INVIGORATING VOICES ADDED TO THE LIFE AUTHOR TEAM
For the new edition, David Sadava (the Cells and Genetics units) and Craig Heller (the introductory chapter and the Animal Form and Function unit) build on their exemplary work with content informed by the latest research and extensive reviewer feedback.
The new author partnership also features:
• An expanded role for David Hillis of the University of Texas. A MacArthur Fellow and member of the National Academy of Sciences, Hillis joined the Life team in the previous edition. He is now the author of all chapters in the units on Evolution (Chapters 21-25) and Diversity (Chapters 26-33).
• New author May Berenbaum of the University of Illinois-Champaign Urbana. An acclaimed entomologist and award-winning teacher, Berenbaum is the author of the Ecology unit (Chapters 54-59). Dr. Berenbaum is also member of the National Academy of Sciences and President of AIBS.
• In addition, Sue Wessler, University of Georgia Foundation Chair in the Biological Sciences and Howard Hughes Research Institute Professor, has contributed three chapters to the unit on plant structure and function.
COVERAGE THAT SUPPORTS NEW TEACHING DIRECTIONS
The Ninth Edition responds to the way the introductory biology course unfolds today:
Completely new chapters on Nucleic Acids and the Origin of Life (Chapter 4), Gene Mutation and Molecular Medicine (Chapter 15), Regulation of Gene Expression (Chapter 16), and Genomes (Chapter 17) reflect the growth of these research areas and their essential role in the introductory course.
Cell Signaling and Communication (Chapter 7) is now in the Cells unit where many instructors prefer to teach it. The Evolution unit has been reorganized by David Hillis:
• The unit begins with Evidence and Mechanisms of Evolution (Chapter 21)
• Chapter 22, Reconstructing and Using Phylogenies, now comes before coverage on speciation and genomic evolution—a natural foundation on which to build understanding of those two topics
• The concluding chapter, The History of Life on Earth (Chapter 25), is a natural bridge to the Diversity unit
The chapter on Immunology: Animal Defense Systems (Chapter 42) is now in the unit on Animal Form and Function, supporting teachers who cover the topic at the organismal level.
A new chapter on Interaction Ecology (Chapter 56) drives home the concepts of coevolution and sets the stage for the subsequent chapter on community ecology.
NEW AND ENHANCED WAYS OF INVESTIGATING LIFE
Investigating Life and Tools for Investigating Life
Building on the Experiments and Methods figures of previous editions, Investigating Life and Tools for Investigating Life continue Life’s emphasis on introducing students to the process of scientific inquiry.
In the Investigating Life figures
• Titles clearly identify the experiments to make it easy to locate and assign relevant experiments
• Expanded captions make clear the significance of the experiment
• Refined descriptions of methodologies give students a realistic sense of how the science is done
• yourBioPortal.com links provide original citations and further discussions of the experiment and related research
Tools for Investigating Life spotlighting core research methods are optional and can be assigned at the instructor’s discretion. Cross references make it easy for students to review a method when cited in another chapter.
AT THE END OF EACH CHAPTER
Additional Investigation (in all chapters)
These thought-provoking questions, based on material in the chapter, ask students to formulate hypotheses and design experiments to test them.
Working with Data (in many chapters)
With these exercises, students manipulate quantitative material or work with simulations based on actual experiments.
NEW OPENING STORIES
Nearly 70% of the Ninth Edition’s chapters have new opening stories that provide an historical, medical, or social context for the chapter subject. Chapters revisit these stories to drive home their relevance:
Chapter 21, Evidence and Mechanisms of Evolution, opens with the story of how the influenza virus evolves into multiple variants. The chapter picks up this topic by showing the role of evolutionary theory in developingbetter flu vaccines.
Chapter 26, Bacteria and Archaea: The Prokaryotic Domains, open with the story of Antarctica’s Blood Falls, the outflow of a subglacial sea that contains an unusual ecosystem of bacteria that rely on sulfate and iron ions for metabolism. This opener highlights the fact that prokaryotes are found almost everywhere on Earth, including many extreme environments, a theme reinforced throughout the chapter.
Chapter 36, Plant Nutrition, opens with haunting images of the ecological disaster in Haiti, which becomes the focal point of coverage of good soil management practices.
Chapter 54, Ecology and the Distribution of Life, opens with “Dung Happens,” illustrating the unanticipated consequences of the inadvertent introduction of non-native species, a topic revisited not only in Chapter 54 but throughout the ecology unit.
THE NEXT GENERATION OF BIOLOGICAL ART
The art in the Ninth Edition has a clear, uncluttered look with a contemporary graphic style and color palette. The flow of figure content is easier to follow than ever, with just the right number of balloon captions that guide students step-by-step through the illustrations to highlight essential ideas and processes. Many new illustrations present real data and real science as practiced in the field.
In addition:
• Enhanced biomes visuals now include images of typical flora and fauna
• A new visual overview of the genome in Chapter 17 links DNA sequences with Chromatin structure and molecular cellular processes--topics covered in both the Genetics and Genome units
• The new visual timeline in Chapter 25 describes the evolution of life within the context of the evolution of Earth—a topic revisited in both the Diversity and Ecology units
• Several hundred new photographs continue Life’s highly praised tradition of spectacular plant and animal imagery
STANDARD-RAISING REVIEW PROCESS
The Ninth Edition is very much the product of an exhaustive review process, with the content, pedagogy, and overall look of the new edition refined in response to suggestions from review panels and individual instructors—users and nonusers alike. The result of all this careful and conscientious feedback is a new edition honed to perfection as a teaching tool for your students.