The Ghosts of Evolution by Connie Barlow, Basic Books, $26, ISBN
0465005519
AFTER the destruction of paradise, only the plants survived. But this
paradise isn’t the familiar Garden of Eden; it’s the Americas during the last
ice age.
The story does begin with fruit, though—the large native fruits of
tropical Central America, such as avocado, mango, papaya and watermelon. These
fruit trees all cater to fruit-loving animals, and in return for eating the
fruit, the animals disperse their seed. But there’s a mystery: nowadays large
plant eaters such as the tapir and capybara enjoy the fruit without dispersing
the…
