Portland Public Library

The wolf's tooth, keystone predators, trophic cascades, and biodiversity, Cristina Eisenberg

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 215-237) and index

mapsillustrations

index present

non fiction

The wolf's tooth

bibliography

495597194

Cristina Eisenberg

keystone predators, trophic cascades, and biodiversity

"For nearly a century ecologists have believed that nature is democratic, governed from the bottom up by the amount of solar energy converted to green biomass, the food of herbivores. Eisenberg makes the case for trophic cascades--an alternative view arguing that ecosystems are often organized from the top down by keystone species such as predators--while diplomatically exploring a path for reconciling these disparate views."--Michael Soule, Professor Emeritus, University of California, Santa Cruz"Cristina Eisenberg weaves her observations as a scientist and her personal experiences afield into a resonant account about the web of life that links humans to the natural world. Grounded in best science, inspired by Eisenberg's intimate knowledge of the wolves she studies, this book offers a luminous portrait of the ecological relationships essential for our well-being in a rapidly changing world."--Brenda PETERSON, author of I Want to Be Left Behind: Finding Rapture Here on Earth"As the focus in wildlife management shifts from favored species toward biodiversity and community ecology, new concepts such as trophic cascades and the keystone roles of predators have come to the fore. This is the next level of conservation, as complex as it is crucial. You couldn't ask for a better guide than Cristina Eisenberg, who blends tales from her own field studies with clear explanations of the connections that keep nature vibrant and whole over time."--Douglas H. Chadwick, wildlife biologist, conservation reporter, and author of The Wolverine Way"The Wolf's Tooth takes a venerable but misunderstood concept in ecology and renders it fresh, clear, and vital. Eisenberg has drawn from her own deep experience in the field to write a genuinely important contribution to the conservation biology canon. Besides showing how trophic cascades actually work, and how top predators can help rewild North America, her book is a fine primer for both theoretical and practical ecology."--Robert Michael Pyle, author of Wintergreen and Chasing Monarchs --Book Jacket

Visitors from the North -- Web of life. Patterns in an ecosystem ; Living in a landscape of fear : trophic cascades mechanisms ; Origins : aquatic cascades ; Why the earth is green : terrestrial cascades ; The long view : old-growth rain forest food webs -- Mending the web. All our relations : trophic cascades and the diversity of life ; Creating landscapes of hope : trophic cascades and ecological restoration ; Finding common ground : trophic cascades and ecosystem management -- Lessons from 763