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A Place like No Other: Discovering the Secrets of Serengeti - Hardcover | Diverse Reads

A Place like No Other: Discovering the Secrets of Serengeti

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From famed zoologist Anthony Sinclair, an account of his decades-long quest to understand one of Earth's most spectacular ecosystems

With its rich biodiversity, astounding wildlife, and breathtaking animal migrations, Serengeti is like no other ecosystem on the planet. A Place like No Other is Anthony Sinclair's firsthand account of how he and other scientists discovered the biological principles that regulate life in Serengeti and how they rule all of the natural world.

When Sinclair first began studying this spectacular ecosystem in 1965, a host of questions confronted him. What environmental features make its annual migration possible? What determines the size of animal populations and the stunning diversity of species? What factors enable Serengeti to endure over time? In the five decades that followed, Sinclair and others sought answers. What they learned is that seven principles of regulation govern all natural processes in the Serengeti ecosystem. Sinclair shows how these principles can help us to understand and overcome the challenges facing Serengeti today, and how they can be used to repair damaged habitats throughout the world.

Blending vivid storytelling with invaluable scientific insights from Sinclair's pioneering fieldwork in Africa, A Place like No Other reveals how Serengeti holds timely lessons for the restoration and conservation of our vital ecosystems.

ISBN-13: 9780691222332

Media Type: Hardcover

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Publication Date: 10-19-2021

Pages: 304

Product Dimensions: 6.40(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.30(d)

Anthony R. E. Sinclair is professor emeritus of zoology at the University of British Columbia and one of the world's leading Serengeti researchers. His books include Serengeti Story: Life and Science in the World's Greatest Wildlife Region. René Beyers is a research associate in the Department of Zoology at the University of British Columbia. Twitter @ReneBeyers

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From the Publisher

"A concise and highly accessible account by one of the world's greatest ecologists. Sinclair shows how Serengeti has been a testing ground for fundamental ideas about how ecosystems work, and how we can use this knowledge to conserve Serengeti and guide the revival of ecosystems that have been devastated by human activities."—Robert Pringle, Princeton University

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xiii

1 Why Serengeti? 1

2 The Discovery of Rinderpest 25

3 Finding Regulation 33

4 The Discovery of Food Regulation 44

5 How Predators Regulate Prey 59

6 How Migration Structures Serengeti 74

7 Biodiversity and the Regulation of Ecosystems 89

8 Disturbance and the Persistence of Ecosystems 106

9 Continuous Change in Ecosystems 115

10 Appearance of Multiple States and Rapid Shifts in Ecosystems 133

11 The Fundamental Principle of Regulation, and Future Directions 143

12 Threats to the Serengeti 155

13 Lessons from the Serengeti 172

14 Rewilding 193

Appendix: Mammals and Trees Mentioned in the Text 219

Notes 225

Index 271