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
"This book takes a deep dive into the complex and endlessly fascinating relationships between trees and the many organisms that rely on them throughout their entire lifecyles. Some of these stories will be familiar, but others, particularly at the micro-level, will be something of a revelation. Nardi examines every part of the tree to show how the tiniest organisms use micro spaces in leaf scales, twigs, or bark to thrive while larger organisms such as birds and mammals exploit the individual tree's more visible resources and - in return - help seed dispersal or other types of propagation. Nardi's immense knowledge is captured in fully accessible text alongside his own copious and wonderful drawings, rendered in both black-and-white and color. The result is a masterly overview that will guide the reader through the co-evolutionary history of organisms and their tree hosts"--
"[A] beautifully presented and well-illustrated book on a unique ecosystem and obviously a real labour of love by the author and full of fascinating information and the latest science."
---Roy Stewart, British Naturalists Association
