Keeping All the Pieces Perspectives on Natural History and the Environment [Paperback]

WHIT GIBBONS is a professor emeritus of ecology at the University of Georgia and author or coauthor of several books on herpetology and ecology, including Keeping All the Pieces, Snakes of the Southeast, Revised Edition, Frogs and Toads of the Southeast, Lizards and Crocodiles of the Southeast, Turtles of the Southeast, and Salamanders of the Southeast (all Georgia).With scholarly expertise and infectious enthusiasm, Whit Gibbons explores the many pieces that support our natural environment. Whether describing caterpillar disguises, fish that produce antifreeze, the mutual reliance of rhinoceroses and Trewia trees, or the origins of tumbleweed, he affirms the delicate and intricate biological relationships between species and encourages a deeper knowledge of our natural world. In these essays Gibbons celebrates the beauty of biodiversity and laments the tragedy of “ecovoids,” a term he coined to describe missing components of our environment that we wish were still present but can never be replaced.

Gibbons takes his readers on a journey that puts them in touch with the intricacies of the natural world, making it easy to understand why and how we must all become involved in keeping all the pieces.

Gibbons’ essays offer a palatable introduction to ecology for people who don’t understand all the ‘fuss’ over the threat to endangered species.

With scholarly expertise and infectious enthusiasm, Whit Gibbons explores the many pieces that support our natural environment. In these essays he celebrates the beauty of biodiversity and laments the tragedy of ecovoids, a term he coined to describe missing components of our environment.