Ghosts of Gondwana: The History of Life in New Zealand

by George W. Gibbs

Have you ever wondered why New Zealand's plants and animals are so different from those in other countries? Why the kakapo is the only parrot in the world that cannot fly, or why the kiwi lives here and nowhere else? New Zealand is an extraordinary place, unique on Earth, and the remarkable story of how and why life evolved here is the subject of Ghosts of Gondwana. The science that traces the history of life on Earth is called historical biogeography and it is the theme of this book. Biogeography is a wide-ranging study, involving geology, genetics and biology. There are no departments of it and no professors, but to understand 'what lives where and why' it is necessary to probe the cutting edge of fields as disparate as continental drift and the inner secrets of the magic DNA molecule. Although we are blessed in New Zealand with many descriptive books about our birds, plants, landscapes and conservation issues, there is currently no up-to-date book that explains the origin of our life. George Gibbs' very accessible story summarises exciting new research which leads to an understanding of where our fauna and flora came from and how they evolved to become some of the strangest in the world. It also reveals the landmark events in our deep history which have moulded the life of today and presents a balanced view of the arguments which accompany this type of speculative science. Ghosts of Gondwana is a highly readable and engaging book. Heavily illustrated with photographs and diagrams, this is popular science writing at its best. As the only contemporary book on this subject, it will undoubtedly become essential reading for anyone interested in New Zealand's natural history.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Natural History, History, Palaeontology, Nature

232 pages, Hardcover

First published June 28, 2005

About the author

Professor in school of Biological Sciences at Victoria University of Wellington. (Located in New Zealand)

Research interests

The New Zealand insect fauna and its biogeographic history, with special emphasis on primitive Lepidoptera (Micropterigidae, Mnesarchaeidae), butterflies and weta (Deinacridinae).

Reviews

[Angelique Simonsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

really really interesting esp the stuff about land and sea

[Ned Bartlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although it’s easy to mourn for biodiversity, gigantism and endemicity lost to time, were so lucky we can still derive history and biogeography from what remains. This is a fascinating perspective of our unique place in the planet’s ecosystem, a really enjoyable and fascinating book.

[IJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book - most natural history media focuses on the Northern Hemisphere, and it was refreshing to read a book that instead looked at the Southern Hemisphere and New Zealand in particular. The information is fascinating, and looks at New Zealand's history from different viewpoints and angles, offering the different theories of how New Zealand came to have such a strange and diverse biota.
It's also an accessible read for laypersons such as me with an interest in the history of New Zealand.

[Rick Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this over a few months during lunch breaks, and it was a nice way to explore the flora and fauna of New Zealand. The prising apart of the origins of New Zealand's biogeography was well done, if a little dense at times. If you want a pretty comprehensive overview of how Modern NZ came to be, this is a great book for you.

[David Bellangue · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone interested in the former combiner of Gondwana, this has been an excellent read. I have a much better understanding of the evolutionary pressures that forged the New Zealand biota that we see today. Very readable to boot; highly recommend.

[Mark Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful window into the history of Aotearoa's flora and fauna. I'll be looking at New Zealand nature now with a much more appreciative eye, mindful of its deep history and unique presentation.

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

CW: mentions of European colonisation

The life and evolution of new Zealand, from its geography, biodiversity and beyond. Kiwi and moa often being the focus of other books, this one goes deeper into other life and dispersals.

[Dave Newton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A revised edition of 'Ghosts of Gondwana' was published 10 years after the original. It adds new chapters and expands some existing ones. It is revised throughout to account for a decade's worth of new or updated scientific knowledge, much of it due to new fossil discoveries and DNA-based research. It adds the best part of 100 pages to the original edition.

The book is subtitled 'The History of Life in New Zealand' and that is exactly what it covers - from the first point which something identifiably 'Zealandia' appears in the fossil record, through to the latest efforts to conserve native species of plants & animals and to make NZ's offshore islands (and some mainland areas) free of human-introduced predators.

Gibbs was previously a lecturer on the origin of NZ flora & fauna, and the core of the original book was formed from that course. It is aimed at at least the 'educated layperson' end of the general audience - either you will have an interest in biology/geology/earth or life sciences, or at least have remembered the basics of those subjects from high school. This is not to say the book is difficult - 'Ghosts' is well written in an accessible style, well illustrated with glossary, appendix, sources, endnotes and index. But the author presumes you are already familiar with the basics.

I bought the original edition when it came out and am glad to now have this updated edition.

[Alan Wightman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gibbs describes the elements that made New Zealand's flora and fauna unique in many respects. The most important elements being the (near) absence of mammals, isolation, the Oligocene drowning, and the seismic uplift creating the alpine zones.

He examines the evidence for vicariance (that the biota's ancestor's were on New Zealand when it separated from Australis and Gondwana 60-80 million years ago) and dispersal (that the ancestor's arrived on these islands some time later). It seems that more species' ancestors arrived in NZ by dispersal, but there are clear vicariance examples too, such as the tuatara, kauri and possibly the scorpionfly.

I found the opening chapters, discussions on the kakapo and short-tailed bat, and evolutions of the parrots, fascinating. Later chapters were a little drier, with lots of examples and scientific names.

Good overall, and I expect I will be sticking my nose back in to it from time to time.

[Owain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thie is one of the best natural history books I have ever read. For me, as an Arboriculturalist I am particularly interested in the arborescent flora of New Zealand but the author manages to make me interested in the whole biological package of the islands past and present. To anyone who has or is currently living, or considering visiting New Zealand I would recommend this as essential reading. The terrain, and strange inhabitants of New Zealand are interesting enough on their own (and I'm not talking about the people) but to fully appreciate something one needs to have an understanding of it.

The book discusses many aspects of the life in New Zealand; how it came about, how endemic is it and is it really unique, how has the geology affected it and what have been humankind's impact upon it. Coupled with a cute cover design, lovely paper, attractive layout and some really good photos, it is well worth splashing out on.

[H. Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sort of science book lovers of science books should take a look at. Mr. Gibbs' book spans millions of years of mystifying geology before settling on the development of New Zealand's special and unique forms of life. He manages to be conversational and incredibly detailed. It's never daunting and as I read it, I knew I was going to come out of it far more knowledgeable than when I went in. The journey through the early geology of the southern hemisphere, alone, is worth the price of admission.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I lived in New Zealand for a year and this book, in addition to being very accessible, explained very simply why life from Gondwana developed so differently from everywhere else in the world. The actual design of the book is beautiful too. A facinating read if you are interested in natural sciences or if you are planning on traveling to New Zealand.

[Shannan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was in this book I learned crocodiles used to live in New Zealand, and what I used as a reference when creating some of the material in these projects http://www.doc.govt.nz/getting-involv...

[Janel Atlas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book about how and why New Zealand's plant and animal life is different from others in the region. Approachable, written for lay-person to understand, passionately researched. Really delightful to read cover to cover or even just dip in and out, looking at photos and charts.

[Stephen Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful account of the biota of New Zealand. One of the best natural history books I have read.