Frank E. Zachos Knihy

Frank E. Zachos provides a thorough exploration of the species problem, a significant and debated topic in biology. The book begins with essential background information and traces the history of species concepts from ancient times to the Modern Synthesis. It examines the ontological status of species, focusing on the individuality thesis and how it can be reconciled with various philosophical perspectives. An annotated list presents over 30 species concepts, with detailed discussions on key concepts such as the Biological, Genetic, Evolutionary, and various Phylogenetic Species Concepts. The text addresses specific challenges, including asexual and prokaryotic species, intraspecific categories like subspecies, and a hierarchical approach to resolving the species problem by distinguishing between ontological and operational concepts. A dedicated chapter tackles the complexities of defining species within a continuum of fuzzy boundaries. Additionally, the book highlights the implications for ecology and evolutionary biology, warning against the risks of conflating diverse entities under the same term. A summary chapter, glossary, and annotated references complete the work, making it an essential resource for biologists seeking an accessible introduction to the historical, philosophical, and practical aspects of the species problem.

Biodiversity and its conservation are among the main global topics in science and politics and perhaps the major challenge for the present and coming generations. This book written by international experts from different disciplines comprises general chapters on diversity and its measurement, human impacts on biodiversity hotspots on a global scale, human diversity itself and various geographic regions exhibiting high levels of diversity. The areas covered range from genetics and taxonomy to evolutionary biology, biogeography and the social sciences. In addition to the classic hotspots in the tropics, the book also highlights various other ecosystems harbouring unique species communities including coral reefs and the Southern Ocean. The approach taken considers, but is not limited to, the original hotspot definition sensu stricto and presents a chapter introducing the 35th hotspot, the forests of East Australia. While, due to a bias in data availability, the majority of contributions on particular taxa deal with vertebrates and plants, some also deal with the less-studied invertebrates. This book will be essential reading for anyone involved with biodiversity, particularly researchers and practitioners in the fields of conservation biology, ecology and evolution.

Ein biologischer Faktencheck: für Klarheit in den wichtigsten kulturellen Debatten unserer Zeit Was ist das biologische Geschlecht? Was bedeuten genetische Unterschiede zwischen Menschen? Und wie lassen sich Wissenschaft und Religion vereinbaren? In den hitzigen Debatten unserer Gegenwart wird die Biologie häufig als objektive Wahrheit präsentiert, um Positionen zu rechtfertigen. Doch was steckt wirklich hinter diesen Argumenten? In diesem packenden Sachbuch entlarvt der Autor, selbst promovierter Biologe, die Verkürzungen und Missverständnisse, mit denen die Biologie im Kulturkampf instrumentalisiert wird. Eine unverzichtbare Lektüre für alle, die inmitten hitziger Debatten einen kühlen Kopf bewahren wollen.