A Natural History of Shells

by Vermeij, Geerat J.

• ISBN13: 9780691001678
• ISBN10: 0691001677
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1995-04-03
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr

Summary

Geerat Vermeij wrote this "celebration of shells" to share his enthusiasm for those supremely elegant creations and what they can teach us about nature. Most popular books on shells emphasize the identification of species, but Vermeij uses shells as a way to explore major ideas in biology. How are shells built? How do they work? How did they evolve? The author lucidly and charmingly demonstrates how shells give us insights into the lives of animals in our own day as well as in the distant geological past.

Author Biography

Geerat J. Vermeij is Professor of Geology at the University of California, Davis.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
Shells and the Questions of Biology	p. 3
The Rules of Shell Construction
Themes and Variations: The Geometry of Shells	p. 9
An Introduction to Molluscs	p. 9
The Logarithmic Spiral and the Conservation of Shape	p. 16
The Diversity of Shell Shapes	p. 18
Handedness and the Notion of Constraint	p. 21
Growth and Form: The Inadequacy of the Logarithmic Spiral	p. 27
Episodic Growth	p. 31
Internal Remodeling	p. 32
Arthropods and Molluscs Compared	p. 35
The Evolution of Geometric Diversity	p. 36
The Economics of Construction and Maintenance	p. 39
Mineral Availability	p. 40
Energetics and Calcification	p. 42
Solutions to Dissolution	p. 45
Structure and Strength	p. 50
The Shell as a Burden	p. 51
An Evolutionary Perspective on Cost	p. 52
Annotated Bibliography	p. 54
Life in a Dangerous World: How Shells Work
The Mechanics of Shells	p. 61
Rigors of the Upper Shore	p. 63
Life in Waves and Currents	p. 68
Life as a Swimmer or Floater	p. 76
Life on Sandy and Muddy Bottoms	p. 81
Burrowing	p. 83
The Riddle of Specialization	p. 91
Predators and Their Methods	p. 94
Predation and Selection: The Evolutionary Importance of Failure	p. 95
Finding the Victim	p. 98
Pursuit	p. 100
Capture and Subjugation	p. 100
The Geography of Death	p. 108
A Geographic Perspective on Risk	p. 110
Coping with Enemies: The Shell as Protection	p. 113
Detection and Recognition	p. 113
Silent Movement and Rapid Escape	p. 115
Interfering with Manipulation	p. 116
Shell-Wall Thickening	p. 122
Corrugations and Buttresses	p. 125
Reducing the Effects of Damage	p. 129
Guarding the Entrance	p. 135
The Shell as an Offensive Weapon	p. 140
Chemical Defense	p. 142
Intimate Associations	p. 143
Annotated Bibliography	p. 149
The Dimension of Time
A Historical Geography of Shells	p. 153
The Geography of Tropical Marine Life	p. 155
Historical Geography of the Tropics	p. 157
Historical Perspective on Tropical Molluscs	p. 160
The Temperate and Polar Regions	p. 166
Extinction and Invasion	p. 170
Evolutionary Economics: The Rise and Fall of Adaptive Themes	p. 174
A Chronology of the History of Life	p. 175
The Evolution of Enemies	p. 179
The Invasion of Sediments and Rocks	p. 182
Molluscan Responses	p. 183
The Economics of Specialization	p. 189
The Evolutionary History of the Housing Market	p. 192
Molluscan History and the World Economy	p. 197
Annotated Bibliography	p. 200
Index	p. 203
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