Jonathan Silvertown Libros

Jonathan Silvertown here explores the astonishing diversity of plant life in regions as spectacular as the verdant climes of Japan, the lush grounds of the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, the shallow wetlands and teeming freshwaters of Florida, the tropical rainforests of southeast Mexico, and the Canary Islands archipelago, whose evolutionary novelties - and exotic plant life - have earned it the sobriquet "the Galapagos of botany." Along the way, Silvertown looks closely at the evolution of plant diversity in these locales and explains why such variety persists in light of ecological patterns and evolutionary processes. In novel and useful ways, he also investigates the current state of plant diversity on the planet to show the ever-challenging threats posed by invasive species and humans

What is humour? Why do we laugh? And why is the root of a good joke almost always error? Good jokes, bad jokes, clever jokes, dad jokes — the desire to laugh is universal. But why do we find some gags hilarious, whilst others fall flat? Why does explaining a joke make it less amusing rather than more so? Why is laughter contagious, and why did it evolve in the first place?Using the oldest jokes and the latest science, in The Comedy of Error, Professor Jonathan Silvertown investigates why we laugh: from laughter’s evolutionary origins, to similarities and differences in humour across cultures, and even why being funny makes us sexier.As this unique book demonstrates, understanding how humour really works can provide endless entertainment.

Selfish Genes to Social Beings is a new history of life told from a different perspective: cooperation. Beginning with the heroic story of rescuers in the post-earthquake rubble of Mexico City, Jonathan Slivertown reveals the universal rules of cooperation that apply throughout the history of life.

Providing an introduction to basic concepts, processes and problems relating to the environment, this book spans scientific, technological, social scientific and philosophical approaches. The text is interspersed with activities and questions and answers for self-assessment.

This text is the first to fully integrate the fields of plant population ecology, population genetics and evolutionary biology. Developed from many years of teaching experience, with plentiful illustrations, this clear and simple exposition provides an excellent introduction to the field. Effectively, it is a radically updated and expanded third edition of Jonathan Silvertown's earlier book, Introduction to Plant Population Ecology.