| > Oceanography > Issues > Archive > Volume 24, Number 1 |
2011, Oceanography 24(1):183–185, http://dx.doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2011.19
BOOK REVIEW | Deep-Sea Biodiversity: Pattern and Scale
Book Information | Reviewer | First Paragraph | Full Review | Citation
Book Information
Deep-Sea Biodiversity: Pattern and Scale
By Michael A. Rex and Ron J. Etter, Harvard University Press, 2010, 354 pages,
ISBN 978-0-674-03607-9, Hardcover $55 US
Reviewer
Nicholas J. Bax
Principal Research Scientist, Commonwealth Science and Industry Research Organisation, and
Director, Marine Biodiversity Hub, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
First Paragraph
It was a pleasure to read Deep-Sea Biodiversity: Pattern and Scale. The book provides a detailed synthesis of patterns in bathyl and abyssal diversity, accounting for the vagaries of sampling, analysis, and the existing history of hypothesis definition and testing. Of course, the authors' detailed review of the literature—more than 800 references occupy 60 pages—comes at a price. The wealth of material in the book makes it a challenging read, but fortunately the authors provide good concluding sections for each chapter and a summary chapter that pulls together the major points and suggests future research. The book will remain an excellent reference for deep-sea biodiversity researchers for many years. The illuminating juxtaposition of quotations going back over 150 years is an indication of how our understanding of the creatures that inhabit the deep sea has changed over that period...
Full Review
Citation
Bax, N.J. 2011. Review of Deep-Sea Biodiversity: Pattern and Scale, by M.A. Rex and R.J. Etter. Oceanography 24(1):183–185, http://dx.doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2011.19.