During the late 1960s and 1970s, massive herds of poisonous crown-of-thorns starfish suddenly began to infest coral reef communities around the world, leaving in their wake devastation comparable to a burnt-out rainforest. In What is Natural?, Jan Sapp both examines this ecological catastrophe and c...

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1. Verfasser:	Sapp, Jan
Format:	Elektronisch E-Book
Sprache:	English
Veröffentlicht:	New York : Oxford University Press, 1999.
Schlagworte:	Crown-of-thorns starfish. Coral reef ecology. Coral reef ecology > Research. Acanthaster planci. Écologie des récifs coralliens. Écologie des récifs coralliens > Recherche. NATURE > Animals > Marine Life. Coral reef ecology Coral reef ecology > Research Crown-of-thorns starfish Koraalriffen. Zeesterren. Ecologie. Onderzoek.
Online-Zugang:	Volltext
Zusammenfassung:	During the late 1960s and 1970s, massive herds of poisonous crown-of-thorns starfish suddenly began to infest coral reef communities around the world, leaving in their wake devastation comparable to a burnt-out rainforest. In What is Natural?, Jan Sapp both examines this ecological catastrophe and captures the intense debate among scientists about what caused the crisis, and how it should be handled. The crown-of-thorns story takes readers on tropical expeditions around the world, and into both marine laboratories and government committees, where scientists rigorously search for answers to the many profound questions surrounding this event. Were these fierce starfish outbreaks the kind of manmade disaster heralded by such environmentalists as Rachel Carson in Silent Spring?; Indeed, discussions of the cause of the starfish plagues have involved virtually every environmental issue of our time - over-fishing, pesticide use, atomic testing, rain forest depletion, and over-population - but many marine biologists maintain that the epidemic is a natural feature of coral-reef life, an ecological "balance of nature" that should not to be tampered with until we know the scientific truth of the crisis. But should we search for the scientific truth before taking action? And what if an environmental emergency cannot wait for a rigorous scientific search for "the truth?" The starfish plagues are arguably one of most mysterious ecological phenomena of this century. Through the window of this singlular event, What is Natural lucidly illustrates the complexity of environmental issues while probing the most fundamental questions about the relationship between man and nature.
Beschreibung:	1 online resource (xv, 275 pages) : illustrations
Bibliographie:	Includes bibliographical references (pages 217-265) and index.
ISBN:	1423736737 9781423736738 9780195352504 0195352505 9780195123647 0195123646 1280471522 9781280471520