Planet of the Bugs: Evolution and the Rise of Insects, by Scott Richard Shaw
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Planet of the Bugs: Evolution and the Rise of Insects, by Scott Richard Shaw
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Dinosaurs, however toothy, did not rule the earth—and neither do humans. But what were and are the true potentates of our planet? Insects, says Scott Richard Shaw—millions and millions of insect species. Starting in the shallow oceans of ancient Earth and ending in the far reaches of outer space—where, Shaw proposes, insect-like aliens may have achieved similar preeminence—Planet of the Bugs spins a sweeping account of insects’ evolution from humble arthropod ancestors into the bugs we know and love (or fear and hate) today. Leaving no stone unturned, Shaw explores how evolutionary innovations such as small body size, wings, metamorphosis, and parasitic behavior have enabled insects to disperse widely, occupy increasingly narrow niches, and survive global catastrophes in their rise to dominance. Through buggy tales by turns bizarre and comical—from caddisflies that construct portable houses or weave silken aquatic nets to trap floating debris, to parasitic wasp larvae that develop in the blood of host insects and, by storing waste products in their rear ends, are able to postpone defecation until after they emerge—he not only unearths how changes in our planet’s geology, flora, and fauna contributed to insects’ success, but also how, in return, insects came to shape terrestrial ecosystems and amplify biodiversity. Indeed, in his visits to hyperdiverse rain forests to highlight the current insect extinction crisis, Shaw reaffirms just how crucial these tiny beings are to planetary health and human survival. In this age of honeybee die-offs and bedbugs hitching rides in the spines of library books, Planet of the Bugs charms with humor, affection, and insight into the world’s six-legged creatures, revealing an essential importance that resonates across time and space.
Planet of the Bugs: Evolution and the Rise of Insects, by Scott Richard Shaw- Amazon Sales Rank: #596934 in Books
- Published on: 2015-10-22
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.00" h x .60" w x 6.00" l, .0 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 264 pages
Review “This succinct but vivid history of the planet is told from the perspective of insects, which have dominated the terrestrial environment for millions of years. It is a humbling perspective, one that puts us well and truly in our place—principally as the destroyers of a natural environment that insects have been helping to preserve long before our ancestors crawled out of the primal slime. . . . Shaw writes with a contagious enthusiasm and is an excellent guide to the history of our buggy planet.” (PD Smith Guardian)"Shaw’s detailed investigation places the broad classifications of ancient and modern insects in the context of their development, and, by showing specifics of coevolution, he makes a strong case for valuing the interconnectedness of all life." (Publishers Weekly)“Shaw tackles evolution from the perspective of the insects, a refreshing and insightful change from the usual human-centered view, and argues convincingly that insects have diversified and thrived more successfully than any other animal on Earth. . . . Shaw's coherent, precise writing is complemented by pleasing illustrations of insects and fossils. . . . A readable, compact introduction for the layperson.” (Library Journal)“A fascinating peek under the mantle of the ‘known world,’ revealing a minute, clicking-and-whirring mechanism manned largely by bugs. I learned SO much from this book.” (Daniella Martin author of "Edible: An Adventure into the World of Eating Insects")“Shaw’s Planet of the Bugs is the most eloquent and passionate book on insects in a generation.” (Mark W. Moffett, Smithsonian Institution author of "Adventures among Ants: A Global Safari with a Cast of Trillions")“A detailed and intriguing journey through the evolution of insects, following their development from single-celled organisms through to the elaborate and fascinating beasts that now dominate almost every niche on the planet. Shaw writes in an engaging style that is almost that of thinking out loud, conversing with his reader much as he presumably would over a cup of coffee, and he makes evolution a tangible process, exposing some of the more peculiar and less well-known features of our six-legged relatives.” (Michelle Harvey Deakin University, Australia)“A very enjoyable read. Planet of the Bugs is packed full of really great information from a unique ‘buggy’ perspective and is done with humor and fun.” (Dena M. Smith University of Colorado at Boulder)“Behind the witty prose lies a serious message. The triumph of insects is inseparably connected to the success and progression of almost all life on the planet in some way or another. Insects have coevolved with plants and animals and can act as friend or foe, spanning all lifestyles from predator to parasite to pollinator. So entangled are they in the fate of many cornerstone species that the decline of insect groups has put many ecosystems at risk of collapse, including several that are crucial for human survival. We may be somewhat flippant about their influence on our own evolutionary history, but we can be sure that the demise of insects would have catastrophic consequences for our future. . . . Eloquent and very knowledgeable, Shaw is also, perhaps more importantly when it comes to a good read, a storyteller capable of painting a rich portrayal of prehistoric lands filled with weird and wonderful bugs and beasts. His captivating and comical writing had me marveling at detailed accounts of giant dragonfly-like beasts with two-foot wingspans, and laughing out loud at aptly named sections such as ‘Secretive societies with an anal fixation.’ I am not, it is fair to say, a lover of things that creep and crawl, but looking through Shaw’s eyes, I found myself appreciating their place in my world a little more. Moreover, as he made me realize, it is not my world at all, but theirs.” (Tiffany Taylor, University of Reading Times Higher Education)“Shaw has been collecting bugs since he was four. Now a professor of entomology at the University of Wyoming, he shares his passion for these creatures and their cosmological significance in Planet of the Bugs. The scope of this work is immense. . . . Packed with intriguing trivia. . . . Shaw boggles the reader with his enthusiasm and expertise, and reveals a playful side. Among his many encyclopedic turns, he waxes philosophical and indulges in metaphor and even humor, resulting in a surprisingly accessible and entertaining read. A love of bugs is not required. Discover: An impassioned view of insect evolution and the awesome implications of bugs for all life on earth.” (Julia Jenkins Shelf Awareness for Readers)“Accessible and entertaining . . . . Shaw’s unusual perspective on life can be delightfully askew: why, he asks, do we give our loved ones flowers instead of stink bugs, when many of the latter are just as colourful and sweet-smelling? Overall, readers should come away with a deeper appreciation of insect diversity, and a fresh regard for evolution’s sweep.” (Bob Holmes New Scientist)“The 165-million-year-long era when dinosaurs roamed the Earth shouldn’t be called the Age of Reptiles. Nor should the era that followed, which extends to the present, be christened the Age of Mammals. Just ask an insect guy. In Planet of the Bugs, Shaw . . . makes a good case that Earth has long been dominated by insects. . . . In a chapter-by-chapter march through time, [he] engagingly chronicles the evolutionary innovations that have rendered insects so successful. . . . Drawing from field studies and the fossil record, Planet of the Bugs is a fascinating look at the rise and proliferation of creatures that shape ecosystems worldwide.” (Sid Perkins Science News)“Shaw is a masterful guide to insects’ intimidating diversity and complicated history. . . . He is particularly effective at dispelling misconceptions, pointing out that, despite what exterminators might suggest, most insects are not pests. . . . Science-minded readers will appreciate how alternative, competing hypotheses are presented for various unresolved questions, like why insects first evolved flight and the causes of mass extinctions. In the end, Planet of the Bugs succeeds as an accessible introduction to the evolutionary history of the organisms that truly dominate our planet. (Hint: It’s not us.).” (Scott Solomon, Rice University Washington Independent Review of Books)“Shaw, our erudite and passionate guide, makes bugs the star. Give him a few hours and you may briefly escape our species bias. . . . Shaw has . . . done justice to the claim in his title, Planet of the Bugs.” (Temma Ehrenfeld Weekly Standard)“[One of] the best popular science books of 2014: biological sciences.” (GrrlScientist Guardian)“Charting a somewhat different course from that of more conventional books on insects, Shaw takes readers on a grand tour through the vast expanse of geologic time. From the beginnings of life on Earth through modern times, he outlines the origin and evolution of major taxonomic groups as chronicled in the fossil record. . . . The book stresses their global importance as drivers of evolutionary change in a wide array of plants and animals. . . . Recommended.” (Choice)“Shaw does a wonderful job of describing how important insects are by giving a chronological account of their terrifically successful and diverse evolution. . . . Humorous and provocative. . . . The insects are more numerous, more speciated, more diverse, and historically more influential than we, and despite all the detrimental changes we have wrought especially over the past couple of centuries, it is the insects’ planet, and my bet is that it will remain so even if the humans don’t last on it.” (Rob Hardy Commercial Dispatch)“Speaking of creeping things that creepeth upon the earth, and whirring, buzzing things that zip about in the air, Shaw’s Planet of the Bugs is another of the glories of 2014 . . . . The book offers a mixture of great learning, passion, wit, and arrested development. . . . I wish I could flick a switch now and then to see with Shaw’s eyes. His book is the next best thing.” (John Wilson First Things)“A very interesting and entertaining account of the dominant life from on this planet with many thought-provoking ideas. So step outside your comfort zone and buy it.” (John Badmin British Journal of Entomology and Natural History)“This is a wonderful book that is highly readable and informative. I strongly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the evolution of life on earth.” (Susan W. Fisher, Ohio State University National Center for Science Education)
About the Author Scott Richard Shaw is professor of entomology and Insect Museum curator at the University of Wyoming, Laramie. He has discovered more than one hundred and fifty insect species, including a number of parasitic wasps named after cultural icons such as David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Ellen DeGeneres, and Shakira—the last of which, Aleiodes shakirae, causes its host caterpillar to contort as if belly dancing.
