The Lives of Lepidopterists (eBook)

Lee A. Dyer, Matthew L. Forister (Herausgeber)

eBook Download: PDF

2015 | 1st ed. 2015
XIX, 273 Seiten
Springer International Publishing (Verlag)
978-3-319-20457-4 (ISBN)

Infos

Inchworms, tiger moths, underwings, owlet moths, silkworms,sphinx moths, grass moths, and butterflies. Collectively, these and many others are the Lepidoptera, one of the most diverse groups of animals on the planet.
Lepidoptera can be found in the highest tropical canopies,the driest deserts, and at the leading edge of science. The adults include some of the most beautiful insects that have inspired artists and have sailed through the dreams of human cultures for millennia. The immature stages ('caterpillars'), like the underwing depicted on the cover, link together vital processes in diverse terrestrial ecosystems that are only barely documented let alone understood.
The people that study these animals are lepidopterists, and the goal of this book is to introduce them with their own words. In twenty chapters, lepidopterists tell their stories, and these tales mirror the diversity of nature in their range and depth. You will find individuals that wrestle with the challenges of scientific careers, stories of far flung travel sand close calls, and historical perspectives on recent decades of scientific break throughs.

Lee. A. Dyer is an ecologist who has worked with Lepidoptera-focusing on immature stages-in tropical and temperate ecosystems for the past few decades. He received a BSc in biochemistry and a BA in english from the University of California (UC) Santa Barbara and then spent 6 years traveling, rock climbing, writing poetry, and working on environmental issues before deciding to go to graduate school. His PhD research at the University of Colorado, Boulder, examined chemically mediated interactions between plants, herbivores, and their natural enemies and included work in Costa Rica, Colorado, and California. Lee spends his free time looking for caterpillars, hanging out with his family, rock climbing, listening to music, drinking red wine, writing poetry, and reading books.

Matthew L. Forister is an evolutionary ecologist in the Biology Department at the University of Nevada, Reno. He received a BA in English writing from the University of San Francisco, spent 2 years with the Peace Corps in Ukraine, and then earned a PhD in ecology from UC Davis. He studies herbivory, diversity, and hybridization, and has worked with different plants, animals, and fungi across temperate and tropical ecosytems, but particularly loves the blues, coppers, and hairstreaks (family Lycaenidae) and their humble but fascinating caterpillars and the ants that keep them safe. When not chasing butterflies, he favors old novels, the mountains of the Great Basin, and hanging out on the porch with his family, Beth and Catalina.

Inhalt

ContentsPreface                                                                                                              Introduction                                                                                                                Section One: How did we get here?                                                                        1: From caterpillars to chemistryM. Deane Bowers                                                       2: A reflection on the career: Following a path to moths and butterfliesPedro Barbosa3: Follow the breadcrumb trail                                                                                Carla M PenzSection Two: Adventure                                                                                          Art Shapiro5: Pursued by adrenalin, in pursuit of dopamine                    Greg Ballmer6: Mount Shasta and the mystery of Mu                                                                    Felix Sperling7: How and when I ventured into the study of butterflies and adventures along the wayLawrence E. Gilbert Section Three: Discovery                                                                                          8: One butterfly turned me to biology, another one helped establish metapopulation ecologyIlkka Hanski9: Tropical caterpillar addictionAnnette Aiello10: Tales of three tigers: A 50-year career-shaping journey chasing swallowtail butterflies  Mark ScriberSection Four: Natural History                                                                    11: Butterfly reflections in thirdsPhil DeVries12: It should have been called a moustacheHarold F. Greeney13: Collections, serendipity and flightless mothsJerry A. Powell Section Five: Secret Lives of Lepidopterists                                                           14: A tale of two... glasses?John Brown15: Journeys of a microlepidopterist – from South Korea to ArizonaSangmi Lee16: The education of the field biologistMichael C. Singer Section Six: History                                                                                                   17: Some Brazilian lepidopteristsIvone Rezende Diniz18: Butterflies on a dragon’s head; butterflies in a dragon’s headRoger L. H. Dennis19: A butterfly has time enoughRobert Michael Pyle20: Butterfly nexusPaul R. Ehrlich

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 1.12.2015
• Zusatzinfo: XIX, 273 p. 116 illus., 98 illus. in color.
• Verlagsort: Cham
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Natur / Technik ► Naturwissenschaft
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie
• Themenwelt: Technik
• Schlagworte: Butterflies • Entomology • Moths • New species • Science narrative • Travel
• ISBN-10: 3-319-20457-2 / 3319204572
• ISBN-13: 978-3-319-20457-4 / 9783319204574