Justin Gerlach – författare

The story of the tree snails of the Pacific Islands spans 250 years of the history of biology as a science. This runs from Captain Cook''s first voyage of exploration, through the start of evolutionary theory and the development of the science of genetics. ''Snailing round the South Seas'' traces this history through the surprisingly central role played by a group of snails.Ultimately this leads into the struggle for survival in the modern world. Partula snails almost disappeared in the most rapid extinction event known so far and the survivors are among the rarest species on earth. Once more these snails have been at the heart of new developments, this time in conservation biology.

This book covers the fundamentals of biology. It is primarily aimed at students completing school biology courses or about to start a biology degree course. It summarises the biology that ought to be seen as essential at those stages and corrects the most common misinterpretations that tend to occur. The fact that all aspects of biology are interlinked is highlighted. The book also emphasises that biology is not just about humans, or vertebrates, but that an appreciation of the vast diversity of life is important to a proper understanding of the subject.