The Diversity of Life

This is the assembly of life that took a billion years to evolve

In considering how life on earth evolved and came to be so incredibly diverse, Wilson explains the science of evolution, from the micro level of genes and chromosomes to evolution on a larger scale, such as the ways species develop as dynasties, how they die out, and how new successor species emerge. He also examines how geography and environment play a crucial part in the development and diversity of species. There is coverage of such key evolutionary themes as character displacement (most notably seen in Darwin’s finches on the Galapagos Islands),  the importance of the balance between source and sink areas in maintaining biodiversity, the role of insects in maintaining life on earth, and the part played by human colonisation in accelerating animal extinction. The book gives an illuminating survey of the five great cataclysmic events of ancient history, from meteorite strikes to climate change, events which diverted evolution from its natural course. Wilson then convincingly asserts that the earth is currently in the middle of a sixth (and likeliest the deadliest) wave of extinction, due entirely to the actions of humanity.

Will it ever be possible to assess the ongoing loss of biological diversity? I cannot imagine a scientific problem of greater immediate importance for humanity

The Diversity of Life represented an early alarm call to environmentalists, governments and, indeed, all humanity. Wilson considers how our encroachment upon the natural sphere is accelerating the disappearance of earth’s biodiversity, placing his account against the backdrop of the planet’s most fascinating natural theatres, from the Amazonian rainforests and Australia’s coral reefs, to the Galapagos Islands and the North American woodlands. No setting is too large or too small for Wilson to be engaged by it, or for him to see and appreciate the interest and importance of the activities of its protagonists. He investigates the hunting practices of great white sharks, the predatory behaviour of jaguars and pumas, the mites that live on human foreheads and in birds’ feathers, and the microhabitat of lichens and insects housed on a Papua New Guinean weevil’s back. Having lucidly outlined the current crisis which confronts biodiversity, Wilson offers a comprehensive strategy for halting the extinctions of the world’s species. The result is a remarkable fusion of scientific authority and environmental evangelism.

Leading author and environmentalist Bill McKibben has written a new foreword to the book which praises Wilson’s scientific achievements and prophetic gift. A superb selection of colour photographs of wildlife and plants, from giraffes and puffins to starfish and orchids, has been specially researched for this Folio Society edition, depicting nature in all its infinite variety and splendour. There are also numerous black-and-white maps, charts and graphs, and integrated drawings throughout the text. Completing the edition, the beautiful binding shows a range of insects rendered as wonderful works of art and blocked in iridescent foil by award-winning designer Jamie Keenan.