The Hidden Company That Trees Keep (Paperback)

James B. Nardi

ISBN 10: 0691277451 / ISBN 13: 9780691277455

Published by Princeton University Press, New Jersey, 2025

About this Item

Paperback. A spectacularly illustrated journey into the intimate communities that native trees share with animals, insects, fungi, and microbes.You can tell a lot about a tree from the company it keeps. James Nardi guides you through the innermost unseen world that trees share with a wondrous array of creatures. With their elaborate immune responses, trees recruit a host of allies as predators and parasites to defend against uninvited advances from organisms that chew on leaves, drain sap, and bore into wood. Microbial life thrives in the hidden spaces of leaf scales, twigs, and bark, while birds, mammals, and insects benefit from the more visible resources trees provide. In return, animals help with pollination, seed dispersal, and recycling of nutrients.The Hidden Company That Trees Keep blends marvelous storytelling with beautiful illustrations and the latest science to reveal how the lives of trees are intertwined with those of their diverse companions.'[A] wonderful book.[This] timely and beautifully written work has the potential of enlightening potential learners on all levels.' Steve Dixon, Library Journal, starred review Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780691277455

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Hidden Company That Trees Keep (Paperback)
• Publisher: Princeton University Press, New Jersey
• Publication Date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0691277451
• ISBN 13: 9780691277455
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

A spectacularly illustrated journey into the intimate communities that native trees share with animals, insects, fungi, and microbes

You can tell a lot about a tree from the company it keeps. James Nardi guides you through the innermost unseen world that trees share with a wondrous array of creatures. With their elaborate immune responses, trees recruit a host of allies as predators and parasites to defend against uninvited advances from organisms that chew on leaves, drain sap, and bore into wood. Microbial life thrives in the hidden spaces of leaf scales, twigs, and bark, while birds, mammals, and insects benefit from the more visible resources trees provide. In return, animals help with pollination, seed dispersal, and recycling of nutrients. The Hidden Company That Trees Keep blends marvelous storytelling with beautiful illustrations and the latest science to reveal how the lives of trees are intertwined with those of their diverse companions.

• Features a wealth of richly detailed drawings accompanied by breathtaking images of microscopic landscapes on leaf, bark, and root surfaces
• Includes informative fact boxes
• Draws on new discoveries in biology and natural history
• Written by one of the world’s leading naturalists

About the Author

James B. Nardi is a research scientist in the School of Integrative Biology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. His books include Life in the Soil: A Guide for Naturalists and Gardeners, Discoveries in the Garden, and Close Encounters with Insects and Spiders.