WeRead Powered by ReaderPub
Island Life; Or, The Phenomena and Causes of Insular Faunas and Floras cover

Island Life; Or, The Phenomena and Causes of Insular Faunas and Floras

By Alfred Russel Wallace
Open in WeRead

Explore more books like this:

Environmental IssuesNature/Gardening/AnimalsScience - Biology

About This Book

The work examines the distribution, origins, and peculiarities of island animals and plants, surveying patterns of endemism and species dispersal across oceanic and continental islands. It analyzes dispersal mechanisms such as rafting, wind and bird-borne transport, and past land connections, and assesses geological and climatic influences including glacial epochs and sea-level change. Regional case studies compare insular faunas and floras, trace migration histories, and list characteristic taxa while weighing competing explanations for similarity and isolation. The author proposes general principles about former range extensions, the persistence of major land–water features, and the role of climatic shifts in producing distinctive island biotas.

About the Author

Wallace, Alfred Russel portrait

Alfred Russel Wallace

Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913) was a British naturalist, explorer, and biologist, best known for independently formulating the theory of evolution through natural selection, a concept he presented alongside Charles Darwin. His extensive travels in the Amazon and the Malay Archipelago provided him with rich insights into biodiversity and biogeography, which he documented in works such as "A Narrative of Travels on the Amazon and Rio Negro." Wallace also contributed to various fields, including entomology and anthropology, and was an advocate for spiritualism later in life, as reflected in his book "A Defence of Modern Spiritualism." His legacy endures in the realms of science and literature, marking him as a pivotal figure in the history of evolutionary thought.

More Books by This Author

6 picks
A defence of modern spiritualism cover A defence of modern spiritualism by Alfred Russel Wallace A narrative of travels on the Amazon and Rio Negro, cover A narrative of travels on the Amazon and Rio Negro, by Alfred Russel Wallace Alfred Russel Wallace: Letters and Reminiscences, Vol. 1 cover Alfred Russel Wallace: Letters and Reminiscences, Vol. 1 by Alfred Russel Wallace Alfred Russel Wallace: Letters and Reminiscences, Vol. 2 cover Alfred Russel Wallace: Letters and Reminiscences, Vol. 2 by Alfred Russel Wallace Catalogue of the dipterous insects collected at Singapore and Malacca cover Catalogue of the dipterous insects collected at Singapore and Malacca by Alfred Russel Wallace Contributions to the Theory of Natural Selection / A Series of Essays cover Contributions to the Theory of Natural Selection / A Series of Essays by Alfred Russel Wallace

You May Also Like

6 picks
A Brief History of Forestry. / In Europe, the United States and Other Countries cover A Brief History of Forestry. / In Europe, the United States and Other Countries by B. E. Fernow A Distributional Study of the Amphibians of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, México cover A Distributional Study of the Amphibians of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, México by William Edward Duellman A Full Description of the Great Tornado in Chester County, Pa. cover A Full Description of the Great Tornado in Chester County, Pa. by Richard Darlington A Guide to the Mount's Bay and the Land's End / Comprehending the topography, botany, agriculture, fisheries, antiquities, mining, mineralogy and geology of West Cornwall cover A Guide to the Mount's Bay and the Land's End / Comprehending the topography, botany, agriculture, fisheries, antiquities, mining, mineralogy and geology of West Cornwall by John Ayrton Paris A History of Epidemic Pestilences / From the Earliest Ages, 1495 Years Before the Birth of our Saviour to 1848: With Researches into Their Nature, Causes, and Prophylaxis cover A History of Epidemic Pestilences / From the Earliest Ages, 1495 Years Before the Birth of our Saviour to 1848: With Researches into Their Nature, Causes, and Prophylaxis by Edward Bascome A History of Southern Utah and Its National Parks (Revised) cover A History of Southern Utah and Its National Parks (Revised) by Angus M. Woodbury