Review by Choice Review
This is the most recent edition (1st ed., CH, Jun'82; 2nd ed., 1988) of one of the seminal works in 20th-century biology. In the 18th century, Linnaeus attempted the first classification of living organisms, and in the early 19th century, Cuvier classified all animals into four phyla. By the late 19th century, two kingdoms, plant and animal, were recognized to contain some 50 phyla. Building on earlier concepts of Whittaker and Copeland, Margulis and Schwartz have drawn on modern techniques of molecular biology and taxonomy to propose five kingdoms. In broad terms, these include Bacteria, Protoctista, Animalia, Fungi, and Plantae, in some 96 phyla. Bacteria always have been and always will be the dominant form of life on Earth. Protoctista (algae and protozoa), Animalia (animals with and without backbones), Fungi (mushrooms and yeast), and Plantae (mosses, ferns, and spore and seed-bearing plants) represent the latest refining of data by these two acknowledged masters of modern classification. For each phylum there is a brief description, fossil record, classification of primary taxa, and similarities (if present) to related phyla. A new table compares the main features of each kingdom, demonstrating the logic of overall classification schemes. To call this a brilliant volume is an understatement. Undergraduates through professionals. G. Nicholas; Manhattan College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
With diagrams, drawings, and photographs, this classic guide to the scientific classification of organisms into phylum can be used as a quick reference for systematics or as a source of information on evolutionary trends and organismal relationships. An appendix offers a listing of phyla and genera, with vernacular names when possible. For biology students at any level. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Choice Review
Review by Library Journal Review
