Invasive Species

Invasive species come in all sizes, from plant pathogens like the chestnut blight in eastern North America, to the red imported fire ant that has spread throughout the South, the predatory Indian mongoose now found in the Caribbean and Hawaii, and the huge Burmese python populating the Florida swamps. And while many invasive species are safe and even beneficial, the more harmful varieties cost the world economy billions of dollars annually, devastate agriculture, spread painful and even lethal diseases, and otherwise diminish our quality of life in myriad surprising ways. In Invasive Species: What Everyone Needs to Know, award-winning biologist Daniel Simberloff offers a wide-ranging and informative survey that sheds light on virtually every aspect of these biological invaders. Filled with case studies of an astonishing array of invasive species, the book covers such topics as how humans introduce these species-sometimes inadvertently, but often deliberately-the areas that have suffered the most biological invasions, the methods we use to keep our borders safe, the policies we currently have in place to manage these species, and future prospects for controlling their spread.An eminent ecologist, Simberloff analyzes the direct and indirect impacts of invasive species on various ecosystems, such as when non-native species out-compete native species for food or light, describes how invasive species (such as the Asian mosquito that is a vector for West Nile virus, itself an invasive species) transmit pathogens, and explains his acclaimed theory of "invasional meltdown" in which two or more introduced species combine to produce a far more devastating impact than any one of them would have caused alone. The book also discusses the more controversial issues surrounding invasive species and it concludes with suggested readings and a list of related web sites.

Daniel Simberloff is the Nancy Gore Hunger Professor of Environmental Studies and Director of the Institute for Biological Invasions at the University of Tennessee. He is the author of approximately 500 publications on ecology, biogeography, evolution, and conservation biology; much of his research focuses on causes and consequences of biological invasions. He is senior editor of the Encyclopedia of Biological Invasions (University of California Press, 2011), editor-in-chief of Biological Invasions, associate editor of the Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, and serves on the editorial boards of several other journals. In 2006 he was named Eminent Ecologist by the Ecological Society of America.

Written for nonexpert but educated readers, Invasive Species will reward those who demand well-documented information without requiring scientific details. By extending his wide-ranging survey of biological invasions beyond their biology, Simberloff acknowledges the crucial human dimensions of invasive species. - Science

Most interesting are discussions on the transport and spread of invasive species during ancient human migrations. Reflecting the author's unbiased writing, the book includes a chapter on the controversies surrounding the science and regulation of invasive species. Recommended. - B.R. Shmaefsky, Lone Star College