Vertebrates from the Barrier Island of Tamaulipas, Mexico

Wilks, B. J.Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.6

Word count: 106K words
Chapters: 11

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.Vertebrates from the Barrier Island of Tamaulipas, México by Richard F. Johnston et al.Author: Wilks, B. J.,Language: English, Class: QH: Science: Natural history, Release Date: Nov 13, 2011

Editor's review

This is a survey report on the vertebrate fauna of the barrier islands of Tamaulipas, Mexico, a primary source in natural history and regional zoogeography. Its value lies not in popular readability but in the species records and distribution data it provides for a specific geographic unit, making it a reference for researchers in zoogeography, conservation biology, or Mesoamerican ecology. The writing is typical of a scientific report, heavy on data and species lists with little narrative, and requires some taxonomic background. For readers interested in Gulf Coast ecology, barrier-island habitats, and regional species inventories, this booklet supplies firsthand information from the published literature; for general popular-science readers, it is more a reference to consult than a book to read through. It is best used as a working document, read alongside maps and species lists.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Researchers in zoogeography or regional species inventory work
Scholars concerned with barrier-island ecology and conservation along the Gulf Coast
Ecology and biodiversity students who need primary distribution records
Libraries and reference collections that hold public-domain natural history literature

Not a good fit for

General popular-science readers hoping for vivid animal stories
Beginners without taxonomic background who want light browsing
Readers looking for a Chinese translation or a richly illustrated nature book

Reading tips

Consult the species list at the end or in the main text first, then return to the text to check distribution records
Read alongside maps of the Gulf Coast and barrier-island habitat data to build a spatial picture
Use the book as a reference to consult as needed rather than reading it cover to cover
Note species names and place names while reading for comparison with later regional survey literature

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.

FAQ

Is this book popular science or a research report?

It is a regional faunal survey report, focused on species records and distribution data, written much like research literature rather than popular science. Basic knowledge of vertebrate taxonomy is helpful before reading.

Can I understand it without a taxonomy background?

You can follow parts of it, but the species lists and distribution discussions will be difficult. It helps to first learn the basic classification of vertebrate classes, or to treat it as a reference and look up individual species as they come up.

Is this book suitable as a conservation biology reference?

It is suitable as basic material for a regional species inventory, but it is an older survey record and does not directly reflect current population status. For conservation research it should be used alongside updated survey data and current conservation lists.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Wilks, B. J. Author

B. J. Wilks is an author about whom little public information is available; only one work is known, Vertebrates from the Barrier Island of Tamaulipas, México. The book is a faunal survey focused on the barrier islands along the northeastern coast of Mexico, recording the vertebrate species found there and their distributions. Such works typically involve field collecting, species identification, and the compilation of geographic distribution data, providing basic reference material for regional zoological research. Because reliable information on the author's life, nationality, institutional affiliation, and writing style is lacking, no further account of his or her academic background can be given. The book's value lies mainly in its empirical record of the fauna of a particular geographic unit, and it may serve as a reference for work in animal taxonomy, biogeography, and regional ecology.