Galapagos

Galapagos

Author: Michael Hume Jackson

Publisher: University of Calgary Press

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 369

ISBN-13: 1895176077

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This book details the natural history of the plants and animals found in the Galapagos Islands. A list of the dominant plants according to vegetation zone is included. Of particular note is the discussion of the problems of colonisation by founding populations, biological evolution, and ecology, and of the evolutionary processes bringing about species diversity.


Galapagos at the Crossroads

Galapagos at the Crossroads

Author: Carol Ann Bassett

Publisher: National Geographic Books

Published: 2009-05-19

Total Pages: 312

ISBN-13: 1426204353

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As eloquent as it is alarming, Carol Ann Bassett’s portrait of today’s Galápagos depicts a deadly collision of economics, politics, and the environment that may destroy one of the world’s last Edens. For millions, the Galápagos Islands represent nature at its most unspoiled, an inviolate place famed for its rare flora and fauna. But soon today’s 30,000 human residents could surpass 50,000. Add invasive species, floods of tourists, and unresolved conflicts between Ecuadorian laws and local concerns, and it’s easy to see why the Galápagos were recently added to UNESCO’s World Heritage in Danger list. Each chapter in this provocative, perceptive book focuses on a specific person or group with a stake in the Galápagos’ natural resources—from tour companies whose activities are often illegal and not always green, to creationist guides who lead tours with no mention of evolution, from fishermen up in arms over lobster quotas, to modern-day pirates who poach endangered marine species. Bassett presents a perspective as readable as it is sensible. Told with wit, passion, and grace, the Galápagos story serves as a miniature model of Earth itself, a perfect example of how an environment can be destroyed-- and what is being done to preserve these islands before it's too late.


Galapagos Giant Tortoises

Galapagos Giant Tortoises

Author:

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2020-11-07

Total Pages: 538

ISBN-13: 0128175559

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Galapagos Giant Tortoises brings together researchers and conservationists to share the most up-to-date knowledge of Galapagos giant tortoises. Despite being icons of the world-famous Galapagos Archipelago and the target of more than 50 years of conservation research and management, Galapagos giant tortoise evolution and much of their ecology remained unknown until recently. This book documents the history, the pressing conservation issues, and success stories recovering several of the 15 different species of Galapagos tortoises from near extinction.The book begins with an overview of the history of the relationship between humans and Galapagos giant tortoises, starting from initial heavy exploitation of tortoises by pirates and whalers, and extending to the start of the modern conservation era in the 1960s. The book then shifts to biology, describing Galapagos tortoise evolution, taxonomy, ecology, habitats, reproduction, and behavior. Next the decades of conservation efforts and their results are reviewed, including issues of captive breeding, invasive species, introduced diseases, and de-extinction, as well as the current status and distribution of every species. The final portion of the book turns to four case studies of restoration, and then looks ahead to the future of all tortoise populations.The latest volume in the Biodiversity of the World: Conservation from Genes to Landscape series, Galapagos Giant Tortoises is a valuable resource for researchers and conservationists, as well as students of biology, wildlife conservation, and herpetology. - Provides a comprehensive overview of the Galapagos giant tortoise species as written and edited by the world's leading experts - Presents examples of restoration of tortoise populations following the near extinction of many of them - Describes conservation strategies to ensure the full recovery of all extant species - Explores recent efforts using replacement tortoises for extinct species to restore island ecosystems


Galápagos

Galápagos

Author: John C. Kricher

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2022-11-29

Total Pages: 496

ISBN-13: 0691242534

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A richly illustrated nature tour of Galápagos—now expanded, thoroughly updated, and with more than 650 color photographs Galápagos is a comprehensive, up-to-date, and profusely illustrated natural history of this spectacular archipelago. Offering much more information than identification guides, the book provides detailed accounts and more than 650 color photographs of the islands’ habitats, marine life, reptiles, birds, mammals, and plants, making the book a virtual nature tour of Galápagos. Galápagos experts John Kricher and Kevin Loughlin have thoroughly revised the original text, bringing all the taxonomy up to date and adding a wealth of new information. Individual chapters cover geology, ecology, human history, Darwin’s finches and how Darwin came to his theory of natural selection from his visit to the islands, Galápagos tortoises, marine and land iguanas, mammals, seabirds, landbirds, marine life, and conservation challenges and initiatives. The concluding chapter covers each of the individual islands, including landing sites, unique plant and animal species, and points of interest, and serves as a wonderful guide for visitors as they move from island to island or plan a trip to Galápagos. With its combination of rich text and splendid photos, Galápagos is essential reading for the ecotraveler and nature enthusiast alike. Now with more than 650 color photographs, showing habitats, geology, marine life, and all the commonly encountered reptiles, birds, mammals, and plants Features a detailed island-by-island guide, including landing sites and what visitors can expect Essential reading for the ecotraveler and nature enthusiast


The Galapagos

The Galapagos

Author: Karen S. Harpp

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2014-10-06

Total Pages: 443

ISBN-13: 1118852419

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The Galápagos Islands are renown for their unique flora and fauna, inspiring Charles Darwin in the elaboration of his theory of evolution. Yet in his Voyage of the Beagle, published in 1839, Darwin also remarked on the fascinating geology and volcanic origin of these enchanted Islands. Since then, the Galápagos continue to provide scientists with inspiration and invaluable information about ocean island formation and evolution, mantle plumes, and the deep Earth. Motivated by an interdisciplinary Chapman Conference held in the Islands, this AGU volume provides cross-disciplinary collection of recent research into the origin and nature of ocean islands, from their deepest roots in Earth's mantle, to volcanism, surface processes, and the interface between geology and biodiversity. Volume highlights include: Case studies in biogeographical, hydrological, and chronological perspective Understanding the connection between geological processes and biodiversity Synthesis of decades of interdisciplinary research in physical processes from surface to deep interior of the earth In-depth discussion of the concept of the island acting as a natural laboratory for earth scientists Integrated understanding of the Galápagos region from a geological perspective Collectively, The Galápagos presents case studies illustrating the Galápagos Archipelago as a dynamic natural laboratory for the earth sciences. This book would be of special interest to a multidisciplinary audience in earth sciences, including petrologists, volcanologists, geochronologists, geochemists, and geobiologists.


