Gaia's Body: Toward a Physiology of Earth

ISBN-13: 9781461274520 / Angielski / Miękka / 2011 / 269 str.

Tyler Volk

Opis

Is Earth alive? Put more rigorously, is the biosphere a self- sustaining meta-organism? This is the essence of Gaia theory: if the biosphere really is a single coherent system, then it must have something like a physiology. It must have systems and processes that perform living functions. OK, then, what systems, what processes, what functions? Gaia's Body is Tyler Volk's answer to this question. In this book, he describes the environment that enables the biosphere to exist; various ways of looking at its "anatomy" and "physiology," the major biogeographical regions such as rainforests, deserts, and tundra; the major substances the biosphere is made of; and the chemical cycles that keep it in balance. He then looks at the question of whether there are any long-term trends in earth's evolution--is Gaia growing colder? more complex?--and examines the role of humanity in Gaia's past and future. Adherents and skeptics both have often been concerned that Gaia theory contains too much goddess and too few testable hypotheses. This is the book that describes, for scientists, students, and lay readers alike, the theory's firm basis in science.

Recenzje

"...an outstanding contribution to global ecology. The book is very well written and easy for a broadly educated audience to follow. ...I read it as an exciting novel." Nature

Spis treści

1 Breathing of the Biosphere.- 2 A Global Holarchy.- 3 Outer Light, Inner Fire.- 4 The Parts of Gaia.- 5 Worldwide Metabolisms.- 6 Embodied Energy.- 7 The Music of This Sphere.- 8 Gaia in Time.

O autorze

If there's such a thing as Gaia--if Earth's biosphere really is a self -sustaining meta-organism--then it must have something like a physiology. What does this consist of? What are the systems, processes and functions that make it work? Gaia's Body looks at the biogeographical regions, essential substances, and great chemical cycles that underlie the living system that is earth's biosphere. This is the book that puts Gaia theory on a firm scientific foundation.