The Secret Network of Nature: The Delicate Balance of All Living Things

Excellent book, very well wrtitten. Short chapters with lots of interesting information & facts and no waffle. Definitely recommend for the nature lovers.

Everything thing you need to know

We're using this book as a study in our outdoor Green Team parish meetings through the summer (2024). It is a surprisingly good book -- not a difficult read, but incredibly thought-provoking. Example: when man got rid of the wolves in Yellowstone, there was nothing to cull the deer, so the deer and elk population exploded. They grazed away the vegetation, which in turn took food away from the beavers so they went elsewhere and let their dams fall into disrepair. The dams falling into disrepair resulted in much less water flow through the creeks and rivers in the Yellowstone area, which led to a decrease in precipitation. When the wolves were re-introduced, the deer and elk populations went down, the vegetation began reappearing, the beavers had food and suitable trees to make dams, and the precipitation increased. Here's another: aphids suck the leaves on trees, which causes the trees to release sap. This, in turn, causes certain ants to gather around the base of the trees. The ants don't want the aphids to go away, so they bite the wings off the aphids. The aphids become more or less the "slaves" of the ants; but the tree will allow a fungus to grow to capture the sugar and return it to the roots of the trees. Every chapter is like this. It's the most interesting book study we've done in YEARS. I really, strongly recommend this book!

Questo libro è davvero illuminante sui nessi che legano il mondo animale e il mondo vegetale. È affascinante e, delle volte, scioccante come la modifica della vegetazione o ancora di più la modifica di una certa specie di animale possa avere degli effetti enorme su un'intera ecosistema. Chi avrebbe mai immaginato che l'introduzione di certe specie animali potrebbe addirittura cambiare la corsa di un fiume? Una vera avventura di scoperte inattese.

It is written so well and very enjoyable with lots of information on how important each animal plays a part on the ecology on earth