Lonesome George

Lonesome George

Author: NA NA

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-09-23

Total Pages: 255

ISBN-13: 1137097450

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Lonesome George is a 5 foot long, 200 pound tortoise, between 60 and 200 years old. In 1971 he was discovered on the remote Galapagos island of Pinta, from which tortoises had supposedly been extinct for years. He has been at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz island ever since, on the off-chance that scientific ingenuity will conjure up a way of reproducing him and resurrecting his species. Meanwhile, countless tourists and dozens of baffled scientists have looked on as the celebrity reptile shows not a jot of interest in the female company provided. Today, Lonesome George has come to embody the mystery, complexity and fragility of the unique Galapagos archipelago. His story echoes the challenges of conservation worldwide; it is a story of Darwin, sexual dysfunction, adventure on the high seas, cloning, DNA fingerprinting and eco-tourism.


Exuberant Life

Exuberant Life

Author: William H. Durham

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2021-03-22

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 0197531539

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The terrestrial organisms of the Galápagos Islands live under conditions unlike those anywhere else. At the edge of a uniquely rich mid-ocean upwelling, their world is also free of mammalian predators and competitors, allowing them to live unbothered, exuberant lives. With its giant tortoises, marine iguanas, flightless cormorants, and forests of giant daisies, there's no question that this is a magnificent place. Long before people traversed the Earth, evolution endowed native species with adaptations to these special conditions and to perturbations like El Niño events and periodic droughts. As the islands have grown ever-more connected with humanity, those same adaptations now make its species vulnerable. Today, the islands are best viewed as one big social-ecological system where the ability of each native organism to survive and reproduce is a product of human activity in addition to ecological circumstances. In this book, William H. Durham takes readers on a tour of Galápagos and the organisms that inhabit these isolated volcanic islands. Exuberant Life offers a contemporary synthesis of what we know about the evolution of its curiously wonderful organisms, how they are faring in the tumultuous changing world around them, and how evolution can guide our efforts today for their conservation. The book highlights the ancestry of a dozen specific organisms in these islands, when and how they made it to the Galápagos, as well as how they have changed in the meantime. Durham traces the strengths and weaknesses of each species, arguing that the mismatch between natural challenges of their habitats and the challenges humans have recently added is the main task facing conservation efforts today. Such analysis often provides surprises and suggestions not yet considered, like the potential benefits to joint conservation efforts between tree finches and tree daisies, or ways in which the peculiar evolved behaviors of Nazca and blue-footed boobies can be used to benefit both species today. In each chapter, a social-ecological systems framework is used to highlight links between human impact, including climate change, and species status today, Historically, the Galápagos have played a central role in our understanding of evolution; what these islands now offer to teach us about conservation may well prove indispensable for the future of the planet.


Flowering Plants of the Galápagos

Flowering Plants of the Galápagos

Author: Conley K. McMullen

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 2018-09-05

Total Pages: 386

ISBN-13: 1501728768

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The Galápagos are home to a wide-ranging assortment of unusual plants and animals. The islands became famous as the site of Charles Darwin's research leading to his theory of evolution by natural selection, and their magnificent flora and fauna continue to draw visitors from around the world. Based on the author's 16 years of fieldwork and featuring his exceptional photography, Flowering Plants of the Galápagos is the first accessible, in-depth yet compact guide to the plant life of the area. An invaluable resource for tourists, natural history enthusiasts, and professionals, the book: • Introduces the botanical history of the islands and their varied ecological zones • Allows easy identification of 436 flowering plants (77 families, 192 genera, and 390 species) • Covers endemic plants found exclusively on the islands; native plants, which grow on the Galápagos and elsewhere; and exotic plants present as a result of human actions • Offers thorough accounts of the plants which give the scientific, common, and family names; range; islands inhabited; habitat; description; and additional notes of interest • Is richly illustrated with 266 color photographs of flowering plants and 117 of plant pollinators, vegetation zones, non-flowering plants, and the islands themselves • Organizes species by form, leaf arrangement, and flower color and includes descriptive plant drawings to aid in identification • Provides a map of the Galápagos and a list of plants likely to be seen at popular tourist sites


Lonesome George

Lonesome George

Author: Henry Nicholls

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Published: 2006-04-04

Total Pages: 344

ISBN-13: 0230552250

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Lonesome George is a 5ft long, 200lb tortoise aged between 60 and 200. In 1971 he was discovered on the remote Galapagos island of Pinta, from which tortoises had supposedly been exterminated by greedy whalers and seal hunters. He has been at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz island ever since, on the off-chance that scientific ingenuity will conjure up a way of reproducing him and resurrecting his species. Meanwhile a million tourists and dozens of baffled scientists have looked on as the celebrity reptile shows not a jot of interest in the female company provided. Today, Lonesome George has come to embody the mystery, complexity and fragility of the unique Galapagos archipelago. His story echoes the challenges of conservation worldwide; it is a story of Darwin, sexual dysfunction, adventure on the high seas, cloning, DNA fingerprinting and eco-tourism.