Natural systems :
xxi, 368 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 25 cm. Content notes : Introduction : defining nature --
2. What is a species? --
3. The history of life --
4. How many species are there? --
5. Measuring diversity --
6. Niches --
7. Patterns in species richness --
8. Drivers of diversity --
9. Does diversity matter? --
10. Organisation at the community scale --
11. Stability --
12. Changes through time --
13. Changes through space --
14. Global patterns of life --
15. Regional species richness --
16. Latitudinal gradients --
17. Earth history --
18. Dispersal --
19. Life on islands --
20. Reinventing islands --
21. What is a natural system? Life cycles (Biology)
