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NSTA Recommends
Species: A History of the Idea
by John S. Wilkins
303 pp.
University Of California Press
Berkeley, CA
2009
ISBN: 9780520260856
Grade Level: College
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Reviewed by Diane Beechinor
Chair of Math and Science Division, Associate Professor of Biology
The concept of species is a basic component of secondary and introductory college biology courses. Yet students often take the term for granted, without understanding its arbitrary nature and the long history of its development in science. Political debates often take advantage of this lack of understanding to try to refute good evolutionary biology.
This book provides a thorough background in this important topic. It's very obvious from the detail provided that the author spent 10 years researching the topic. The author traces the roots of species concept from the classical era all the way through the modern debates that occur regarding the subject.
This book would be appropriate for an upper-level taxonomy, evolution, or systematics course. It would also be a valuable resource for anyone doing research on these topics. The background it provides would give most teachers a deeper understanding of these topics. The only detracting portions of the book were the numerous citations used throughout each chapter. At times, they were distracting and interrupted the flow of the text. Other than that one minor issue, I enjoyed the book and discovered new information to incorporate into my freshman biology lectures.
Review posted on 12/9/2009
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