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JENNIFER B. FREEMAN

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SCIENCE 101: ECOLOGY organizes the sprawling field of ecology into a series of 2-page illustrated articles, adding more than 250 helpful illustrations and charts to make sense of some complex ideas. Most people know that ecology is about birds and bees, pollution and global warming. SCIENCE 101: ECOLOGY will help people of all ages get better acquainted with the fascinating topic of how all life (and nonliving matter) is interconnected, and how human choices are affecting sustainability of the basic life support systems on which we all depend.

REVIEW

"Science 101: Ecology, by Jennifer Freeman, is a superb introduction to ecology and sustainable development. The book captures the beauty and richness of the world's biodiversity, the excitement of the scientific field of ecology, and the drama and challenge of sustainable development. It is clear, accurate, and filled with wonderful photographs and diagrams that help to illuminate the remarkable range of topics discussed in the book." – Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director, Earth Institute at Columbia University, Quetelet Professor of Sustainable Development, Professor of Health Policy and Management

EXCERPT

It is easy for humans to feel that we are the central and most important species on Earth. After all, it is human faces we see in the mirror each day, humans we love, human communities we inhabit.

Looking at species on Earth from a numerical point of view, however, a completely different picture emerges. Defined by the number of species on Earth, humans, along with all other mammals, are rare indeed. Scientists have described approximately 1.4 million species of living organisms. This number includes all manner of life, ranging from bacteria to oak trees to lions. Of these, almost two-thirds are insects; another quarter million or so are plants. A mere 4,000 known species are mammals.
More than 750,000 of the 1.4 million known species on our planet are insects. The insects, which include beetles, butterflies, ants, and termites, far outnumber their vertebrate cousins.

The most common type of insect is the family known as coleoptera, or "sheathed wing" insects—the beetles. There are nearly 300,000 known species of beetle, more than all noninsect animal species combined.

A story is told about J. B. S. Haldane, a well-known British biologist and evolutionary thinker. Once, Haldane was asked what a person could conclude as to the nature of the Creator from a study of his creation. Haldane is said to have answered, "an inordinate fondness for beetles."

The Ketogenic Diet

Thoreau’s Legacy: American Stories about Global Warming

Earth: The Sequel

Green Biz

©2018 Jennifer B. Freeman