The Great Extinctions: What Causes Them and How They Shape Life - Softcover

MacLeod, Mr. Norman

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0565092782 ISBN 13: 9780565092788

Publisher: The Natural History Museum, 2013

Synopsis

What is extinction? What causes it? Can it be prevented? In The Great Extinctions leading palaeontologist Norman MacLeod reveals how, contrary to popular conception, species extinction is as natural a process as species evolution. Examining extinction over geological time, he compares ancient extinction events and uses them to predict what might happen in the future. Life's rich tapestry has escalated over time, despite several major setbacks. In total some 1,000 - 3,000 million species are estimated to have appeared during Earth's history, yet only 12.5 million currently exist today. This means that the overwhelming majority of species that have ever lived are extinct. Featuring the latest evidence on the subject and informative illustrations and diagrams throughout, The Great Extinctions is an absorbing guide to extinctions, their causes and their effects on evolutionary processes. As the debates about man's impact on the environment, about biodiversity and about conservation and extinction, continue, this book is essential reading for popular science enthusiasts and all those with an interest in natural history or environmental issues.

About this title

About the Author

Professor Norman MacLeod is Keeper of Palaeontology at the Natural History Museum, London. He studies the origins of fossils and modern organisms using mathematical analysis and models. Prof. MacLeod has written numerous books, reports and articles on the subject of extinction.

From the Back Cover

For over a century scientists have tried to identify and understand the processes responsible for the complex history of species extinction. This search has become even more important over the last decade as human populations and human technology may now rival sea-level change, volcanic eruptions, and asteroid impacts as extinction mechanisms. The Great Extinctions explores the history of that search, its subjects, its controversies, its current conclusions, and the meaning of those conclusions for our efforts to preserve the Earth's current biodiversity. Life's rich tapestry has escalated over time, despite several major setbacks. In total some 1,000-3,000 million species are estimated to have appeared during Earth's history, yet only 12.5 million currently exist today. This means that the overwhelming majority of species that have ever lived are now extinct. In The Great Extinctions leading palaeontologist Norman MacLeod reveals how, contrary to popular conception, species extinction is as natural a process as species evolution. Examining extinction over geological time, he compares ancient extinction events and uses them to predict what might happen in the future. Featuring the latest evidence on the subject and informative illustrations and diagrams throughout, The Great Extinctions is a comprehensive guide to extinctions, their causes and their effects on evolutionary processes.

Edition details

• Publisher: The Natural History Museum
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0565092782
• ISBN 13: 9780565092788
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192