Overview

Lizards dashing rapidly between plants. Songbirds and woodpeckers flying to and from their nests. Hawks perched on saguaros. What kinds of journeys have these and many other animals and plants and their ancestors taken in space and time to arrive in the Sonoran Desert? How long have these species been living together here? In Sonoran Desert Journeys ecologist Theodore H. Fleming discusses two remarkable journeys. First, Fleming offers a brief history of our intellectual and technical journey over the past three centuries to understand the evolution of life on Earth. Next, he applies those techniques on a journey of discovery about the evolution and natural history of some of the Sonoran Desert’s most iconic animals and plants. Fleming details the daily lives of a variety of reptiles, birds, mammals, and plants, describing their basic natural and evolutionary histories and addressing intriguing issues associated with their lifestyles and how they cope with a changing climate. Finally, Fleming discusses the complexity of Sonoran Desert conservation. This book explores the evolution and natural history of iconic animals and plants of the northern Sonoran Desert through the eyes of a curious naturalist and provides a model of how we can coexist with the unique species that call this area home.  

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9780816547296

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Reviews

A delightful romp through the deep history of the Sonoran Desert by one of its top ecologists. The author's personal stories and experiences provide a unique entry point into understanding a place we all love. -Richard C. Brusca, executive director emeritus of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and author of The Gulf of California: Biodiversity and Conservation Fleming takes us on immense journeys, discovering desert reptiles, birds, mammals, and plants, how they evolved and arrived to live together in the Sonoran Desert. Inspired by writings of Loren Eiseley, Aldo Leopold, and George Gaylord Simpson, Ted Fleming also details his path on becoming a biologist, researcher, and teacher. -Stephen Buchmann, author of The Reason for Flowers: Their History, Culture, Biology, and How They Change Our Lives

Author Information

Theodore H. Fleming is a professor emeritus of biology at the University of Miami. He spent thirty-nine years in academia at the University of Missouri–St. Louis and the University of Miami, teaching ecology courses and conducting research on tropical rodent populations and plant-visiting bats and their food plants in Panama, Costa Rica, Australia, Mexico, and Arizona. He lives in Tucson.

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