Biogeography: An Ecological and Evolutionary Approach [Paperback]

C. Barry Cox (Author), Peter D. Moore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 18, 2005 | ISBN-10: 1405118989 | ISBN-13: 978-1405118989 | Edition: 7

The latest edition of this highly successful and popular textbook has been completely revised and updated to include the latest developments in biogeography. It offers excellent insight into the multi-disciplinary nature of biogeography, providing the student with a sound historical base, up-to-date factual content and a clear explanation of current controversies.

New chapter on molecular evidence for the interpretation of patterns of biogeography

New section on the biogeography of parasitic diseases

Strong use of references providing a platform for advanced students to follow further debate in the current literature

Balanced treatment of continental biogeography, island biogeography and marine biogeography

Editorial Reviews

Review

“May I congratulate [Cox and Moore] in once again, making a subject that requires of the student a certain breadth of experience and a willingness to embrace many disciplines, attractive appealing and accessible…this publication will continue to be the authoritative and highly acclaimed text for students of biogeography” Dr Malcolm Greenwood, Loughborough University, UK

“This is a great compendium of the science of Biogeography, broad but full of details…with new references and good coverage of recent breakthroughs. Its well-balanced coverage of most major biomes, including marine systems, really stand out”Professor George Robinson, SUNY at Albany, US

"The latest edition of Biogeography is an excellent overview of the history of biogeography and related sciences and how this has culminated in the latest advances in biogeography."
Blumea, June 2005

"All in all, Cox and Moore have written an ejoyable, very readable book..."
Systematic Biology, April 2006

"An excellent introductory text on biogeography...clearly and neatly written, very well structured and effectively illustrated...yet again, the authors have very successfully revitalized their classic text and I am absolutely certain that it will remain a bestseller for many more years to come." Martin Kent (University of Plymouth) in Progress in Physical Geography

Book Description

The questions asked by biogeography evolve over time, and this new edition of a long-established book raises new questions concerned with such topics as global biodiversity, the roles of species in ecosystems, and the degree to which traditional biogeographical concepts can be applied to the extensive but neglected realms of the world's oceans. Marine biogeography is a new, but fast developing discipline and is included here for the first time. The book is intended for readers interested in biogeography, as well as geography, ecology, paleobiology, and evolution.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 440 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 7 edition (February 18, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1405118989
• ISBN-13: 978-1405118989
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #850,382 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why the physical, tangible, real world is the way it is., February 7, 2002

By 

Connie Chai Scholl "soymilk" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Biogeography: An Ecological and Evolutionary Approach (Paperback)

This excellent textbook is less than 300 pages, and yet I didn't feel like I learned any less than someone who read a 1000 page textbook on the same subject. This is a comprehensive, introductory volume that is, surprisingly for a textbook, extremely well written. This book delivered Biogeography to my mind, and my great teacher Dr Patrick Armstrong of Univeristy of Western Australia made it come alive in my head. Everything you need to lead you into the fascinating study of our tangible world is here. Read it!

2.0 out of 5 stars Simplistic, with some seriously bad science, January 26, 2012

By 

AussieDood (Wyoming USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Biogeography: An Ecological and Evolutionary Approach (Paperback)

Some positive reviews from colleagues encouraged me to try this book out for my senior-level biogeography class. I have to say I am quite disappointed. Overall, the book is very simple, even given it's length, and some of the science is badly outdated or simply wrong. Then, inexplicably, there will be a section so littered with jargon it is nearly unapproachable. I am fine with students learning new vocabulary, but only if it is relevant to the subject. There are many bolded vocabulary words that are highly specific to areas tangential to biogeography. These could have been left out.

Now, given the title, "an ecological and evolutionary approach," I expected a book that thoroughly discussed the role of these major processes in determining biogeography. What I got was quite different. The discussion of ecology is laughable. Competition got a page. Mutualism a paragraph or so. Predation and parasitism a page and a half. These subjects are scattered around the book, meaning students will have to flip around if they'd like to have a coherent description of community ecology. There is NO coherent synthesis of how these processes combine to influence biogeographic patterns. I wound up having the students set the book aside for more than a week, and used alternate sources to lecture on this material.

The section on evolution is better (a whole chapter!). Of course, little of that chapter is related explicitly to ecology, which is unfortunate. The depth is limited, but not cripplingly so. However, there are some factual errors which cannot be overlooked. There are numerous little errors (such as confusing premating/postmating with prezygotic/postzygotic isolating mechanisms). However, the most glaring error by far is the suggestion (twice so far, but there may be more I haven't found yet) that ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny, and that we can understand evolutionary relationships through embryology. This concept is not newly discredited, and is enough to make me question how well researched the book actually is.

There is also a lack of the niceties present in other textbooks. As an instructor, I often get a CD with the artwork for the book, allowing me to project the art and discuss it during class. Not present here, not obvious way to get it from the publisher, and no answer from the sales rep when I asked about it.

In short, avoid this book. There must be better ones out there (and I will update this review if I find one). Even if there aren't, it isn't worth the trouble of correcting the misconceptions.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars research book, October 31, 2011

By 

Kristina M. Crabtree - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Biogeography: An Ecological and Evolutionary Approach (Paperback)

I bought this book to help with my thesis research as the library offerings were slim. Excellent research help as i used it as a reference.