{"product_id":"no-species-is-an-island-bats-cacti-and-secrets-of-the-sonoran-desert-9780816535897","title":"No Species Is an Island: Bats, Cacti, and Secrets of the Sonoran Desert","description":"In the darkness of the star-studded desert, bats and moths feed on the nectar of night-blooming cactus flowers. By day, birds and bees do the same, taking to blooms for their sweet sustenance. In return these special creatures pol­linate the equally intriguing plants in an ecological circle of sustainability. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The Sonoran Desert is the most biologically diverse desert in the world. Four species of columnar cacti, including the iconic saguaro and organ pipe, are among its most conspicuous plants. \u003ci\u003eNo Species Is an Island \u003c\/i\u003edescribes Theodore H. Fleming's eleven-year study of the pollination biology of these species at a site he named Tortilla Flats in Sonora, Mexico, near Kino Bay. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Now Fleming shares the surprising results of his intriguing work. Among the novel findings are one of the world's rarest plant-breeding sys­tems in a giant cactus; the ability of the organ pipe cactus to produce fruit with another species' pollen; the highly specialized moth-cactus pollination system of the senita cactus; and the amazing lifestyle of the lesser long-nosed bat, the major nocturnal pollinator of three of these species. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e These discoveries serve as a primer on how to conduct ecological re­search, and they offer important conservation lessons for us all. Fleming high­lights the preciousness of the ecological web of our planet--Tortilla Flats is a place where cacti and migratory bats and birds connect such far-flung habitats as Mexico's tropical dry forest, the Sonoran Desert, and the temper­ate rain forests of southeastern Alaska. Fleming offers an insightful look at how field ecologists work and at the often big surprises that come from looking carefully at a natural world where no species stands alone. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTheodore H. Fleming is a professor emeritus of biology at the University of Miami. Fleming's research on nectar- and fruit-eating bats and their food plants has taken him to Panama, Costa Rica, Australia, and the Sonoran Desert of Mexico and Arizona. He is the author of several books, including \u003ci\u003eThe Ornaments of Life: Coevolution and Conservation in the Tropics\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Kim Kanoa Duffek is a horticulturist at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Duffek has illustrated many publications, including \u003ci\u003eVictor, the Reluctant Vulture\u003c\/i\u003e. Her paintings are part of both public and private collections. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"University of Arizona Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50328873500946,"sku":"9780816535897","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_dd4e926f-4ecd-41d7-9935-1d46189d9cd9.jpg?v=1727753589","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/no-species-is-an-island-bats-cacti-and-secrets-of-the-sonoran-desert-9780816535897","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}