Promotions - Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles 2018 -

This book is highly recommended to readers curious about speciation (the evolution of a population into a distinct species) or the evolutionary process on islands. The text explores two essential questions: how can species be said to belong in a place, and what authority makes that determination? Lewis (Huntington Library; California Institute of Technology) discusses these questions through the lens of four species of birds in Hawai'i. One is known only from the fossil record, one species is an extinct endemic, one is a surviving endemic, and the fourth is an introduced species. The book has a strong anthropocentric cast, and the stories of the explorers of Hawai'i, their excursions to track bird species over decades, and their hurdles in accessing nest sites or photographing elusive species are all fascinating. This book will particularly appeal to those interested in the extinction of species. Because they are bounded by the ocean, island habitats are distinct; their populations reflect unique evolutionary processes, making this story of exploration intriguing and highly informative. A detailed notes section and an index enable scholarly reads of the text.Summing Up: Highly recommended. Undergraduates and general readers.

This volume, edited by three distinguished scholars of primatology and paleoanthropology, presents an authoritative survey of what the study of chimpanzees can tell us about human evolution. Muller (Univ. of New Mexico), Wrangham, and Pilbeam (both, Harvard Univ.) offer a compendium that delves extensively into the evolutionary shadows that chimpanzees and humans retain from our last common ancestor; primarily, however, it serves to highlight the unique evolutionary pathways that humans and chimpanzees have taken over the past 7 million years since our lineages parted ways. The scope of the volume is sweeping, with chapters written by leading experts devoted to the fossil record, comparative anatomy, life history, locomotion, dietary behavior, social behavior, communication, tool use, and cognition. The authors provide a wealth of detailed information about chimpanzees and humans, and offer readers original and provocative insights into the evolutionary history of our own species. Overall, this masterful work adds substantially to the field of primatology and human evolution; it should be read by anyone with a serious interest in these fields.Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals.

Weaving together personal anecdotes with solid natural history writing, Bales--who is the senior naturalist at Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville--delves deftly into the lives of twelve species ranging from the ranks of plants and invertebrates to fish, birds, and mammals. He focuses his attention on well-known organisms, including monarch butterflies and ruby-throated hummingbirds, but also highlights less familiar species, such as ghost pipes and freshwater jellyfish. All are ephemeral in some way: hard to find, fleeting, unpredictable. These are more than personal stories; Bales combines a sound knowledge of biology with a plethora of references to geology, literature, art, history, and popular culture while educating the reader about the species in question and related organisms. Although the book emphasizes Tennessee, the author does an excellent of job of discussing a particular species from a broader perspective so that the book will be of interest to all readers. Bales is a masterful writer, and any reader interested in the natural world will find this an engrossing, illuminating read.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.

Few books focus entirely on the fascinating organisms that exist in the world's harshest environments. In deep-sea brine pools, in deserts, and within ice, microbes have developed unique mechanisms to live and reproduce in salt, acid, heat, cold, and other extreme conditions. In Extremophiles: From Biology to Biotechnology, the editors have assembled a wide-ranging exploration centered on organisms' structural, metabolic, and genomic adaptations for surviving in extreme environments. Contributions include experts in biochemistry, microbiology, food science, and medicine. This book distinguishes itself from others in its category by devoting some discussion to the utility of extremophiles as a source of secondary metabolites and other biotechnological applications. These products include phycocyanins, enzymes, drug candidates, nanoparticles, and carotenoids. For those interested in working with extremophiles, an appendix containing a compilation of recent information for their cultivation and a glossary are located at the back of the book. Overall, this text is well organized and serves as an important reference for scientists in this area of research. It will also be valuable to undergraduate and graduate collections relating to microbial diversity or biotechnology.Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals.

Our understanding and appreciation of the microbial world has now reached revolutionary proportions. We understand that, far from being mere oddities or even dangerous pathogens, the microbes that coexist with us are also largely responsible for shaping this planet and all of its inhabitants, most notably us. To describe and celebrate these critically important microorganisms, Chimileski and Kolter (both, Harvard Medical School) present a highly accessible discussion of microbial biodiversity. While concise, this discussion is also wide-ranging: from the microbes that were probably the very first inhabitants of Earth, to the soil-dwelling microbes that keep carbon and nitrogen cycles going, to the microbes that supply us with the essentials of our wide variety of foods and nutrients. Throughout, this book is tremendously engaging, and one that both general readers and experienced researchers will enjoy. The authors' engaging writing style makes even complex concepts clear and relevant, and the extensive use of stunning, dramatic micrographs throughout the book only adds to its significance. An extensive glossary, list of further reading resources, and image information and credits round out a truly exceptional work.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.

This relatively short volume explores the idea that sociality, in primates in particular, provided the primary selective pressures underlying the evolution of language. This idea forms the cornerstone of much of the research of primatologists Seyfarth and Cheney (both, Univ. of Pennsylvania), who introduce readers to the topics discussed. Their initial chapter precedes five essays contributed by scholars in neighboring fields of study--linguistics, psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy--which are written in the form of responses to Seyfarth and Cheney's central idea. These chapters are followed by a final response from Seyfarth and Cheney to round out the volume. In essence, this volume unfolds as a conversation among top scholars of language evolution; it would make excellent fodder for an upper-level undergraduate or graduate-level seminar course, or even a more general course focusing on communication or language studies. Well documented and thoughtfully organized, this is essential reading for anyone interested in language evolution.Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals.