Essential Biology with Physiology [Paperback]

Neil A. Campbell (Author), Jane B. Reece (Author), Eric J. Simon (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0805374760 | ISBN-13: 978-0805374766 | Publication Date: July 16, 2003

Essential Biology with Physiology is a brief non-majors biology book that combines the clear writing, real-world applications, vivid art program, and powerful media of Essential Biology, Second Edition, but also includes nine new chapters on animal and plant physiology. Essential Biology with Physiology helps readers become informed citizens by focusing on evolution, human applications, and up-to-date information on important issues like DNA technology, cloning, and global warming. For college instructors, students, or anyone interested in biology.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Essential Biology with Physiology is a brief non-majors biology book that combines the clear writing, real-world applications, vivid art program, and powerful media of Essential Biology, Second Edition, but also includes nine new chapters on animal and plant physiology. Essential Biology with Physiology helps readers become informed citizens by focusing on evolution, human applications, and up-to-date information on important issues like DNA technology, cloning, and global warming. For college instructors, students, or anyone interested in biology.

About the Author

Neil A. Campbell combined the investigative nature of a research scientist with the soul of an experienced and caring teacher. He earned his M.A. in Zoology from UCLA and his Ph.D. in Plant Biology from the University of California, Riverside, where he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2001. Dr. Campbell published numerous research articles on how certain desert plants thrive in salty soil and how sensitive plant (Mimosa) and other legumes move their leaves. His 30 years of teaching in diverse environments included general biology courses at Cornell University, Pomona College, and San Bernardino Valley College, where he received the college's first Outstanding Professor Award in 1986. Most recently Dr. Campbell was a visiting scholar in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences at the University of California, Riverside. In addition to his authorship of this book, he coauthored Biology: Concepts & Connections and BIOLOGY with Jane Reece. Each year, over 600,000 students worldwide use Campbell/Reece biology textbooks.

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Jane B. Reece has worked in biology publishing since 1978, when she joined the editorial staff of Benjamin Cummings. Her education includes an A.B. in Biology from Harvard University, an M.S. in Microbiology from Rutgers University, and a Ph.D. in Bacteriology from the University of California, Berkeley. At UC Berkeley and later as a post-doctoral fellow in genetics at Stanford University, her research focused on genetic recombination in bacteria. Dr. Reece taught biology at Middlesex County College (New Jersey) and Queensborough Community College (New York). As an editor at Benjamin Cummings, Dr. Reece played major roles in a number of successful textbooks. In addition to being a coauthor with Neil Campbell on Biology: Concepts & Connections, and BIOLOGY, she coauthored The World of the Cell, Third Edition, with W.M. Becker and M.F. Poenie.

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Eric J. Simon is an Assistant Professor of Biology at New England college in Henniker, New Hampshire. He teaches introductory biology to both biology majors and no-biology majors, as well as upper-level biology courses in genetics, microbiology, and molecular biology. Dr. Simon received a B.A. in Biology and Computer Science and an M.A. in Biology from Wesleyan University, and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry at Harvard University. Currently, he is working toward an M.S.Ed. in Educational Psychology. Dr. Simon's diverse classroom experience includes teaching both biology majors and non-biology majors at numerous institutions, including St. John's University (Minnesota), Minneapolis Community and Technical College–where he earned an Outstanding Teacher Award–and Fordham College at Lincoln Center in New York City. Dr. Simon's research focuses on innovative ways for using technology to improve teaching and learning in the science classroom, particularly among non-biology major students.

Product Details

• Paperback: 654 pages
• Publisher: Benjamin Cummings (July 16, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805374760
• ISBN-13: 978-0805374766
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 9.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #562,473 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful book, August 15, 2005

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Geek Mom "scimom" (Boxborough, MA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Essential Biology with Physiology (Paperback)

I used this book to homeschool my 13 year old daughter, who went on to obtain a 750 on the SAT II Biology. I also taught a class to homeschoolers using THE WAY LIFE WORKS (much cheaper) as the main text, but using many of the CD-ROM activites from ESSENTIAL BIOLOGY as class material. I especially liked the MendAliens for genetics problems! There are many useful activites, quizzes, and chapter tests, wonderful graphics. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand "essential" biology.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent, August 7, 2006

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bterrier "bterrier2" (NC) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Essential Biology with Physiology (Paperback)

My 16 year old just finished this book for homeschool biology. It was comprehensive, thorough, yet easy for her to follow. The illustrations are excellent and prolific. It had quizes she could take to track her progress. I highly recommmend this book for high school biology.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Shiny, but missed everything fascinating, June 28, 2009

By 

John Goerzen (Kansas, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Essential Biology with Physiology (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

I read this textbook as part of a biology class this summer.

Overall, one could make an argument that it deserves more than two stars because it's not really worse than typical college textbooks. I don't buy that.

First, the good points: its introduction, scientific method coverage, population, community, and ecosystem ecology sections were very good. The scientific method coverage, in particular, took pains to define the scope of scientific discourse very precisely, and explicitly stated that other fields such as religion can also help us to know nature. I appreciated that.

The community and ecosystem sections, in particular, seemed well-written. They didn't just state ideas; they described the studies that supported them and actively encouraged critical thinking about those studies and their results. In my class, we read those sections first, so I had high hopes for the textbook as a whole.

The book covers a very broad set of topics, and some in surprisingly deep detail. It has a good index and glossary as well.

Unfortunately, most of the book follows this pattern:

Thing A performs function X. Thing B performs function Y. Thing C does Z. They fit together as A-B-C. See figure 8-23h.

(repeat over and over, with different values of ABC, XYZ.)

That is, very little explanation of why we believe this is the case, how we learned about it, how the scientific method was applied in the acquisition of this knowledge, or any disagreement among biologists as to the accuracy of the information. They did have very occasional sections on this, but entire chapters might be almost completely devoid of it. Almost never does the book cite its sources for facts either.

As I was reading the chapters on cells -- which have amazingly intricate chemical properties spelled out -- I kept wondering: when and how did we manage to figure THIS out? It was almost never explained. It would have been so fascinating if it had been.

Then there is the tendency to put out rather unsupportable statements, such as this little gem from page 595:

"Composed of up to 100 billion intricately organized neurons, with a much larger number of supporting cells, the human brain is more powerful than the most sophisticated computer." OK, thought-provoking, yes. But how can you scientifically evaluate the power of a computer and a brain on objective terms? I'm not sure I can evaluate the power of a computer on objective terms (the word "power" is just way too imprecise), let alone that of a brain. They cite no source of that, there is no discussion or background of it. It's just thrown out there, then discarded. I hate that. If you're going to say something that interesting, at least make a feeble attempt to back it up!

They also have a habit of saying things are "almost always" true, such as on p. 383, where they say "Solar energy powers nearly all ecosystems." But they rarely explain what the exceptions are, leaving you to wonder whether a given example is an exception or a rule. (OK, so it's more obvious here, but it happens elsewhere).

They do have a number of helpful figures in the book, though they've probably gone overboard on the photos of athletes and things. Yes, muscles make us run. I get it already.

This is an introductory textbook, so perhaps I am overly harsh here. But I've read other introductory textbooks that are more given to precise language, and don't have chapters that are just endless lists of definitions and functions, but explain how we got there. This book could have so easily been excellent.