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摘要
摘要
In The Raptor and the Lamb, his sixth and finest book, Dr. Christopher McGowan takes the reader on a guided tour of predator-prey relationships from the very different but often overlapping worlds of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, plants, insects, and microorganisms, as well as from the fossilized record of the dinosaurs. We learn, in every instance, not only about the intricacies of interdependence in the vast chain of being, but also about the astonishing adaptability that is inherent in nature, whether the drama be played out on the African Plains, in the depths of the ocean, or in the familiar confines of our own backyard.
评论 (4)
出版社周刊评论
To most readers interested in natural history, predation is an endlessly fascinating subject. McGowan, professor of zoology at the University of Toronto, author of Dinosaurs, Spitfires and Sea Dragons, here gives us a splendid, close-up look at predator-prey relationships among living thingsfrom acacia trees and potato vines to plankton, wasps and killer whales; from reptiles and raptors to scorpions and dinosaurs. He reminds us that predators and prey are mutually beneficial, helping to maintain a balance between population site and natural resources. He notes that each species has evolved strategies to improve its chances of success; most prey species can run faster than their predators, for example. McGowan examines various defensive strategiesvigilance, speed, camouflage (countershading, stripes, disruptive coloration)as well. He fills his book with fascinating tidbits, pointing out, for instance, that a Komodo dragon consumes three to four times its body weight in a year, while a lioness needs 20 times its weight. This is a remarkable account of interdependence in nature. Line drawings throughout. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus评论
A schoolmasterish exposition on prey/predator survival techniques from University of Toronto zoologist McGowan. The intention here is to educate readers in the manifold strategies of conquest and avoidance in the animal and botanical worlds--that is, how living organisms are adapted to their lifestyles, ``how certain features may be correlated to certain functions'' (why, for instance, does the herbivorous wildebeest have horns?). The tone is tinder-dry, lapsing at times into an annoying marmishness: ``We should therefore not think that reptiles are inferior to mammals and birds.'' But there is no denying the fascination of the subject matter. As none can be the fastest and the strongest and the biggest at once, special talents have surfaced to improve chances of success and survival, subtle offensive and defensive strategies that coevolve between predator and prey. McGowan details this world of risk management for land mammals, reptiles, arthropods, sea vertebrates, dinosaurs (a McGowan specialty), birds, plants, and others. He sticks to high-profile organisms: Komodo dragons, great white sharks, killer whales, peregrine falcons, deadly nightshade, foxglove (though there is ample time spent with diatoms and ciliates and copepods). He chews on various theories purporting to explain camouflage (disruptive coloration, countershading, mimicry) and, as this is written for the lay reader, manages to make sense of excursions into cellular biology, thermoregulation, and other windy scientific climes. Wisely, McGowan salts the book with quick and palpable vignettes of kill techniques, like how a pod of killer whales goes about eating alive a modest 45-ton blue whale, or how a rattlesnake snuffs a squirrel, how a Nile crocodile snacks on a wildebeest. McGowan closes with a macabre little endpiece on the deceptive tranquillity of an English garden that, while truly black of humor, adds a surprising fillip to the lecture. (line art)
《书目》(Booklist)书评
Short stories, factual information, and clear line drawings combine to explore the intricate relationship between animals that eat and animals that are eaten.
《图书馆杂志》(Library Journal )书评
All animals must eat to survive, and all animals and plants must avoid being eaten. The structural, physiological, behavioral, and chemical adaptations that have evolved to capture or to avoid becoming prey are many and fascinating. In his latest book, McGowan, a zoology professor at University of Toronto and the curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Royal Ontario Museum, examines a variety of these adaptations. Descriptions of typical predator-prey encounters on land, in the sea, in the air, and under the microscope provide the framework for the biological explanations. The descriptions are sometimes graphic, but such is the nature of the subject. As in his previous books (e.g., Diatoms to Dinosaurs, LJ 9/15/94), McGowan displays his considerable talents for explaining complex scientific concepts to a lay audience. Highly recommended for general, school, and academic libraries.Bruce D. Neville, Univ. of New Mexico Lib., Albuquerque (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.