Darwin's Dreampond: Drama on Lake Victoria

By Tijs Goldschmidt

Book Overview

Darwin's Dreampondtells the evolutionary story of the extraordinary "furu" and the battlefield leading to extinction. Tijs Goldschmidt skillfully blends a masterful discussion of the principles of neo-Darwinian evolution and speciation with a history of Lake Victoria's ecosystem. The science unfolds in the context of the engaging first-person narrative of Goldschmidt's adventures and misadventures as a field researcher. An astute observer and a clear and witty writer, he warmly portrays the colors and textures of the landscapes and the lives of the local people as he interacts with them during the course of his fieldwork.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0262571218
• ISBN13: 9780262571210
• Release Date: February 1998
• Publisher: Mit Pr
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 1.06 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.5" x 5.5"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Was Darwin right?

I needed this book for a biology class and, at first, was not thrilled to have to read it. However, after starting to read it, I Did find it very interesting. It really tought me a lot about how species evolve and how some actually change so much that they become another species. It also showed me how one species can almost whipe out a nimber of species. Thhis is VERY good reading for anyone in the science field.

Cichilds, culture, and literary imagination!

This is one of those rare science books that combines wonderful science with excellent, well-imagined and carefully executed writing. The book focuses on the cichlids of Lake Victoria and seeks to explore why there are so many species of these fish living in one location. This "species flock" is under pressure and species are fast disappearing--they may be, as a phenomenon, one of the great natural wonders of the world.The facts about the fish alone are amazing. There is no end to the amazing features and abilities these creatures have developed. Their variety is overwhelming. And it is described here in an incredibly poignant way that fills you with wonder at the power of evolution and variety of life on earth.Goldschmidt has such a huge and inquistive mind that contemplating fish alone is not enough--life in all its forms seeps in. He connects his bout with malaria to a discussion on recessivity, the marital situation with his asstistant to the topic of sexual selection, the concepts of adaptive radiation with the culture of the area. It is a book that links scientific inquiry and insight with real life interactions, with the work and conditions of being a scientist, with the landscape and people around him. You get a sense of what the work of a field biologist is like and at the same time,you are introduced to some of the more technical aspects of evolutionary biology. And it is all done with enormous literary flair and affection for the subject. This is the kind of book that makes you rethink your career and sign up for as a volunteer to do field work.Anyone interested in ciclids, evolutionary biology or just great nature writing will enjoy this enormously.

A well written intellectual adventure

Darwin's Dreampond is a story written on several levels. On one level, the story is about the speciation and extinction through predation by Nile perch and human fisherman of hundreds of cichlid species in Lake Victoria. At the end, readers get some relief with indications that new species are developing to replace those lost.On a another level, the book is the intellectual adventure of a field zoologist trying to understand cichlids by reviewing evolutionary ideas and observations in other species and applying them to what he is observing. So, in addition to cichlids, readers learn about DNA, how natural selection creates evolution, the benefits of sickle-cell anemia, mimicry in butterflies, sexual selection in sticklebacks, the niches of different species of vultures, life among Tanzanians, and more.People who appreciate good writing should know that the original Dutch version was nominated for two science writing awards and one literature award. It won one of the science writing awards.

A fascinating but depressing book.

This is a great book for those interesting in the struggles of Lake Victoria. It shows how the lake once was, and walks you through the history of it's downfall