The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions - So Huge A Bignes Summary & Analysis

David Quammen
This Study Guide consists of approximately 30 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Song of the Dodo.
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The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions - So Huge A Bignes Summary & Analysis

David Quammen
This Study Guide consists of approximately 30 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Song of the Dodo.
This section contains 1,816 words
(approx. 5 pages at 400 words per page)
Buy The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions Study Guide

So Huge A Bignes Summary and Analysis

In the third chapter, Quammen introduces what he calls an "insular menu" of attributes that appear to be common to species that live on islands. He divides the list of attributes into those that apply to individual species and those that apply to island communities as a whole. The species attributes are as follows:

Dispersal ability

Size change

Loss of dispersal ability

Endemism

Relictualism

Loss of defensive adaptations

Archipelago speciation

Adaptive radiation

The community attributes he calls disharmony and impoverishment.

Quammen writes in a disjointed style, moving from subject to subject and returning to previous topics frequently. He addresses these attributes over the course of the chapter, interjecting personal stories about his travels to conduct research for the book and introducing scientists who are studying these various attributes of island biogeography.

Dispersal ability is the...

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This section contains 1,816 words
(approx. 5 pages at 400 words per page)
Buy The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions Study Guide
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