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We humans, Beattie and Ehrlich suggest, are only beginning to understand that ecological health depends on the diversity of nature, a diversity that embraces mosquitoes. By way of illustration, they cite an experiment in which scientists created a sealed environment that was meant to approximate conditions in a self-supporting extraterrestrial colony--and that failed, in the end, because the scientists neglected to introduce easily overlooked but nonetheless critical microorganisms. "We are dependent in the short term," they write, "on many more kinds of organisms than it would seem at first glance." And, they add, humans directly benefit from the services that millions of species provide, whether appreciated or not. To remove those species, the authors argue, is akin to squandering a carefully built and irreplaceable fortune, "our biological wealth, our biological capital." Their thoughtful essay offers many reasons for curbing this spending spree. --Gregory McNamee
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Book Description PAP. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Seller Inventory # CA-9780522851489
Book Description Paperback / softback. Condition: New. New copy - Usually dispatched within 4 working days. There are many species providing ecosystem services that maintain the quality of air and water and the fertility of the soil. This book shows how the natural systems that surround us play an essential role in protecting our basic life-support systems. It encourages us to protect the biological wealth of Earth from destructive human activity. Seller Inventory # B9780522851489
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. 261 pages. 8.19x5.43x0.79 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # __0522851487
Book Description PAP. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Seller Inventory # CA-9780522851489