Experimental Approaches to Conservation Biology / Edition 1

by Malcolm Gordon, Soraya Bartol

Overview

We are living in the early stages of a looming worldwide extinction crisis. Abundant evidence shows that the current rate of species extinctions is nearing its highest level since the asteroid collision 65 million years ago, and that humans are largely responsible. This book addresses the urgent need to understand and find solutions to this crisis. Written by an international team of contributors who are among the best-known and most active experimental biologists working in the field of conservation biology today, it provides a unique approach by focusing on individual species rather than whole plant and animal communities. Emphasizing throughout how conservation biology can benefit from an experimental approach, the book looks at a wide range of terrestrial and aquatic species—from giant pandas and tree snails to sea turtles and Steller sea lions—and demonstrates what can be done both to preserve rare species and to combat invasive organisms. Finally, contributors show how we can bridge the gap between policy makers and research scientists in order to develop lasting solutions to these problems.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780520240247
Publisher:	University of California Press
Publication date:	09/13/2004
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	358
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Malcolm S. Gordon, Professor of Biology at the University of California, Los Angeles, is coauthor of Invasions of the Land: The Transitions of Organisms from Aquatic to Terrestrial Life (1995) and of Animal Physiology: Principles and Adaptations (fourth edition 1982), among other books. Soraya M. Bartol is a Postdoctoral Investigator in the Biology Department of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	vii
	List of Contributors	ix
Section 1.	Introduction
1.	Experimental Biology in Conservation Science	3
Section 2.	Conservation of Endangered Species
2.	Overview	11
3.	Contributions of Ex Situ Propagation and Molecular Genetics to Conservation of Hawaiian Tree Snails	16
4.	Multiple Causes for Declining Amphibian Populations	35
5.	Energetics of Leatherback Sea Turtles: A Step toward Conservation	66
6.	Experimental Strategies for the Recovery of Depleted Populations of West Indian Rock Iguanas	83
7.	Endocrinology and the Conservation of New Zealand Birds	101
8.	Conservation of Australian Arid-Zone Marsupials: Making Use of Knowledge of Their Energy and Water Requirements	122
9.	The Population Decline of Steller Sea Lions: Testing the Nutritional Stress Hypothesis	132
Section 3.	Control or Elimination of Exotic and Invasive Species
10.	Overview	149
11.	Tipping the Balance in the Restoration of Native Plants: Experimental Approaches to Changing the Exotic: Native Ratio in California Grassland	154
12.	Using Natural Experiments in the Study of Alien Tree Invasions: Opportunities and Limitations	180
13.	Biological Control in Support of Conservation: Friend or Foe?	202
Section 4.	Policy-Related Matters
14.	Overview	241
15.	The Army and the Desert Tortoise: Can Science Inform Policy Decisions?	244
16.	Integrating Experimental Research with the Needs of Natural-Resource and Land Managers: Case Studies from Australia and New Zealand	269
17.	Making Wildlife Research More Meaningful by Prioritizing Science, Linking Disciplines, and Building Capacity	282
18.	African National Parks under Challenge: Novel Approaches in South Africa May Offer Respite	298
	Systematic Index	323
	Subject Index	331