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Most helpful customer reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful. The Best Science Book of the Decade By Dr. James L. Booker This book is an exemplar of what science is and what scientists should be. If for no other reason it rates five stars because the author avoids any trace of the deadly dull, third person passive voice prose that is the mother tongue of research scientists; the book is readable at any level from junior high school on. The second reason that, by itself, would rate those stars is the fact that Shaw exudes the joy of science as a calling, not simply a profession. His enthusiasm for trudging through a tropical forest in search of an obscure little wasp reminds one of Burton and Speke's search for the source of the Nile -- a bit less spectacular to be sure, but with the same delight in searching for something important. With that simplicity and elegance of prose and wonderful enthusiasm in place, he wrote a book that is systematic, complete and so well written that never tangles the threads of thought making it necessary to go back to pick up some idea that just got lost along the way. Just to make the book perfect, he never yields to the temptation to show the reader just how smart he really is by throwing into the text a few obscure technical terms that break the readers concentration. Shaw produced an almost unknown commodity: a textbook that you really enjoy reading. Finally, he achieves that for which every teacher strives; he puts the knowledge into your hands and makes you ask, "How does this affect me?" For me the answer is "In many ways I never imagined." The only downside to this book is that now I will feel a tiny twinge of guilt every time I dust a fire ant bed, albeit guilt I will be able to live with.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Nice to read, but a bit scarce of information By M.W. Let's start with all the good things: The book's production is high-quality (hardcover edition), the author is enthusiastic about his subject, his writing style is pleasant to read, the subject is important and should receive more attention, and I think that any science book for the general public is a good thing.The reason why I give only four stars is that behind the nice presentation, the book really does not contain so much information. Toward the middle I felt actually "bugged", because of the author's habit to repeat everything two or three times.The reason is probably that much remains unknown about the times hundreds of millions of years ago. The fossils can tell us the shapes of some ancient animals, but not so much about how they fed, reproduced, evolved, and died out. So the story necessarily lacks some detail. The book compensates for this by repeating things, adding a lot of speculation, and dwelling on needless facts like which fossils have been named official "state fossils".It would have been much more interesting to get a "look over the scientists shoulder". Why not show the actual evidence, explain some analysis methods, and tell the reader how scientists have reached their conclusions? The book contains quite a few images, but unfortunately they have purely illustrative character and are not annotated. Some annotated sketches of insect anatomy would also be helpful. Furthermore, I missed a timeline, a tree-diagram of insect evolution, and some graphs like mean temperatures or oxygen levels over time. At one point the author actually discusses the progress of species diversity over time, but sadly, he does not show us the plot.Fortunately, the book improves significantly in the last three chapters (from the Jurassic onwards). Here the main topic is the evolution of wasps, which seems to be known in quite some detail from living species. This is also the topic of the author's own research, and the text gets noticable more informative. I think these chapters should have been longer at the expense of the previous ones.I would very much like to see a second, improved edition of the book, which does not shy away from challenging its readers a little bit more.
21 of 26 people found the following review helpful. A good book on a grade 2 level By j a haverstick If you're an entomologist, this book's going to be too elementary. If you're someone, like I, who's had a lifelong interest in insects - O, I admit it, arthropods in general* - you will also find it elementary. But it's a great review of all the books you've ever read about insects. I.e., an elementary book is often fun and informative. It's organized according to the geologic ages of the earth, tracing the development of arthropods in each era. Therefore it's a also a great review of the history of life on age and a simple way to try (once again) to memorize the terminology. This an obvious and helpful organizing principle. By the end of the book you'll know the dates of the cambrian and cenozoic, but will you remember them three months later? I recommend it as a review for hobbists like me. Also for intelligent young people.I think folks just beginning to consider the facts of insect life will also find it a very good introduction. There's a theme which gets a little old thruout about how the epochs as generally described are vertebrate-centric, which though tiresome would certainly seem true to a visitor from another star.On a more critical note, I found some of the "evolutionary causes" which are ohsopopular these days were pretty questionable. Did Tribolites really die out because they found it hard to molt? Did insect wings evolve as a gliding mechanism? I think this is a minor failure, but tyros are likely to take such speculation as "science" rather than speculation. But the world will continue in its orbit.I finished this book on a chaiselounge in the warm sun of an autumn day. Surrounding me and minding their own business were members of at least half a dozen orders of insects, butterflies, late working bees of several types, swarms of thousands of tiny midges shining in the sun, grashoppers and several non-annoying and attractice fly species to name those on the top of my head. As I closed the book, I felt very connected. If you're interested in bugs, their evolution and their relatiuonships, it's an enjoyable read. (maybe I should mention my relationship with insects is also personal, I keep bees.)PS, a really fine academic work, Evolution of the Insects, was published by Cambridge three or so yrs ago. Probably now available at a good discount. If I wanted a library on bugs, this would have to be the central work (and is).*here's a tip: don't introduce crayfish to your aquarium
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