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"The checklist contains all the nominal taxa of the Sphingidae, as well as the names of aberrations and individual forms. The author of each taxon description is given along with its original date of publication. Two species and subspecies are described as new. Comprehensive notes clearly explain these and other taxonomic changes, lectotype designations, and related matters. Color plates with 64 photographs further enhance the book."--BOOK JACKET.
Systematics underpins all of biology. Cladistics is a method of systematic classification that aims to reconstruct genealogies based on common ancestry, thus revealing the phylogenetic relationships between taxa. Its applications vary from linguistic analysis to the study of conservation and biodiversity, and it has become a method of choice for comparative studies in all fields of biology. For all students interested in the systematic relationships among organisms, this book provides an integrated, state-of-the-art account of the techniques and methods of modern cladistics, and how to put them into practice.
Covering 100 years of zoological research, the Handbook of Zoology represents a vast store of knowledge. Handbook of Zoology provides an in-depth treatment of the entire animal kingdom covering both invertebrates and vertebrates. It publishes comprehensive overviews on animal systematics and morphology and covers extensively further aspects like physiology, behavior, ecology and applied zoological research. Although our knowledge regarding many taxonomic groups has grown enormously over the last decades, it is still the objective of the Handbook of Zoology to be comprehensive in the sense that text and references together provide a solid basis for further research. Editors and authors seek a...
This biography of the eminent naturalist explores his life and pioneering work through the rapidly changing world of 19th and 20th century science. For centuries naturalists have endeavored to name, order, and explain biological diversity. Born in 1861, Karl Jordan dedicated his long life to this project, describing thousands of new species in the process. Ordering Life celebrates Jordan’s distinguished career as an entomologist and chronicles his efforts to secure a place for natural history museums and the field of taxonomy. In the face of a changing scientific landscape, Jordan was determined to practice good taxonomy while also pursuing status and patronage—an effort that included close collaboration with the Rothschilds. Biographer Kristin Johnson traces the evolution of Jordan’s work through wars, economic fluctuation, and political upheaval, demonstrating that the broader social context is an essential aspect of naming, describing, classifying, and, ultimately, explaining life.
Cladistics is the method of choice for systematic classification and comparative studies in all fields of biology. In cladistics, reconstructed genealogies are based on common ancestry rather than on simple anatomical similarity and therefore effectively reveal true phylogenetic relationships. This book is an introduction to cladistics and is based on the popular training course originally offered by the Systematics Association. The book first introduces the principle of parsimony and methods for character coding and the determination of character polarity. Methods of cladistic tree-building follow and tree statistics are detailed. Alternatives to parsimony, molecular applications of cladistics, and the relevance of fossils are then discussed. The concluding chapters review two important topics in cladistics: cladistic biogeography and the implementation of cladistic results in systematics. This book provides an up-to-date account of the techniques of modern cladistics, written in a clear, readable style. It will be an invaluable text for all students interested in systematics and comparative studies.
When looking at groups of organisms, shared characteristics (homologues) provide the raw data from which hypotheses of common ancestry may be suggested. In order to explore the relationship between homologues and particular hypotheses of common ancestry, complex matrices are devised, where homologues are coded, allowing theories of homology to be developed and tested. Practically nothing has been written about this matrix-building process, which is fundamental to our understanding of diversity and evolutionary history. This book fills the gap by discussing the ways observations are coded and the consequences for resulting hypotheses using case studies and theoretical examples.
Discussing the generally ignored issue of the classification of natural objects in the philosophy of science, this book focuses on knowledge and social relations, and offers a way to understand classification as a necessary aspect of doing science.
"Provides an in-depth review of current print and electronic tools for research in numerous disciplines of biology, including dictionaries and encyclopedias, method guides, handbooks, on-line directories, and periodicals. Directs readers to an associated Web page that maintains the URLs and annotations of all major Inernet resources discussed in th
How culture evolves through algorithms rather than knowledge inherited from ancestors. From our hunter-gatherer days, we humans evolved to be excellent throwers, chewers, and long-distance runners. We are highly social, crave Paleolithic snacks, and display some gendered difference resulting from mate selection. But we now find ourselves binge-viewing, texting while driving, and playing Minecraft. Only the collective acceleration of cultural and technological evolution explains this development. The evolutionary psychology of individuals—the drive for “food and sex”—explains some of our current habits, but our evolutionary success, Alex Bentley and Mike O'Brien explain, lies in our a...