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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... wild dogs of the African savannas ; from the worms of the soil to the falcons soaring overhead . Biodiversity embraces all the bacteria and other microbes , many of which perform vital chemical functions to keep ecosystems functioning ...
... wild species . Crop geneticists use wild popula- tions to replenish genetic variation of domesticated species , to improve crop yields , and to increase both resistance to disease and the ability to grow in many different climates . Wild ...
... wild species for the quality of human health . Although we humans no longer live inside local ecosystems , we still need them to provide the essential " ecosystem services , " on which all living creatures — including ourselves — depend ...
... wild places to conserve ecosystems and species , but in doing so , we must always take into account the economic lives of local peoples — lumbermen in the Pacific Northwest , farming vil- lagers in Southeast Asia , all people ...
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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 |