Flowering Plants of the Galápagos

Author: Conley K. McMullen
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 1501728768
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 386

Book Description
The Galápagos are home to a wide-ranging assortment of unusual plants and animals. The islands became famous as the site of Charles Darwin's research leading to his theory of evolution by natural selection, and their magnificent flora and fauna continue to draw visitors from around the world. Based on the author's 16 years of fieldwork and featuring his exceptional photography, Flowering Plants of the Galápagos is the first accessible, in-depth yet compact guide to the plant life of the area. An invaluable resource for tourists, natural history enthusiasts, and professionals, the book: • Introduces the botanical history of the islands and their varied ecological zones • Allows easy identification of 436 flowering plants (77 families, 192 genera, and 390 species) • Covers endemic plants found exclusively on the islands; native plants, which grow on the Galápagos and elsewhere; and exotic plants present as a result of human actions • Offers thorough accounts of the plants which give the scientific, common, and family names; range; islands inhabited; habitat; description; and additional notes of interest • Is richly illustrated with 266 color photographs of flowering plants and 117 of plant pollinators, vegetation zones, non-flowering plants, and the islands themselves • Organizes species by form, leaf arrangement, and flower color and includes descriptive plant drawings to aid in identification • Provides a map of the Galápagos and a list of plants likely to be seen at popular tourist sites

A Lifetime in Galápagos

Author: Tui De Roy
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691194998
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 240

Book Description
A beautifully illustrated and deeply personal chronicle of De Roy's lifelong connection with these spectacular islands Tui De Roy was a year old in 1955 when her family left Europe, boarding a banana boat bound for the Pacific to lead a different sort of life in Galápagos, one of self-sufficiency and living close to nature. She grew up on the islands and returned to them often over the next five decades. Discovering photography at a young age, she has dedicated her life to recording the islands' natural history in infinite detail. A Lifetime in Galápagos is De Roy's intimate portrait of one of the most spectacular places on Earth, presenting the wildlife and natural wonders of Galápagos as you have never seen them before. Featuring hundreds of breathtaking color photos, this stunning book guides you into labyrinthine mangroves to observe nesting herons, to misty cloud forests to glimpse flycatchers and orchids, high onto erupting volcanoes, and into the ocean to swim with hammerhead sharks. De Roy's lens provides up-close encounters with orca and sperm whales, colonies of iguanas, and the giant tortoises of Alcedo Volcano. She paints unforgettable portraits of her childhood in Galápagos—the islands at night under the stars of the Milky Way, sea lions at play and on the hunt, the diverse birdlife of Galápagos, and much more. Blending striking images with vivid prose, A Lifetime in Galápagos also discusses the threats that global warming and other environmental challenges pose to the archipelago's unique wildlife and fragile habitats.

The Galapagos

Author: Henry Nicholls
Publisher: Profile Books
ISBN: 1847658962
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 267

Book Description
Formed of dramatic volcanic scenery and home to marvellous beasts, it is little wonder that the first name for the Galápagos archipelago was Las Encantadas: the enchanted islands. In this captivating natural history, Henry Nicholls builds up the ecology of these famous islands, from their explosive origins to the arrival of the archipelago's celebrated reptiles and ultimately humans. It's a story of change, as the islands are transformed from lava-strewn wilderness into a vital scientific resource and a sought-after destination for eco-enthusiasts. Charles Darwin's five-week visit to the Galápagos in 1835 played a pivotal role in this transformation. At the time, he was more interested in rocks than finches, took the opportunity to ride on the backs of tortoises and fling iguanas into the sea. Yet the Galápagos experience can be an inspiration and it certainly was for Darwin, pointing him towards one of the most important and influential ideas in the history of humankind: evolution by natural selection. And with the Darwin connection, the Galápagos found itself propelled onto a global stage. But worldwide fame has brought with it nearly 200,000 tourists a year and a human population now estimated at around 30,000. If Darwin learned from the Galápagos, so we must too. For what happens here in years to come foreshadows the fate of threatened ecosystems everywhere on earth.

Galapagos

Author: Michael Hume Jackson
Publisher: University of Calgary Press
ISBN: 1895176077
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 369

Book Description
This book details the natural history of the plants and animals found in the Galapagos Islands. A list of the dominant plants according to vegetation zone is included. Of particular note is the discussion of the problems of colonisation by founding populations, biological evolution, and ecology, and of the evolutionary processes bringing about species diversity.

Darwin in Galápagos

Author: K. Thalia Grant
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691142106
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 376

Book Description
Recreates the scientist's historic visit to the Galapagos Islands using his original notebooks and logs, the latest findings by scholars and researchers, and the authors' first-hand knowledge of the archipelago.

The Galapagos Islands

Author: Brian D. McLaren
Publisher: Fortress Press
ISBN: 1506448267
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 302

Book Description
Bestselling author Brian D. McLaren followed his love of nature (specifically, tortoises) all the way to the Galapagos Islands. There, he paid close attention to the flora and fauna around him but also to what was happening within him, how the natural world awakened his soul in a way that organized religion could not. McLaren's descriptions of birds and reptiles, fish and flowers sing; he walks in the footsteps of Charles Darwin and grieves that Darwin has been demonized by his fellow Christians; and he reflects on how his own faith has evolved in the years since he left the pastorate. McLaren writes in the spirit of Aldo Leopold and Wendell Berry, weaving together the spiritual and the material. Even though most readers will never visit the Galapagos Islands, they can travel with McLaren and experience the beauty and fragility of this extraordinary place.

The Galapagos

Author: Henry Nicholls
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0465035957
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 226

Book Description
Charles Darwin called it "a little world within itself." Sailors referred to it as "Las Encantadas"- the enchanted islands. Lying in the eastern Pacific Ocean, straddling the equator off the west coast of South America, the Galágos is the most pristine archipelago to be found anywhere in the tropics. It is so remote, so untouched, that the act of wading ashore can make you feel like you are the first to do so. Yet the Galágos is far more than a wild paradise on earth-it is one of the most important sites in the history of science. Home to over 4,000 species native to its shores, around 40 percent of them endemic, the islands have often been called a "laboratory of evolution." The finches collected on the Galágos inspired Darwin's revolutionary theory of natural selection. In The Galágos, science writer Henry Nicholls offers a lively natural and human history of the archipelago, charting its course from deserted wilderness to biological testing ground and global ecotourism hot spot. Describing the island chain's fiery geological origins as well as our species' long history of interaction with the islands, he draws vivid portraits of the life forms found in the Galágos, capturing its awe-inspiring landscapes, understated flora, and stunning wildlife. Nicholls also reveals the immense challenges facing the islands, which must continually balance conservation and ever encroaching development. Beautifully weaving together natural history, evolutionary theory, and his own experience on the islands, Nicholls shows that the story of the Galágos is not merely an isolated concern, but reflects the future of our species' relationship with nature-and the fate of our planet.

Wildlife of the Galapagos

Author: Julian Fitter
Publisher: Traveller's Guide
ISBN: 9780008156732
Category : Animals
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
The islands of the Galápagos, situated off the coast of Ecuador in South America, are home to some of the world's most fascinating wildlife and are visited by thousands of tourists each year.

We're Sailing to Galapagos

Author: Laurie Krebs
Publisher: Barefoot Books
ISBN: 9781846861024
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 38

Book Description
Come sail to Galapagos and see what you can see! Readers will encounter giant tortoises, albatrosses, iguanas and many other exotic creatures as they sail around the alluring Galapagos Islands, learning the days of the week as they go.

The Galápagos

Author: University of California, Berkeley. University Extension
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN:
Category : Biology
Languages : en
Pages : 344

Book Description