THE EVOLUTION OF INSECTS

by Philip S. Callahan ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 15, 1972

Disappointingly incohesive compared to the author's estimable Insects and How They Function (1971), this non-technical survey by a reliable research entymologist is too often sidetracked on tangential subjects. The section on Darwin and his theories adds nothing to existing juvenile material and too much space is devoted to background information and commentary on geology, fossil hunting, continental drift, DNA structure, and justification for studying evolution (the final chapter). Even when it does settle down to its title subject, this lacks the concision and direction of its predecessor. Nevertheless, Callahan's report on insect fossils from the Devonian on, adaptation and isolation mechanisms, theories of insect ancestry, and (most interesting) chemical-physical-behavioral evolution of sexual communication, provides authoritative material for serious students.

Pub Date: Nov. 15, 1972

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Holiday House

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1972

Categories: NONFICTION