Species Richness Patterns in the Diversity of Life /

• Main Author: Adams, Jonathan (Author)
• Corporate Author: SpringerLink (Online service)
• Format: Electronic eBook
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin, Heidelberg : Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2009.
• Series: Springer Praxis Books
• Subjects: Life sciences.; Ecology.; Biodiversity.; Ecosystems.; Environment.; Nature conservation.; Life Sciences.; Environment, general.; Nature Conservation.

This is a readable, informative and up-to-date account of the patterns and controls on biodiversity. The author describes major trends in species richness, along with uncertainties in current knowledge. The various possible explanations for past and present species patterns are discussed and explain...

Table of Contents:

• Local-scale patterns in species richness
• The Holy Grail of ecology: Latitudinal gradients
• Deep time and mass extinctions
• Hotspots and coldspots
• The march of Cain: Humans as a destroyer of species
• Knowing what is out there
• The current threats
• Holding on to what is left.