Research Catalog

Dance of the dung beetles : their role in our changing world /

Title
Dance of the dung beetles : their role in our changing world / Marcus Byrne and Helen Lunn.
Author
Byrne, Marcus,
Publication
Johannesburg : Wits University Press, 2019.

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StatusFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
TextUse in library QL596.S3 B97 2019Off-site

Details

Additional Authors
Lunn, Helen,
Description
xiii, 228 pages : illustrations, portraits; 24 cm
Summary
The humble and industrious dung beetle is a marvelous beast: the 6,000 species identified so far are intricately entwined with human history and scientific endeavor. these night-soil collectors of the planet have been worshiped as gods, worn as jewelery, and painted by artists. More practically, they saved Hawaii from ecological blight, and rescued Australia from plagues of flies. They fertilize soil, cleanse pastures, steer by the stars, and have a unique relationship with the African elephant (along with many other ungulates). Above all, they are the ideal subject for biological study in an evolving world. This entertaining outline of the development of science from the beetle's perspective will enchant general readers and entomologists alike.
Subject
  • Biodiversity
  • Coleoptera
  • Dung beetles > Behavior
  • Dung beetles > Ecology
  • Dung beetles > History
  • Dung beetles
  • Ecology
  • South Africa
  • ecology
  • insects
Genre/Form
History.
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references (pages 193-212) and index.
Contents
When the dung beetle wore golden shoes -- Crawling out of the darkness -- Joining the dots -- Colonising insects -- Of elephants and dung beetles -- Tribes with human attributes -- Design construction first -- 'What a wonderful world'.
ISBN
  • 9781776144655
  • 1776144651
  • 9781776142347
  • 1776142349
  • 9781776142361 (ePub ebook)
  • 1776142365 (ePub ebook)
  • 9781776142354 (PDF ebook)
  • 1776142357 (PDF ebook)
  • 9781776142743 (Mobipocket ebook)
  • 1776142748 (Mobipocket ebook)
Owning Institutions
Princeton University Library