The Song of the Dodo

Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions

By: David Quammen

Narrated by: Jacques Roy

“Compulsively readable—a masterpiece, maybe the masterpiece of science journalism.” —Bill McKibben, Audubon

A brilliant, stirring work, breathtaking in its scope and far-reaching in its message, The Song of the Dodo is a crucial book in precarious times. Through personal observation, scientific theory, and history, David Quammen examines the mysteries of evolution and extinction and radically alters our understanding of the natural world and our place within it.

In this landmark of science writing, we learn how the isolation of islands makes them natural laboratories of evolutionary extravagance, as seen in the dragons of Komodo, the elephant birds of Madagascar, the giant tortoises of the Galapagos. But the dark message of island studies is that isolated ecosystems, whether natural or human-made, are also hotbeds of extinction. And as the world’s landscapes, from Tasmania to the Amazon to Yellowstone, are carved into pieces by human activity, the implications of this knowledge are more urgent than ever.

An unforgettable scientific adventure, a fascinating account of an eight-year journey of discovery, and a wake-up call for our time, David Quammen’s The Song of the Dodo is an exquisitely written book that takes the reader on a globe-circling tour of wild places and extraordinary ideas.

The ecologists behind Island Biogeography

Quammen presents great basic ecology and stories of the ecologists and evolutionary biologists who founded the fields of evolution and Island biogeography. Quammmen' story includes the story of the controversial priority dispute between Wallace and Darwin and hte myth of Darwin's finches. Quamman includes fascinating anecdotes and theories about swimming elephants and Komodo dragons, and how they interact. Follow Quammen and Case as they do field research. Learn about Preston’s canonical lognormal distribution as an explanation of extinctions and Soule’s founding of conservation ecology. The cataloguing a list of extinct island species is a bit tedious but sad and important.

Awesome book

I love all of Quammen's works but this makes it up to the top of the list. I haa been on my reading list for a long time and it lived up to my anticipation. Happy I finally got around to listening to it.

Excellent

yet another excellent book by David quammen and the reading was very well done. Would recommend.

Amazing story

Weaving of so many elements of history and science into a travelogue that illuminates the state of the planet in our time.

Excellent read

This is a truly great book about biodiversity. Narrated with a sense of exploration and adventure. Nicely read too. Highly recommend