Interior & Northern Alaska: A Natural History

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Author: Ronald L. Smith
Publisher: Book Publishers Network
Category: Book

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Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars

1 reviews
Sales Rank: 429193

Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 131
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.5
Dimensions (in): 10.7 x 8.4 x 1

ISBN: 1887542744
Dewey Decimal Number: 508
EAN: 9781887542746
ASIN: 1887542744

Publication Date: May 12, 2008
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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
How did these creatures manage to survive the extremes of Alaska's environment? How were the Alaskan dinosaurs different from their counterparts elsewhere in the world? How have present-day animals and plants adapted to the harsh winters? Open up Ron Smith's world and learn that the answer is not just in what these creatures are - their size or what color or type of skin covering - but also in what they do. Smith highlights the most interesting of Alaska's residents - the towering grizzly as well as the petite pika, the "coat-changing" ptarmigan and the ever-popular salmon - to reveal nature at its amazing best. This insatiably curious scientist asks questions we'd never think of to discover the wonder of this wild land. How can a ponderously slow-growing evergreen ever hope to survive when it's surrounded by the rapidly growing deciduous trees? Building upon the discoveries of Alaska's extinct dinosaurs and plants and the interrelationship of current species, Smith looks to the future. What are the trends? Which of these specially adapted flora and fauna are likely to survive or even flourish? Past, present, or future, our country's final frontier continues to fascinate. Join Smith on his journey within and around Alaska for a truly unique tour of its incredible inhabitants.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars

A Must-Have Alaskan Reference and a Darn Good Read! June 10, 2008
If you're fascinated by Alaska and the north, and want to understand its natural history beyond the level presented by glossy magazines and TV documentaries, this is your book.

As a professor of biology for over 30 years at North America's farthest north University, Smith has conducted and observed a wide variety of research, and in this book he has done an outstanding job compiling much of what he has learned about how life works in the north. Filled with explanations of myriad biological processes and salted with often-humorous anecdotes, the book reads as both textbook and personal narrative. You'll enjoy the narrative aspect because Smith uses it to step back from the science and show the reader how he or a colleague stumbled across an interesting question or natural phenomenon in the first place. In this regard, the book has plenty of eureka moments and one-off tales of discovery. And perhaps what Smith does best is explain not just what we know about the ways animals and plants have adapted to conditions of the north, but how we've come to know it.

While the book doesn't shy away from technical details, you won't need a graduate degree to understand Smith's excellent explanations of topics such as chemical antifreeze in insects, how plants extract nutrients from cold northern soils, or why the largest graylings are found farthest upstream in Alaskan rivers. Ever wonder about short-term memory in flying squirrels? I bet you never would have guessed that kestrels figure out the best places to hunt voles by detecting urine trails left by the voles when they mark runways-- kestrel eyes can detect the ultraviolet wavelengths of light reflected by the urine.

One of the book's nicest features is its layout. The 11 chapters are topical (e.g., "From Mighty Moose to Mighty Small Bats: Some Mammals of the Boreal Forest"), and sub-sections within chapters organize the narrative into nice bite-size pieces, addressing a particular species, a suite of adaptive strategies used by a group of plants or animals (e.g., Advantages and Disadvantages of Being Warm Blooded"), or an ecosystem dynamic (e.g., "Tundra Population Cycles and Fluctuations"). So while the book is almost an encyclopedia of northern biology and landscapes (though the term "encyclopedic" does it disservice), it's not daunting because it invites you to just open the book to any section and start reading.

This book will be valued by a wide audience. Every biology student enrolled in a northern university should have this book on his or her desk, and it's likely to be adopted as a textbook by many universities offering courses in northern studies. As a professional biologist in the north, I used it to fill in many holes in my knowledge, and I will always keep it handy for reference. But it is not just textbook material. Anyone planning a trip to Alaska will want this book on his or her dashboard, and it's worth the weight to put it in your backpack.

If you've been bitten by the Alaskan bug, this is the scratch for your itch.