Barefoot through the Amazon - On the Path of Evolution MARC G.M. VAN ROOSMALEN (Author)
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Download: $19.90 (as of 02/25/2013 20:02 PST)
Forestry
In 1996 a baby dwarf marmoset, later baptized “Callibella humilis”, was delivered to the author's doorstep. He could not have guessed that this moment would trigger a series of discoveries of unique, not yet identified animals and plants from the Brazilian Amazon. The indisputable existence of the second smallest monkey in the world somewhere out there in the vast Amazon Basin took the scepsis away from the scientist, convinced as Van Roosmalen was that discovering new primates at the turn of the 20th century would be really impossible. Describing mammals new to science is widely considered a privilege reserved to the great naturalists of the 18th and 19th centuries. Van Roosmalen’s odyssey in search of the land of Callibella revealed a river basin never visited before by naturalists, which was teeming with not yet described living things. A biological "terra incognita" that turned into a naturalist’s “el dorado”. This book includes, among other amazing Amazonian stories, an account of Van Roosmalen’s encounters with large-bodied, apparently overlooked creatures new to science that live up in the canopy, on the forest floor, as well as in the water of this ‘Lost World’ - the Rio Aripuana Basin. Here, we mention ten more big monkeys, giant peccary, fair brocket deer, dwarf tapir, dwarf manatee, a third freshwater dolphin called ‘boto roxo’, giant paca, fair squirrel, pair-living red coati, red-coated tayra, Van Roosmalen’s dwarf porcupine, and hundreds of unknown trees and vines.
In his account on the “Monkeys of the Amazon” (1854), Alfred Russel Wallace based his evolutionary ideas on observations made during his long stay in the Upper Amazon. In his river-barrier hypothesis he considered the Amazon Basin a huge freshwater archipelago in which the main rivers act as barriers. Through genetic isolation they provoke speciation. On his travels through the Amazon to study its biodiversity, Van Roosmalen noticed how right Wallace was 150 years ago and how well his river-barrier hypothesis applies to the evolution and phylo-geography of living beings in the Amazon. He explains why it represents by far the highest biodiversity on Earth. Island bio-geography as defined for oceanic archipelagos can be perfectly applied to the interfluves of major rivers in the Amazon. Flying for hours over the never-ending sea of tree tops, people may think that the Amazon rain forest is just one “sea of broccoli”, all the same. But the 100,000 or more plant species as well as millions of animal species (if we include the insects) are not at all evenly spread across the Amazon. If so, this ecosystem would not contain the highest biodiversity on the planet. In this book it is explained for by a combination of factors: the tropical climate, the overall poor-nutrient soils on which the rain forest grows and has evolved, its unique geo-physical history, its utterly complex mosaic of vegetation types, and the insulation caused by hundreds of rivers of three different water types together with their extensive floodplains. The latter do act as strong geographical barriers that prevent animals and plants to cross over from one interfluve to the other.
Van Roosmalen’s research confronted him with difficulties to lay one’s hand on biological material without having to kill specimens to put in a museum. Political obstacles lay on his path, such as to collect and transport holotype (reference) material of new plants and animals for DNA analysis in a lab abroad. Unfortunately, time runs out. All these creatures are found at the verge of extinction. They all need their living space –the ancient Amazon rain forest- rigidly protected by law.
Van Roosmalen ‘s popular scientific publication “Barefoot through the Amazon”, a textbook on Amazon Rainforest Ecology and Biodiversity, will hopefully attract national and international public awareness. And draw attention to some of the most special and poorest known hotspots of biodiversity in the entire Amazon.
