekends. Thanks!

Customer Reviews:

A gem in an ocean of books on Columbus.......2001-03-22

There are many books on Columbus but none surpass the quality of the writing and the way the authors lay out the history of the great discovery including what led Columbus to his decision to sail west into an unknown sea. His dealings with Spain's royalty and his later misfortunes are put in context with the times he lived in. A real pleasure to read.

Young Christopher Columbus: Discoverer of New Worlds (First-Start Biographies)

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Great for Younger Students

Young Christopher Columbus: Discoverer of New Worlds (First-Start Biographies)
Carpenter
Manufacturer: Troll Communications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0816725276

Book Description

Designed especially for beginning readers, First-Start Biographies trace the childhood years of famous men and women who overcame obstacles and achieved greatness. Illustrated in full color.

Customer Reviews:

Great for Younger Students.......2003-05-13

This book gives a nice, organized view of Columbus' achievements. I especially liked how the book made the point that Columbus did not land in what is now the United States, but rather on the island of San Salvador. There are lots of illustrations, and the vocabulary is simple enough that younger students would be able to comprehend the information.

Christopher Columbus: Young Explorer (Childhood of World Figures)

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Christopher Columbus: Young Explorer (Childhood of World Figures)
Kathleen Kudlinski
Manufacturer: Aladdin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Europe | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0689876483

Book Description

CHILDHOOD OF WORLD FIGURES

Christopher Columbus was born in Italy in 1451. His father was a weaver, but like most young men living near a seaport, Columbus looked to the sea to find his calling. In 1477, after serving as a messenger and sailor on many ships, Columbus settled in Portugal. It was there he first tried to gain support for his dream of reaching Asia by sailing west. It wasn't until nearly fifteen years later that Columbus gained support from Spain and set out on the momentous expedition that landed him in the Americas in 1492.

Christopher Columbus is considered one of the world's most famous explorers. This fascinating biography details Columbus's childhood, which shaped his adventurous spirit.

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