Description

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Islands have captured the imagination of scientists and the public for centuries—unique and rare environments, their isolation makes them natural laboratories for ecology and evolution. This authoritative, alphabetically arranged reference, featuring more than 200 succinct articles by leading scientists from around the world, provides broad coverage of all the island sciences. But what exactly is an island? The volume editors define it here as any discrete habitat isolated from other habitats by inhospitable surroundings. The Encyclopedia of Islands examines many such insular settings—oceanic and continental islands as well as places such as caves, mountaintops, and whale falls at the bottom of the ocean. This essential, one-stop resource, extensively illustrated with color photographs, clear maps, and graphics will introduce island science to a wide audience and spur further research on some of the planet's most fascinating habitats.

About the Author

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Rosemary G. Gillespie is Schlinger Chair of Systematics, Professor in the Division of Insect Biology, and Director of the Essig Museum of Entomology at the University of California, Berkeley. David A. Clague is Senior Scientist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

Praise For…

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“A MUST-have for anyone with an interest in islands!”
— Scienceblogs.com/The Guardian

“This excellent interdisciplinary reference work is useful for anyone interested in island science, including scholars and researchers. . . . Highly recommended.”
— Choice

“The encyclopedia reaches out to a broad audience.”
— Qtly Review Of Biology

“Happily spend hours flicking from one article to another, learning something while celebrating the wonderful diversity that is the world’s islands.”
— Frontiers Of Biogeography