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Sedges of Maine: A Field Guide to Cyperaceae.
Matt Arsenault, Glen H. Mittelhauser, Don Cameron,
Alison C. Dibble, Arthur Haines, Sally C. Rooney,
and Jill E. Weber. 2013. University of Maine Press,
Orono, ME. 712 pp. $29.95, softcover. ISBN
9780891011231. Sedges are important components
of Maine’s biodiversity and natural heritage. Over
25% of the sedge species in Maine are of conservation
concern, yet sedges are ubiquitous in many
habitats across the landscape. Proper identification
of sedge species is an essential component of
ecological studies such as wetland delineations,
wetland functional assessments, natural resource
inventories, site suitability assessments, ecological
characterizations, land conservation value evaluations,
and rare-species surveys and habitat assessments.
Sedges of Maine is a fully-illustrated guide
to all species, subspecies, and extant hybrids in the
Cyperaceae family that occur in Maine.
Field Guide to the New England Alpine Summits,
Third Edition. Nancy Slack and Allison Bell. 2013.
Appalachian Mountain Club Books, Boston, MA.
191 pp. $16.95, softcover. ISBN 9781934028889.
Back by popular demand, this practical field guide
captures the splendor of the rare, yet accessible,
alpine zone of northern New England. This fascinating
ecosystem is an enchanting world of delicate
flowers, hardy plants, and remarkable wildlife that
survive in the harsh and unpredictable climate of
New England’s highest peaks from Vermont to
Maine, including Mounts Mansfield, Lafayette,
Washington, and Katahdin. Full-color photos and
authoritative text offer quick answers to visitors’
questions: What is that lovely little pink flower
along the side of the trail? How do these plants
survive through winter? Which birds am I likely
to see above treeline? New to this edition is an appendix
on the phenology of the alpine zone—the
study of the effect of climate change on plant species.
Nature enthusiasts will appreciate this detailed
look at climate change and its impact over time on
this rare and fragile environment. This new edition
also highlights the environmental success story of
the rescue of Dwarf Cinquefoil, an extremely rare
alpine plant that was removed from the endangered
species list in summer of 2002 due to decades-long
efforts by AMC and other conservation advocates.
Mid-Atlantic Freshwater Wetlands: Advances
in Wetlands Science, Management, Policy, and
Practice. Robert P. Brooks and Denice Heller Wardrop,
(Eds.). 2013. Springer, New York, NY. 491
pp. $179.00, hardcover. ISBN 9781461455950. This
comprehensive book delves into the ecology and
conservation of the critically important and valued
freshwater wetland ecosystems of the Mid-Atlanic
region, summarizing over two decades of work by
Riparia, a Center at The Pennsylvania State University.
The 14 chapters written or edited by Riparia’s
leadership and colleagues, focus on understanding
the ecology of freshwater wetlands and the stressors
that affect them in a watershed context. Wetlands are
viewed not as isolated patches, but as part of an integrated
aquatic and terrestrial system. Early chapters
address concepts of reference and hydrogeomorphic
classification. The current state of our knowledge
about hydrology, hydric soils, plants, and wildlife
is covered in the middle chapters. Later chapters
include policy issues and practice, with emphases
on monitoring and assessment, restoration and mitigation,
and conservation and regulatory programs.
There are extensive reviews and listings of recent
literature, and linkages to Riparia’s website where
supplemental information can be found.
Tidal Wetlands Primer: An Introduction to
Their Ecology, Natural History, Status, and
Conservation. Ralph W. Tiner. 2013. University of
Massachusetts Press, Amherst, MA. 536 pp. $39.95,
softcover. ISBN 9781625340221. At a time when
more than half of the US population lives within
fifty miles of the coast, tidal wetlands are a critical
and threatened natural resource. The purpose of this
book is to introduce the world of tidal wetlands to
students and professionals in the environmental
fields and others with an interest in the subject.
Illustrated with maps, photographs, and diagrams,
this volume provides a clear account of the factors
that make these habitats unique and vulnerable. It
discusses their formation, the conditions affecting
their plant and animal life, and the diversity of types
across North America, as well as their history, use
by wildlife and humans, current status, conservation,
restoration, and likely future. The emphasis is on
vegetated wetlands—marshes and swamps—with
additional discussion of eelgrass meadows, rocky
shores, beaches, and tidal flats.
Peril in the Ponds: Deformed Frogs, Politics, and
a Biologist’s Quest. Judy Helgen. 2012. University
of Massachusetts Press, Amherst, MA. 260 pp.
