Cave biology : life in darkness / Aldemaro Romero ; main photography by Danté Fenolio.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Romero Díaz, Aldemaro.

Contributor:

Class of 1932 Fund.

Series:

Ecology, biodiversity, and conservation

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Biospeleology.

Physical Description:

xiv, 291 pages, 12 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, UK ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2009.

Summary:

"Biospeleology, the study of organisms that live in caves, has a tremendous potential to inform many aspects of modern biology; yet this area of knowledge remains largely anchored in neo-Lamarckian views of the natural world in both its approaches and jargon. Written for graduate students and academic researchers, this book provides a critical examination of current knowledge and ideas on cave biology, with emphasis on evolution, ecology, and conservation. Aldemaro Romero provides a historical analysis of ideas that have influenced biospeleology, discusses evolutionary phenomena in caves, from cave colonization to phenotypic and genotypic changes, and integrates concepts and knowledge from diverse biological viewpoints. He challenges the conventional wisdom regarding the biology of caves, and highlights urgent questions that should be addressed in order to get a better and more complete understanding of caves as ecosystems."--Publisher's description.

Contents:

1. A brief history of cave biology; 2. Cave biodiversity; 3. The evolutionary biology of cave organisms; 4. The ecology of cave organisms; 5. Cave conservation and management; 6. Appendix 1. Glossary of terms frequently used in biospeleology.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Class of 1932 Fund.

ISBN:

0521535530

9780521535533

9780521828468

0521828465

OCLC:

317623125

Publisher Number:

99936668598