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Informationen zum Autor John H. Rappole is research scientist emeritus at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. He has been studying the ecology of migratory birds for four decades and has written more than 150 professional publications and thirteen books for both popular and professional audiences! including The Ecology of Migrant Birds and Wildlife of the Mid-Atlantic. Klappentext John H. Rappole's sophisticated survey of field data clarifies key ecological! biological! physiological! navigational! and evolutionary concerns. He begins with the very first migrants! who traded a home environment of greater stability for one of greater seasonality! and uses the structure of the annual cycle to examine the difference between migratory birds and their resident counterparts. He ultimately connects these differences to evolutionary milestones that have shaped a migrant lifestyle through natural selection. Rather than catalogue and describe various aspects of bird migration! Rappole considers how the avian migrant fits within a larger ecological frame! enabling a richer understanding of the phenomenon and its critical role in sustaining a hospitable and productive environment. Rappole concludes with a focus on population biology and conservation across time periods! considering the link between bird migration and the spread of disease among birds and humans! and the effects of global warming on migrant breeding ranges! reaction norms! and macroecology.
