Biology: Life on Earth (6th Edition) (Hardcover)

by Teresa Audesirk (Author), Gerald Audesirk (Author), Bruce E. Byers (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Provides an engaging and easy to use book with an innovative and interactive media program. It achieves a unique balance in emphasizing concepts without sacrificing scientific accuracy. The new MediaTutor, found at the end of each chapter, integrates the book and media by providing a brief description of the CD or WEB activity and the time requirement for completion. Earth Watch/Health Watch essays cover biodiversity, ozone depletion/prenatal diagnosis, and sexually transmitted diseases. Major topics include The Life Of A Cell, Patterns Of Inheritance, Evolution, Plant Anatomy And Physiology; Animal Anatomy And Physiology; Ecology.

From the Publisher
This best-selling introductory text, widely praised for its lively writing style and impeccable scientific presentation, has been revised to reflect the changing dynamics of introductory biology. Emphasizing concepts over facts and critical thinking over memorization, Life on Earth presents the dynamic processes at work in biology and conveys the relevance and excitement of this discipline to students. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 892 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 6 edition (March 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130899410
• ISBN-13: 978-0130899415
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.9 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #248,704 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent introduction to biology!, December 26, 2004

By	Stephen Jones "Textbook reader" (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

(Note: This review refers to the fifth edition of this book.) The authors of Biology: Life on Earth have written a beautiful, fairly comprehensive but not overwhelming introduction to the subject of biology. Although I have a bachelor's degree in biology and a master's in botany and found the book to be straightforward and clear, it is written so well and in such an engaging and conversational style that it should also be straightforward and clear to anyone who is new to biology. The colorful photographs and detailed diagrams add to the beauty of the book. I also like the feel of the pages.
Many introductory biology books nowadays are quite heavy and bulky, and there is so much information in them that it is sometimes hard to get the "big picture." But this particular book is able to get the main aspects of biology conveyed in a more compact size. ( Some biology textbooks can be upwards of 1200 or more pages long, but this book gets the job done in less than 900.)
This is the textbook I would most recommend to someone who is just starting to learn the details of biology. Other biology books, such as those by Campbell, by Raven, and by Solomon et al., are more comprehensive and perhaps are better as reference books than this one might be, but their details can overwhelm the beginner.
I gave this book four stars, not five, for two reasons. First, as with many textbooks, there was at least one incorrect statement. It said on page 74 that potassium, sodium, and calcium ions are molecules, when in fact they are simply charged atoms, not molecules. Second, and this criticism may be biased because I like biochemistry, the book could have included the molecular structures of all twenty amino acids, not just a few. Similarly, the book could have included the molecular structures of the chemicals participating in glycolysis and the Krebs cycle, and giving the molecular structure of the key molecule involved in photosynthesis, chlorophyll, would have been nice. These small but helpful additions would have added perhaps only two pages to the length of the book.
Overall, though, I am very impressed by this book and wish I had had a book like this when I first began to study the details of biology. Enjoy it!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Satisfied with this book, June 27, 2002

By A Customer

As a student, I think authors did a good job on explaining the subject. It doesn't go too details about every topics it covers but it seems that authors give more emphasis on some topics(should say more interesting ones). Every chapter opens up with a discussion or phenomenon that is addressed in the chapter or at the end of chapter. My university uses this book as a text for NON-MAJOR biology class. I read every single line(no joke) in the book and find the chapters to be stimulating, interesting and cover what students ought to know. The book comes with a CD that helped me out in the learning process (things like simulation of an event, figures, tips and techniques) . Very satisfied with this book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting for any student, April 12, 2001

By	Anton (Waterdown, ON Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Biology: Life on Earth (Hardcover)

This book is very comprehensive in explaining all aspects of Biology. It has wonderful charts and pictures and is a very good investment. Whether you are in school, high school, college, or University, it will offer a very detailed view of our life on earth. It even includes a CD-Rom, and activities and "tests" at the end of each chapter.