- Rank: #432609 in eBooks
- Published on: 2013-02-16
- Released on: 2013-02-16
- Format: Kindle eBook
- Number of items: 1
Description #1 by nookibooks.info:
"Natural Running is the middle ground runners have been looking for. By learning to run the barefoot way, while wearing shoes, runners will become more efficient, stronger, and healthier runners. Backed by studies at MIT and Harvard, running form and injury expert Danny Abshire presents the natural running technique, form drills, and an 8-week transition plan that will put runners on the path to faster, more efficient, and healthier running. In Natural Running, Abshire explains how modern running shoes distort the efficient running technique that humans evolved over thousands of years. He reviews the history of running shoes and injuries, making the case for barefoot running but also warning about its dangers. By learning the natural running technique, runners can enjoy both worldscomfortable feet, knees, and legs and an efficient running form that reduces impact and injuries.Natural Running teaches runners to think about injuries as symptoms of poor running form. Abshire specifies the overuse injuries that are most commonly associated with particular body alignment problems, foot types, and form flaws. Runners will learn how to analyze and identify their own characteristics so they can start down the path to natural running.Abshire explains the natural running technique, describing the posture, arm carriage, cadence, and land-lever-lift foot positioning that mimic the barefoot running style. Using Abshire's 8-week transition plan and a tool kit of strength and form drills, runners will move from heel striking to a midfoot or forefoot strike. Natural Running is the newest way to run and also the oldest. By discovering how they were meant to run, runners will become more efficient, stronger, and healthier runners.File Size: 1879 KBPrint Length: 198 pagesPage Numbers Source ISBN: 1934030651 Publisher: VeloPress (December 1, 2010) Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.Language: EnglishASIN: B007KSZ9KQ"
Description #2 by nooeo.info:
"Natural Running is the middle ground runners have been looking for. By learning to run the barefoot way, while wearing shoes, runners will become more efficient, stronger, and healthier runners. Backed by studies at MIT and Harvard, running form and injury expert Danny Abshire presents the natural running technique, form drills, and an 8-week transition plan that will put runners on the path to faster, more efficient, and healthier running. In Natural Running, Abshire explains how modern running shoes distort the efficient running technique that humans evolved over thousands of years. He reviews the history of running shoes and injuries, making the case for barefoot running but also warning about its dangers. By learning the natural running technique, runners can enjoy both worldscomfortable feet, knees, and legs and an efficient running form that reduces impact and injuries.Natural Running teaches runners to think about injuries as symptoms of poor running form. Abshire specifies the overuse injuries that are most commonly associated with particular body alignment problems, foot types, and form flaws. Runners will learn how to analyze and identify their own characteristics so they can start down the path to natural running.Abshire explains the natural running technique, describing the posture, arm carriage, cadence, and land-lever-lift foot positioning that mimic the barefoot running style. Using Abshire's 8-week transition plan and a tool kit of strength and form drills, runners will move from heel striking to a midfoot or forefoot strike. Natural Running is the newest way to run and also the oldest. By discovering how they were meant to run, runners will become more efficient, stronger, and healthier runners.File Size: 1879 KBPrint Length: 198 pagesPage Numbers Source ISBN: 1934030651 Publisher: VeloPress (December 1, 2010) Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.Language: EnglishASIN: B007KSZ9KQ"
Description #3 by shopoin.info:
"Natural Running is the middle ground runners have been looking for. By learning to run the barefoot way, while wearing shoes, runners will become more efficient, stronger, and healthier runners. Backed by studies at MIT and Harvard, running form and injury expert Danny Abshire presents the natural running technique, form drills, and an 8-week transition plan that will put runners on the path to faster, more efficient, and healthier running. In Natural Running, Abshire explains how modern running shoes distort the efficient running technique that humans evolved over thousands of years. He reviews the history of running shoes and injuries, making the case for barefoot running but also warning about its dangers. By learning the natural running technique, runners can enjoy both worldscomfortable feet, knees, and legs and an efficient running form that reduces impact and injuries.Natural Running teaches runners to think about injuries as symptoms of poor running form. Abshire specifies the overuse injuries that are most commonly associated with particular body alignment problems, foot types, and form flaws. Runners will learn how to analyze and identify their own characteristics so they can start down the path to natural running.Abshire explains the natural running technique, describing the posture, arm carriage, cadence, and land-lever-lift foot positioning that mimic the barefoot running style. Using Abshire's 8-week transition plan and a tool kit of strength and form drills, runners will move from heel striking to a midfoot or forefoot strike. Natural Running is the newest way to run and also the oldest. By discovering how they were meant to run, runners will become more efficient, stronger, and healthier runners.File Size: 1879 KBPrint Length: 198 pagesPage Numbers Source ISBN: 1934030651 Publisher: VeloPress (December 1, 2010) Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.Language: EnglishASIN: B007KSZ9KQ"
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