Why ecosystems matter preserving the key to our survival / Christopher Wills.
| Author/creator | Wills, Christopher |
| Other author | Oxford University Press. |
| Format | Electronic |
| Publication Info | New York : Oxford University Press, [2024] |
| Description | xii, 208 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates illustrations (some color) 25 cm |
| Supplemental Content | Full text available from Oxford Scholarship Online |
| Subjects |
| Portion of title | Preserving the key to our survival |
| Physical medium | illustrations |
| Physical medium | plates |
| Contents | How Darwin brought evolution and ecology together -- Lost worlds -- How ecosystems survive change -- The genetic contents of the evolutionary cauldron -- How entangled is an entangled bank? -- Swift evolution in tiny entangled banks -- The boundless potential of evolutionary entanglements -- Benefiting from the bubbling evolutionary cauldrons -- Venturing beyond the red queen -- Tipping points -- Preserving the world's evolutionary cauldrons. |
| Abstract | Every reader already knows how overpopulation, ignorance and tribalism are contributing to environmental destruction and breakdowns in public health. We are all aware of the grim possibility that during our lifetimes the Earth might 'flip' to a new ecological equilibrium, threatening our very survival. This volume explores a new way to avoid such threats, by using our exponentially-growing knowledge of how evolution has shaped and is continuing to shape the complex communities of living ecosystems on which we all depend. Throughout this book we will visit ecosystems where the author has worked or has had direct experience, beginning with a tour of the amazing series of ecosystems that span the entire eastern slope of the Peruvian Andes. This journey provides a glimpse of ecosystems' diversity and capacity for rapid change. Next, we trace how Darwin gained a fundamental insight about the origins of such ecosystem complexity. He realized that, when subgroups of the same species inhabit even slightly different ecosystems, these subgroups will evolve in diverging directions. This divergent evolution is primarily driven by interactions with the many other species in each ecosystem, which are themselves evolving in different directions in the different ecosystems. We explore how this concept lies at the heart of the evolutionary ferment that powers ecosystem diversity and resilience - the bubbling evolutionary cauldrons of the book's title. This ferment pervades ecosystems, but it is especially active in their microorganism communities. We then examine the evolutionary forces that power these cauldrons, starting with between-species interactions and tunneling down to their causes. Using real-world examples, we explore how the technologies available for measuring these changes are increasing exponentially in precision and scope. We show how this deluge of new genetic and environmental information can be used to protect and restore a wide variety of damaged ecosystems. Ecosystems have survived dramatic changes in the past, often becoming even more wondrous and diverse than before. We are now learning how this happens, and how we can preserve this ability --Provided by publisher. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 191-200) and index. |
| Access restriction | Available only to authorized users. |
| Technical details | Mode of access: World Wide Web |
| Biographical note | Christoper Wills is Professor Emeritus at the University of California San Diego. Wills was the first to generate an enzyme with changed function through artificial selection, and to show the nature of the genetic change and the nature of the functional change. More recently, his research includes widespread negative density-dependent selection and how it maintains the diversity of tree species in tropical forests. |
| Genre/form | Electronic books. |
| LCCN | 2023952570 |
| ISBN | 9780192887573 hardcover |
| ISBN | 0192887572 hardcover |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electronic Resources | Access Content Online | ✔ Available |