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Marine Invertebrate Evolution in the Galapagos Islands MATTHEW J.
JAMES 1. Perspective of This Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . 1 2. Directions for Future Research . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3. Plan of This Volume . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1.
Perspective of This Volume Charles Darwin brought the Galapagos
Islands to the attention of zoologists, botanists, and geologists
following the six-week visit of H. M. S. Beagle to the islands in
1835. Since then published research on the biota of the islands,
partic ularly in multiauthored volumes, has focused on terrestrial
plants and animals. The present volume is designed specifically to
provide a summary of work on the marine invertebrate fauna. One
deviation from that objective was the inclusion of a chapter on
land snails, which proved to be a good choice because the phylum
Mollusca is now covered more thoroughly in this volume than in any
single previous scholarly work on the Galapagos. The academic
bottom line with this book is to elucidate the evolutionary
responses of shallow water, benthic marine invertebrates to the
unique set of insular conditions that exist in the Galapagos
Islands. The route taken to that objective has many paths including
taxonomic revision, determining biogeo graphic affinities, and
examining the ecological requirements of species. The information
presented here is for some groups from the islands the first stage
in a thorough process that can eventually lead to an understanding
of the phylogenetic relationships of these species."
In 1905, eight men from the California Academy of Sciences set sail
from San Francisco for a scientific collection expedition in the
Galapagos Islands, and by the time they were finished in 1906, they
had completed one of the most important expeditions in the history
of both evolutionary and conservation science. These scientists
collected over 78,000 species during their time on the islands,
validating the work of Charles Darwin and laying the groundwork for
foundational evolution texts like Darwin's Finches. Despite its
significance, almost nothing has been written on this voyage, lost
amongst discussion of Darwin's trip on the Beagle and the writing
of David Lack. In Collecting Evolution, Matthew James finally tells
the story of the 1905 Galapagos expedition. James follows these
eight young men aboard the Academy to the Galapagos and back, and
reveals why they were able to have the groundbreaking success they
had. A current Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences, James
uses his access to unpublished writings and photographs to provide
unprecedented insight into the expedition. We learn the voyagers'
personal stories, and how, for all the scientific progress that was
made, just as much intense personal drama unfolded on the trip.
This is a watershed moment in scientific history, crossed with a
maritime adventure: there are suicides, controversies over credit
and fame, and the tragic killing of now-extinct species. The book
discusses how these men thought of themselves as "collectors"
before they thought of themselves as scientists, and the
implications this had on their approach and their results. In the
end, the voyage of the Academy proved to be crucial in the
development of evolutionary science as we know it. It is the
longest expedition in Galapagos history, and played a critical role
in cementing Darwin's legacy. Collecting Evolution brings this
extraordinary story to light, bringing its scientists and their
journey to life.
Marine Invertebrate Evolution in the Galapagos Islands MATTHEW J.
JAMES 1. Perspective of This Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . 1 2. Directions for Future Research . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3. Plan of This Volume . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1.
Perspective of This Volume Charles Darwin brought the Galapagos
Islands to the attention of zoologists, botanists, and geologists
following the six-week visit of H. M. S. Beagle to the islands in
1835. Since then published research on the biota of the islands,
partic ularly in multiauthored volumes, has focused on terrestrial
plants and animals. The present volume is designed specifically to
provide a summary of work on the marine invertebrate fauna. One
deviation from that objective was the inclusion of a chapter on
land snails, which proved to be a good choice because the phylum
Mollusca is now covered more thoroughly in this volume than in any
single previous scholarly work on the Galapagos. The academic
bottom line with this book is to elucidate the evolutionary
responses of shallow water, benthic marine invertebrates to the
unique set of insular conditions that exist in the Galapagos
Islands. The route taken to that objective has many paths including
taxonomic revision, determining biogeo graphic affinities, and
examining the ecological requirements of species. The information
presented here is for some groups from the islands the first stage
in a thorough process that can eventually lead to an understanding
of the phylogenetic relationships of these species."
In 1905, eight men from the California Academy of Sciences set sail
from San Francisco for a scientific collection expedition in the
Galapagos Islands, and by the time they were finished in 1906, they
had completed one of the most important expeditions in the history
of both evolutionary and conservation science. These scientists
collected over 78,000 specimens during their time on the islands,
validating the work of Charles Darwin and laying the groundwork for
foundational evolution texts like Darwin's Finches. Despite its
significance, almost nothing has been written on this voyage, lost
amongst discussion of Darwin's trip on the Beagle and the writing
of David Lack. In Collecting Evolution, author Matthew James
finally tells the story of the 1905 Galapagos expedition. James
follows these eight young men aboard the Academy to the Galapagos
and back, and reveals the reasons behind the groundbreaking success
they had. A current Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences,
James uses his access to unpublished writings and photographs to
provide unprecedented insight into the expedition. We learn the
voyagers' personal stories, and how, for all the scientific
progress that was made, just as much intense personal drama
unfolded on the trip. This book shares a watershed moment in
scientific history, crossed with a maritime adventure. There are
four tangential suicides and controversies over credit and fame.
Collecting Evolution also explores the personal lives and
scientific context that preceded this voyage, including what
brought Darwin to the Galapagos on the Beagle voyage seventy years
earlier. James discusses how these men thought of themselves as
"collectors" before they thought of themselves as scientists, and
the implications this had on their approach and their results. In
the end, the voyage of the Academy proved to be crucial in the
development of evolutionary science as we know it. It is the
longest expedition in Galapagos history, and played a critical role
in cementing Darwin's legacy. Collecting Evolution brings this
extraordinary story of eight scientists and their journey to life.
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