Life in the Balance: Humanity and the Biodiversity CrisisIn Life in the Balance, Niles Eldredge argues that the Earth is confronting a disaster in the making--an ecological crisis that, if left unresolved, could ultimately lead to mass extinction on the scale of that which killed the dinosaurs sixty-five million years ago. Writing for general readers, he reviews compelling evidence for this "biodiversity crisis," showing that species are dying out at an unnaturally rapid rate. He demonstrates the importance of maintaining biodiversity, taking the reader on a journey that reveals the twin faces of biodiversity--over thirteen million living species and the ecosystems through which these species transform the sun's energy into life-sustaining matter. Throughout, Eldredge shows how our own fate is intricately linked with that of other species. |
From inside the book
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... EXTINCT SINCE CIRCA 1600 p . 195 Appendix II ESSENTIAL MICROBES , FUNGI , ANIMALS , AND PLANTS p . 208 Bibliography of Suggested Readings p . 216 Index p . 219 PREFACE THE BIODIVERSITY CRISIS Life is beautiful . The living.
... microbes , many of which perform vital chemical functions to keep ecosystems functioning . Biodiversity also in- cludes the green plants that produce oxygen through photosynthesis , trap- ping solar energy and storing it in the form of ...
... microbes and fungi . This is the ecological aspect of bio- diversity — the vast spectrum of ecological systems ranging from the polar ice caps with relatively few species to the forests and grasslands of the Trop- ics , which teem with ...
... microbes and other species to foreign ecosystems . Some of these alien species cause no harm . Others — such as the European zebra mussel , which clogs pipes and replaces native species in North America — are not so benign . The brown ...
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Contents
TALES FROM THE SWAMP | xiii |
THE OKAVANGO AS PRIMORDIAL EDEN | 20 |
BIODIVERSITY EVOLUTION AND ECOLOGY | 45 |
THE TREE OF LIFE | 63 |
ECOSYSTEMPANORAMA | 109 |
BIODIVERSITYA THREATENED NATURAL TREASURE | 139 |
STRIKING A BALANCE | 173 |
Appendix i ANIMAL SPECIES EXTINCT SINCE CIRCA 1600 | 191 |
Appendix ii ESSENTIAL MICROBES FUNGI ANIMALS AND PLANTS | 202 |
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SUGGESTED READINGS | 210 |
INDEX | 213 |