Lost Land of the Dodo: The Ecological History of Mauritius, Reunion and Rodrigues - Hardcover

Cheke, Anthony; Hume, Julian P.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0713665440 ISBN 13: 9780713665444

Verlag: Poyser, 2007

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Críticas:

"This is an extraordinary book: a rare combination of true scholarship, popular science and a labour of love, beautifully written and llustrated, and well-produced. It will fascinate anyone with an interest in birds and is worth every penny" Bull ABC (Summer 2008) " This book is a remarkable and meticuluous overview, which every scientist and naturalist with a serious interest in the wildlife of the Western Indian Ocean will find essential" Ibis (October 2008) "The authors have done a remarkable job in putting together a scattered literature, not all of it easily accessible or available." "...an absorbing read..." Ibis (2009) ' A must-read for scientists and non-scientists interested in biogeography, natural history, extinction and ecological history in general...one that a reader will want to keep on their bookshelf to return to ' Ecology (2009) 'A wonderful account of the history of the destruction of the Mascarene Islands, beautifully produced...with the help of this book, the visitor will be able to appreciate today's nature in the wider context of what it once was.' TLS (June 2009)

Reseña del editor:

The Mascarene islands in the southern Indian Ocean - Mauritius, Reunion and Rodrigues - were once home to an extraordinary range of birds and reptiles. Evolving on these isolated volcanic islands in the absence of mammalian predators or competitors, the land was dominated by giant tortoises, parrots, skinks and geckos, burrowing boas, flightless rails & herons, and of course (in Mauritius) the Dodo. Uninhabited and only discovered in the 1500s, colonisation by European settlers in the 1600s led to dramatic changes in the ecology of the islands; the birds and tortoises were slaughtered indiscriminately while introduced rats, cats, pigs and monkeys destroyed their eggs, the once-extensive forests logged, and invasive introduced plants from all over the tropics devastated the ecosystem. The now-familiar icon of extinction, the Dodo, was gone from Mauritius within 50 years of human settlement, and over the next 150 years many of the Mascarenes' other native vertebrates followed suit. The product of over 30 years research by Anthony Cheke, Lost Land of the Dodo provides a comprehensive yet hugely enjoyable account of the story of the islands' changing ecology, interspersed with human stories, the islands' biogeographical anomalies, and much else. Many French publications, old and new, especially for Reunion, are discussed and referenced in English for the first time. The book is richly illustrated with maps and contemporary illustrations of the animals and their environment, many of which have rarely been reprinted before. Illustrated box texts look in detail at each extinct vertebrate species, while Julian Hume's superb colour plates bring many of the extinct birds to life. Lost Land of the Dodo provides the definitive account of this tragic yet remarkable fauna, and is a must-read for anyone interested in islands, their ecology and the history of our relationship with the world around us.

Über diese Auflage

• Verlag: Poyser
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0713665440
• ISBN 13: 9780713665444
• Einband: Tapa dura
• Anzahl der Seiten: 480