Ecology of the Opossum on a Natural Area in Northeastern Kansas

Sandidge, Lewis L.Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.9
Word count
73K words
Chapters
8

Tags

English Originals Natural Sciences Animal BehaviorNorth American EcologyNatural HistoryEcological ResearchScientific RecordNature ObservationOpossum HabitsWildlifeFieldworkResearch Reports

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Ecology of the Opossum on a Natural Area in Northeastern Kansas by Henry S. Fitch et al.Author: Sandidge, Lewis L.,Language: English, Class: QH: Science: Natural history, Release Date: Aug 24, 2011

Editor's review

This book is an ecological research report on an opossum population in a nature reserve in northeastern Kansas, USA, and belongs to the empirical observational records of natural history and wildlife ecology. Its value lies not in the grandness of a theoretical system, but in placing a specific species in a specific area and presenting basic data such as activity rhythms, habitat use, diet composition, and seasonal changes. For Chinese readers, this kind of text offers a plain field-research perspective: reliable natural-history data can be accumulated through sustained observation without relying on complex equipment. When reading, it may be helpful to treat it as a field notebook for comparison, paying attention to how the author describes sampling methods and observation conditions, and which conclusions are left open. It is suitable as supplementary reading for beginners in ecology, or for nature-observation enthusiasts to learn recording methods. Because the book was written early and is clearly regionally limited, its specific data should not be directly applied to other regions, but its observational framework still has reference value.

Who it's for

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Reading tips

  1. Read the introduction and research methods first, then look at the results chapter by chapter, so as to avoid being interrupted by scattered data.
  2. Prepare a map or notebook and mark the habitat types and observation seasons mentioned in the text for easy comparison.
  3. There is no need to memorize every piece of data; focus on understanding how the author poses questions and limits conclusions.
  4. After reading, find a local small-mammal observation record for comparison and appreciate regional differences.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8

FAQ

Is this book popular science or an academic report? It is closer to a regional ecological research report, with language that tends toward description and recording rather than popular-science narrative for the general public. It is suitable for readers willing to patiently read observational data and methods, and is better used as supplementary introductory reading or for reference.
Can I understand it without a biology background? Most of the content can be understood, because the author mainly describes observed phenomena and data. But parts involving sampling methods and habitat classification require some patience. It is recommended to read the introduction and conclusion first, then go back to the details, rather than forcing yourself through it in order.
Do the book's conclusions have direct reference value for Chinese readers? The specific data are limited by region and era and should not be directly applied. However, the observational framework, recording methods, and way of posing questions still have reference value and can serve as methodological reference rather than a basis for local species management.

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About the author

Sandidge, Lewis L. Author

Sandidge, Lewis L. is an author about whom little public information is available; the only confirmed identity detail is the association of the name with a single work. The library holds this work, Ecology of the Opossum on a Natural Area in Northeastern Kansas, whose title indicates a study of opossum ecology in a natural area of northeastern Kansas, United States. The work is a specialized monograph in wildlife ecology, focused on the ecological habits of the opossum in a particular region, and its writing likely reflects field observation and scientific record-keeping. Because the author's biography, nationality, education, and positions cannot be verified, this introduction makes no speculation and presents the author solely on the basis of this single work as a writer of ecological monographs.