An accessible and thought-provoking introduction to timespans in the natural world, featuring more than 80 beautifully designed diagrams.
Which organisms live the longest? How does the natural world recover from fire? How long do eggs take to hatch? What are the world's fastest and slowest growing plants? Which species invest the most in parental care?
How Nature Keeps Time discovers the natural world's most important and intriguing patterns of time. Beautifully designed with stunning colour photography and more than 80 reader-friendly charts and diagrams, this witty book examines a broad range of species from across the world and throughout time. From the lifecycle of immortal jellyfish and identifying the perfect amount of time for a 'good sleep' to mass extinction and the destruction of the coral reef, Helen Pilcher tackles highly relevant and fascinating topics in this deeply entertaining read.
Introduction: It's About Time
Chapter One: Evolutionary Spans
Chapter Two: Ecological Spans
Chapter Three: Life Spans
Chapter Four: Growth Spans
Chapter Five: Behavioural Spans
Chapter Six: Biological Spans
Further Reading
Index
Acknowledgements
Helen Pilcher is a science and comedy writer with a PhD in Stem Cell Biology and years of stand-up comedy under her belt. She has worked as a freelance writer for the last 12 years, writing for the Guardian, New Scientist, the BBC, BBC Wildlife and Nature, where she was formerly a reporter. Helen's previous books include Life Changing, which was shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize for Global Conservation, Bring Back the King and The Pocket Book of Garden Experiments.