Cover image for Where do camels belong? :
Where do camels belong? :
Title :
Where do camels belong? : the story and science of invasive species / Ken Thompson.
Title:
Where do camels belong? :
Format:
Books
Physical Description:
vii, 262 pages : illustrations, map ; 22 cm
ISBN:
9781771640961
Production / Publication Information:
Vancouver [British Columbia] ; Berkeley [California] : Greystone Books, [2014]
General Note:
Originally published: London : Profile Books, 2014.
Contents:
Where do camels belong? -- Species on the move. Species and continents ; Relicts, refugia, and ice ages ; Migrations, ocean dispersal, and islands ; Dispersal by humans ; What a long, strange trip it's been -- A short history of nativeness. What is native? ; War and peace ; The value of nativeness ; The conservation imperative ; Follow the money ; The rest of this book -- First some bad news, Brown tree snake ; Zebra mussel ; Tamarisk ; Purple loosestrife -- Guilty as charged? Purple loosestrife ; Tamarisk ; Zebra mussel ; OK, but what about the brown tree snake?-- If it's nice, it must be native. The native British flora ; Hares, rabbit, and crayfish ; Beavers in Britain ; The misunderstood dingo ; Caribbean raccoons ; The tangled tale of the pool frog ; Nativeness under attack -- A short course in ecology. Some niche theories ; Testing niche theory ; Niches and invasions ; Aliens and global biodiversity ; Lessons from history -- Spotting the bad guys. Winners and losers ; Two rather unsuccessful theories ; A slightly better theory ; Acclimatisation societies -- Out of control. Aliens and islands ; A mainland example : the devil's claw ; Useful aliens ; Biological control and a tale of two snails ; Aliens and the law -- No going back. Making the best of aliens ; A longer perspective ; Alien evolution ; Evolution of the invaded ; The tip of the iceberg -- Levelling the playing field. Deliberate introductions : the strange tale of the harlequin ladybird ; Gardeners' world ; Japanese knotweed : lice to the rescue -- Five myths about invasions. #1, Alien invasions reduce biodiversity and ecosystem function ; #2, Alien species cost us a fortune ; #3, Aliens are always to blame ; #4, Aliens are out to get us ; #5, Aliens are bad, natives good. -- Where do we go from here?
Summary:
Where do camels belong? In the Arab world may seem the obvious answer, but they are relative newcomers there. They evolved in North America, retain their greatest diversity in South America, and the only remaining wild dromedaries are in Australia. This instructive and controversial book delivers unexpected answers.
Bibliography note:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 227-242) and index.
Language:
English
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