Messages from Islands is a synthetic tour of the world of biodiversity species and their communitiesand the habitats in which they live. It looks at how biodiversity is generated in the course of evolution and how is it maintained over time. The itinerary of the tour is question based. What is causing the current biodiversity crisis ? What is extinction threshold and what is extinction debt? What is the biodiversity hypothesis about rapidly increasing allergies, asthma, and other chronic inflammatory disorders? What is the third-of-third rule, and could it be the solution to habitat conservation? Each chapter begins on an island, with reflections of his own studies and observations about biodiversity on islands, from a small islet in the Baltic Sea to the large tropical islands of Borneo and Madagascar to Greenland, the world s largest island. And then steeped in those locations he leads readers on tours of different themes in biodiversity research. Greenland, for example, is a starting point for the world of microbes, and how scientists are coming to understand their staggering biodiversity and how it impacts ecosystems, including the one that lives within our own guts. The result is a conceptually oriented narrative of research on biodiversity, infused with personal anecdotes to convey the excitement of doing aforementioned research. The book is an important introduction to current themes in ecological research to students, and is a highly engaging read for specialists, many of whom in ecology have been influenced by Mr. Hanski s work."

From the acclaimed author of Climbing the Stairs comes a fascinating story set on a remote island untouched by time. Uido is ecstatic about becoming her tribe's spiritual leader, but her new position brings her older brother's jealousy and her best friend's mistrust. And looming above these troubles are the recent visits of strangers from the mainland who have little regard for nature or the spirits, and tempt the tribe members with gifts, making them curious about modern life. When Uido's little brother falls deathly ill, she must cross the ocean and seek their help. Having now seen so many new things, will Uido have the strength to believe in herself and the old ways? And will her people trust her to lead them to safety when a catastrophic tsunami threatens? Uido must overcome everyone's doubts, including her own, if she is to keep her people safe and preserve the spirituality that has defined them. Drawing on firsthand experience from her travels to the Andaman Islands, Padma Venkatraman was inspired to write this story after meeting natives who survived the 2004 tsunami and have been able to preserve their unique way of life. Uido's transformation from a young girl to tribal leader will touch both your heart and mind.