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Green equilibrium : the vital balance of humans & nature Christopher Wills.

By: Material type: TextTextOxford, United Kingdom : Oxford University Press, 2013Description: xxviii, 280 pages, [16] pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 24 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9780199645701 (hardcover)
Subject(s): LOC classification:
  • QH 541.15.B56 .W685 2013
Contents:
How ecosystems work -- Maintaining a green equilibrium -- Stewardship and its perils -- The challenge of restoration ecology -- Catastrophes of the past -- A blending of genetic equilibria -- Ex-Africa semper aliquid novi -- Blending and balance in our gene pool -- The intertwined histories of humans and their ecosystems -- Learning from our history -- Green equilibria and the origin of our pretty good brains -- Green equilibrium is more than a metaphor -- L'Envoi.
Summary: In this work, the author, a field biologist explains the rules by which ecosystems thrive, shining light on a set of ecological balancing acts that he calls "green equilibria," rules which keep our world vibrant, verdant, and ecologically intact. To explain the idea of "green equilibrium," he draws on a range of examples, including coral reefs off the densely populated Philippines, the isolated and thickly forested valleys of Papua New Guinea, the changing Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, and a Californian ranch being allowed to return to a wild state. He travels to Guyana's rainforests and savannahs, for instance, to provide startling vignettes of ecological processes in action. Among other topics, he highlights the snake-head mimicry that swallowtail caterpillars use to scare off predators, the symbiotic relationship between the exceedingly rare Golden Poison-Dart Frog and the tank bromeliad plant, and the invisible world of pathogens and parasites that helps to drive diversity. All these mechanisms, and many more, maintain the "green equilibria" of Guyana's rainforest ecosystems. The author also shows how "green equilibria" have shaped the evolution and history of our own species. We now know that a kind of genetic "green equilibrium" helped populations adapt to changing environmental conditions as they spread out of Africa. Striking new evidence indicates that some modern human populations still carry genes from past hominids (such as the Neanderthals) as well as genetic adaptations to local hazards such as malaria. Traveling to many different ecosystems, from coral reefs to the high Himalayas, and drawing on his own on-the-ground research, the author illuminates ecological laws in action. Perhaps most important, he introduces us to people, in many countries around the world, who are now using this new knowledge to help heal the planet.
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Holdings
Item type Current library Collection Call number Status Date due Barcode
Circulation Circulation DLSU-D HS Learning Resource Center Circulation Circulation QH 541.15.B56 .W685 2013 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available 3HSL2014002108
Browsing DLSU-D HS Learning Resource Center shelves, Shelving location: Circulation, Collection: Circulation Close shelf browser (Hides shelf browser)
QH 506 .C812 2019 Core concepts in biology: QH 540.5 .G567 2016 Applied natural science : environmental issues and global perspectives / QH 541.15.B56 .Sp41 2006 Biodiversity : QH 541.15.B56 .W685 2013 Green equilibrium : QH 541.15.E267 .J959 2013 What has nature ever done for us? : how money really does grow on trees QH 541.5.C7 .Sa99 1996 Coral reef QH 541.5.E8 .W574 1996 Where river meets sea :

Includes bibliographical references (p. 247-267) and index.

How ecosystems work -- Maintaining a green equilibrium -- Stewardship and its perils -- The challenge of restoration ecology -- Catastrophes of the past -- A blending of genetic equilibria -- Ex-Africa semper aliquid novi -- Blending and balance in our gene pool -- The intertwined histories of humans and their ecosystems -- Learning from our history -- Green equilibria and the origin of our pretty good brains -- Green equilibrium is more than a metaphor -- L'Envoi.

In this work, the author, a field biologist explains the rules by which ecosystems thrive, shining light on a set of ecological balancing acts that he calls "green equilibria," rules which keep our world vibrant, verdant, and ecologically intact. To explain the idea of "green equilibrium," he draws on a range of examples, including coral reefs off the densely populated Philippines, the isolated and thickly forested valleys of Papua New Guinea, the changing Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, and a Californian ranch being allowed to return to a wild state. He travels to Guyana's rainforests and savannahs, for instance, to provide startling vignettes of ecological processes in action. Among other topics, he highlights the snake-head mimicry that swallowtail caterpillars use to scare off predators, the symbiotic relationship between the exceedingly rare Golden Poison-Dart Frog and the tank bromeliad plant, and the invisible world of pathogens and parasites that helps to drive diversity. All these mechanisms, and many more, maintain the "green equilibria" of Guyana's rainforest ecosystems. The author also shows how "green equilibria" have shaped the evolution and history of our own species. We now know that a kind of genetic "green equilibrium" helped populations adapt to changing environmental conditions as they spread out of Africa. Striking new evidence indicates that some modern human populations still carry genes from past hominids (such as the Neanderthals) as well as genetic adaptations to local hazards such as malaria. Traveling to many different ecosystems, from coral reefs to the high Himalayas, and drawing on his own on-the-ground research, the author illuminates ecological laws in action. Perhaps most important, he introduces us to people, in many countries around the world, who are now using this new knowledge to help heal the planet.

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