The nature of biological diversity

Abstract

of The University of Michigan, who spent much time in planning the lecture series from which this book is derived.Darwin and Wallace proposed the theory of evolution almost simultaneously and quite independently. They and their numerous followers of the past century have demonstrated that, given an organism of the most primitive type, all the species of today and of past geological periods could and did evolve from such cells. We are beginning to understand the processes by which inherited characteristics are carried from generation to generation by means of deoxyribonucleic acids, and also we understand how variations in species of animals and plants occur. Many details remain, but the broad outline has become clearer during recent years and decades. Also, we find marked biochemical similarities between all living things, indicating tbat they are all part of a single evolutionary process. These fundamental biochemical processes were established in the distant past before the time of the oldest fossils, namely, some 500 million or more years ago.At least after the development of sexual reproduction, evolution must have occurred by mutation in one individual, it is true, but tbc 1 c Energy, source , % , cal cm " yr Total radiation from sun 260.000

Transpiration in Three Eucalyptus Species as a Function of Solar Energy, Soil Moisture and Leaf Area

“…There is a fundamental biological observation well known for many years that the source of the energy absorbed by chlorophyll is a small fraction of the energy of sunlight (Allen 1963). In addition, as mentioned before, the quantity of solar energy used for transpiration, which is a link of metabolic activity, is dependent upon several biological properties e.g.…”

Biodiversity and the lexicon zoo

“…Since at least the early 1960s, the concept of biological diversity or ''biodiversity'' has been an important focus for ecological research (Allen, 1963). In the 1980s, the need to incorporate biodiversity in management of public forests in the U.S. was promoted by Herbst (1980), Norse et al (1986), Shen (1987), and many others.…”