Islands in a Far Sea: The Fate of Nature in Hawaii, Revised Edition

John L. Culliney

Published by University of Hawaii Press 2006

Islands in a Far Sea

The Fate of Nature in Hawaii, Revised Edition

John L. Culliney

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780824874544

Overview
Contents

About this book

First published in 1988, Islands in a Far Sea offers a comprehensive environmental history of Hawai‘i. This thoroughly revised edition begins with an up-to-date account of the geological formation and shaping of the Islands, their colonization by plants and animals, and the patterns of ecology and evolution that unfolded in nurturing seas and on breath-taking landscapes.

This book tells the story of human interaction with Hawai‘i's native landscapes and rich biological heritage. The author’s accessible language allows readers to grasp basic geological and biological principles and to understand the perhaps surprising vulnerability of Hawaiian ecosystems--which have coevolved with volcanoes--to human impact. Islands in a Far Sea includes many well-documented historical examples of such impacts, featuring growth and greed, fears and foibles as humans confronted endemic nature in Hawai‘i. Citing a large array of sources, the author makes it possible for interested readers to probe more deeply the changes in natural systems that have ensued on all of the Hawaiian Islands. To date the result has been the tragic reduction of a unique and benign biota. However, the book holds out hope that current efforts to protect what is left of Hawai‘i's flora and fauna in their remaining wild settings may yet succeed.

Author / Editor information

Culliney John L. :

John L. Culliney, a biologist educated at Yale and Duke Universities, is professor emeritus of biology at Hawai‘i Pacific University.

Reviews

Beautifully written and logically organized, [this book] makes Culliney's plea for humanity to live 'within our ecological means' an extremely powerful one.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Preface to the Revised Edition Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
English-Metric Conversions Publicly Available Download PDF	xi
part one Island Evolution: A Hawaiian Primer Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1. Out of the Earth Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	3
2. From the Forces of Life Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	25
3. Arrival and Adaptation Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	35
part two :Th e Surrounding Sea
4. Blue Abyss and Twilight Slopes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	53
5. A Place for Whales Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	67
6. The Coral Rim Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	80
7. Decline of a Lagoon Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	99
8. The Seal and the Turtle Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	108
9. Seabirds High and Low Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	125
Part three: Shores of Many Moods
10. Lonely Rocks and Atolls Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	145
11. Coasts of Change Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	159
Part four: Green Crags and Canyons
12. Rain Forests in Transition Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	181
13. Freshwaters Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	201
14. Dying Songs: Hawai‘i’s Forest Birds Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	223
15. Insects and Snails: Evolutionary Tales Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	247
Part five: Volcanoes in the Sky
16. Cloudlands and Drylands Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	267
17. Alpine Fire and Ice Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	289
part six: The Fate of the Living Land
18. Primeval Hawai‘i Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	301
19. ‘Āina and Ahupua‘a Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	313
20. The Remaking of Eden Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	325
21. Waves of the Future Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	343
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	365
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	405

Language: English
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 432
Illustrations
- Other: 76 illus., 9 maps

eBook

Published: November 30, 2005
ISBN: 9780824874544