The Lizard Scientists: Studying Evolution in Action
The Lizard Scientists: Studying Evolution in Action
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Perma-Bound from Publisher's Hardcover ©2022--
Publisher's Hardcover ©2022--
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HarperCollins
Just the Series: Scientists in the Field   

Series and Publisher: Scientists in the Field   

Annotation: "Discover how lizards rapidly adapt to life in the Caribbean islands, allowing scientists to study Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection in real time."--Provided by publisher.
Genre: [Biology]
 
Reviews: 1
Catalog Number: #322368
Format: Perma-Bound from Publisher's Hardcover
Common Core/STEAM: STEAM STEAM
Publisher: HarperCollins
Copyright Date: 2022
Edition Date: 2022 Release Date: 12/13/22
Pages: 73 pages
ISBN: Publisher: 0-358-38140-1 Perma-Bound: 0-8000-2586-5
ISBN 13: Publisher: 978-0-358-38140-2 Perma-Bound: 978-0-8000-2586-1
Dewey: 597.95
LCCN: 2022465030
Dimensions: 23 x 28 cm.
Language: English
Reviews:
Horn Book (Mon Feb 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

In this entry in the acclaimed series, Patent (Saving the Tasmanian Devil, rev. 11/19) introduces readers to anoles, a genus of lizards distinguished by having both dewlaps (neck folds) and toepads, and to the scientists investigating them. The anoles inhabiting four Caribbean islands are ecomorphs, species that evolved separately but developed the same physical features and are a classic example of convergent evolution. The animals also have a short life cycle, which allows scientists to document population level changes in real time. Patent interviews the scientists in a variety of research settings and explains, in easily understandable and scientifically robust detail, their research questions and methods and the contributions they make to our understandings of evolution and natural selection. She visits laboratories where lizards run on a track to test their agility on various surfaces. In field sites, recent hurricanes have provided opportunities for natural and controlled experiments, including a citizen science project in Florida where children send in photos of the lizards in their schoolyards. High-quality photographs of anoles and their habitats, taken by lizard scientists turned documentary filmmakers, are well aligned with the text and provide details that readers can scrutinize. Sidebars give further biographical details about some of the scientists. A glossary and lists of additional resources are appended, including the citations for key scientific papers produced by the people featured in the book. Danielle J. Ford

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Horn Book (Mon Feb 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)
Bibliography Index/Note: Includes bibliographical references (pages 72-73) and index.
Reading Level: 5.0
Interest Level: 4-7

In this groundbreaking, exceptionally researched installment of the award-winning Scientists in the Field series, discover how lizards rapidly adapt to life in the Caribbean islands, allowing scientists to study Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection in real time. 

Award-winning author Dorothy Hinshaw Patent joins forces with scientists/filmmakers Neil Losin and Nate Dappen, whose work is detailed in the Smithsonian Channel documentary “Laws of the Lizard,” to explore how the small but mighty lizards we call “anoles” are used by scientists to study basic principles of evolution and ecology. 

Travel with the team to Florida and the Caribbean as they research how anoles followed similar but independent evolutionary paths on the four major islands of the Greater Antilles (Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Cuba). So while anoles on different islands may look like close relatives, they often are not! This is Darwin's principle of natural selection at work.

And it makes anoles the perfect subjects for experiments that study how animals adapt to new challenges—such as climate change—in this exciting and timely addition to a celebrated series.


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