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List Price: £44.99
Our Price: £28.95
By Academic Press
 Now the reference book for white shark, 1999-11-28
I have had the pleasure to read this book and use it for my research and as a guide during my expedition in search of shark in Mediterranean. It is still now the reference book for white shark biology.
List Price: £45.00
Our Price: £27.55
Author:
Albert O. Bush, Jacqueline C. Fernández, Gerald W. Esch, J. Richard Seed
By Cambridge University Press
 Good all-rounder!, 2002-12-29
Describes most of the major parasite groups... If you're trying to find out detailed information about a specific organism or group of organisms this book will be a great starting point. If you're looking for general information on parasites, their evolution and ecology then you've pretty much found the only book you'll ever need.
List Price: £35.00
Our Price: £26.00
Author:
Helena Cronin
By Cambridge University Press
A gentle detonator, 2005-07-26
This comprehensive and engrossing study examines two major elements of evolution: the role of ornamenation in various species, and the presence of altruism in a nature deemed "red in tooth and claw." Cronin focuses throughout the book on the contrasting views of Charles Darwin and his co-founder of evolution by natural selection, Albert Russell Wallace. Darwin appended his earlier ideas outlined in The Origin of Species in The Descent of Man. In that later work, he enalrged on the idea of "sexual selection." He postulated that many evolutionary traits which appear as maladaptive to survival are actually derived from reproductive pressures. The issue of female choice among many species was a difficult idea to sell - Wallace never accepted it. He retained what Cronin deems "natural selection by
good sense," devoid of esthetics.Cronin chronicles the history of sexual selection with craft and precision. Her writing is unambiguous, providing excellent insights into many aspects of evolutionary thinking. As she develops her theme, she aknowledges her debt to Dawkin's work on the influence of genes manifesting as guides to adaptation. Cronin adds a new term in describing the merging of Mendelian genetics and Darwin's gradualist concept - "modern Darwism". She carefully explains how natural selection operates at the genetic level to achieve a "trade-off" of costs and benefits to arrive at selected traits. In this analysis, Cronin gently but firmly applies Darwinian implements to show how critics of modern Darwinism have misled themselves in seeking "alternative" answers to adapation. The have been asking the wrong questions! This view was hotly challenged by paleontologist Stephen Gould in a now-famous essay. He viewed with horror Cronin's application of gene selection as a definitive evolutionary process. He made a wide-ranging critique which attempted to refute applying any facets of animal behaviour to humans. The review touched off the [mostly] trans-Atlantic dispute over how adaptation actually works. It was the Sarajevo of the "Darwin Wars" between Gould and Dawkins, perhaps best summarized by Daniel Dennet. Cronin's use of evidence should have forestalled that conflict. Cronin's skills in applying essentials to explain adaptations are unimpeachable and her skillful prose only enhances the value of this work. It will stand for a long time as a landmark work in evolutionary studies. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
List Price: £23.00
Our Price: £20.24
Author:
J Mann
By Chicago University Press
Invaluable, 2002-10-01
An academic book aimed at students and researchers in cetology, behavioural and conservation ecology as well as readers with a serious interest in cetaceans. Cetacean Societies reviews the research on the social lives of whales and dolphins and aims to bring the study of cetaceans firmly into mainstream behavioural ecology and provide incentives for further research, accelerating the transition from taxon-focused to question-focused science, a transition which behavioural primatology underwent some twenty to thirty years ago, beginning in 1965 with Primate Behaviour: Field Studies on Monkeys and Apes (DeVore 1965).The book is sectioned into three parts; (1) The history and methods, long term studies, observational methods and innovative techniques of study into cetacean societies; (2) A profile of four species, bottlenose dolphins, killer whales, sperm whales and humpback whales; (3) Comparative studies, theory and conservation, covering aspects such as group living, reproductive strategies, communication, conservation, protection and management. Illustrated throughout with photographs, diagrams and appropriate representations of data from research studies, the book is written by some of the world's leading cetacean scientists. It is a treasure trove of references and absolutely invaluable for anyone wishing to make sense of the social lives of whales and dolphins. Ruth Searle
List Price: £18.95
Our Price: £13.42
Author:
AV Evans
By University of California Press
Truly stunning aesthetic photography!, 2001-12-02
Wow, this book is good enough to be bought for just the photographs alone! They are truly stunning-set with complementary backgrounds, and balanced lighting with high quality crisp graphic images. This book really shows the Beetle order to be one of the most amazing and diverse of all life on earth. But it's not just a pretty 'coffee table book', no, it's full of facts and scientific information about beetles, their varieties, habitats, importance in the world; anatomy, biology, relationships with human cultures, and their unending beauty and forms. It appears well researched and full of clear concise information, not to mention page after page of 'WOW' factor pictures. I think it would be good for any enthusiast or novice alike.
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