$24.95, softcover. ISBN 9781558499461. Peril in
the Ponds tells the story of a government biologist’s
investigation into the mystery of deformed frogs, an
epidemic that grew during the 1990s and continues
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today. It provides an inside view of a highly charged
environmental issue that aroused the attention of
the public and the media and sparked controversies
among scientists, politicians, and government
agencies. By the 1990s, wetlands across the United
States were endangered from pollution and decades
of drainage to convert them into farmland and urban
developments. But when deformed frogs—many
with missing legs or eyes, footless stumps, or misshapen
jaws—began to emerge from Minnesota
wetlands, alarm bells went off. What caused such
deformities? Pollution? Ultraviolet rays? Biological
agents? And could the mysterious cause also pose a
threat to humans? Judy Helgen writes with passionate
concern about vulnerable frogs and wetlands as
she navigates through a maze of inquisitive media
and a reluctant government agency. She reports on
the complexity of a growing catastrophe for frogs
and broadens the issue as she researches and meets
with scientists from around the world. She affirms
the importance of examining aquatic life to understand
pollution and the need to rescue our remaining
wetlands. She also shares the fears expressed by the
teachers, students, and other citizens who found
these creatures, sensed a problem, and looked to
her for answers. Ultimately, this is a story about the
biological beauty of wetlands and our need to pay
attention to the environment around us.
Practical Botany for Gardeners: Over 3,000
Botanical Terms Explained and Explored.
Geoff Hodge. 2013. University of Chicago Press,
Chicago, IL. 224 pp. $25.00, hardcover. ISBN
9780226093932. Gardening can be frustratingly
shrouded in secrecy. Fickle plants make seemingly
spontaneous decisions to bloom or bust, seeds sprout
magicallyin the blink of an eye, and deep-rooted
mysteries unfold underground and out of sight.
Understanding basic botany is like unlocking a
horticultural code; fortunately learning a little science
can reveal the secrets of the botanical universe
and shed some light on what’s really going on in
your garden. Practical Botany for Gardeners provides
an elegant and accessible introduction to the
world of botany. It presents the essentials that every
gardener needs to know, connecting explanations
of scientific facts with useful gardening tips. Flip
to the roots section and you’ll not only learn how
different types of roots support a plant but also find
that adding fungi to soil aids growth. The pruning
section both defines “lateral buds” and explains how
far back on a shoot to cut in order to propagate them.
The book breaks down key areas and terminology
with easy-to-navigate chapters arranged by theme,
such as plant types, plant parts, inner workings, and
external factors. “Great Botanists” and “Botany in
Action” boxes delve deeper into the fascinating
byways of plant science. This multifaceted book
also includes two hundred botanical illustrations
and basic diagrams that hearken to the classic roots
of botany. Part handbook, part reference, Practical
Botany for Gardeners is a beautifully captivating
read for garden lovers and backyard botanists who
want to grow and nurture their own plant knowledge.
Four Seasons of Flowers: A Selection of
Botanical Illustrations from the Rare Book
Collection at Dumbarton Oaks. Harvard University
Press. 2013. Harvard University Press,
Cambridge, MA. 108 pp. $24.95, softcover.
ISBN 9780884023845. Four Seasons of Flowers
is an illustrated volume that presents a selection
of the manuscripts, herbals, and printed
botanical texts from the Rare Book Collection
at Dumbarton Oaks. Representing pivotal works
in the intellectual history of Europe from the
16th to the 20th centuries, these drawings, books,
and manuscripts are among the most significant
materials conserved at Dumbarton Oaks. They
offer an illuminating overview of the history of
botany as a modern science, from its inception
to the present day. Each text is accompanied by
a remarkable set of botanical illustrations. Their
scientific accuracy and aesthetic beauty testify
to the importance of the visual image and the efficacy
of the printing press as an instrument for
the furtherance of knowledge in the sciences and
technology—from anatomy to zoology and from
astronomy to botany. Botanical illustrations
constitute an indispensable source of information
for historians of not only botanical sciences
but also garden and landscape architecture, thus
shedding light on the study of plants in different
periods, as well as on the evolution of the visual
arts in areas where the representation of the plant
world played a central role.
Running Silver: Restoring Atlantic Rivers and
Their Great Fish Migrations. John Waldman.
2013. Lyons Press, Guilford, CT. 304 pp. $26.95,
hardcover. ISBN 9780762780594. That one could
“walk drishod on the backs” of schools of salmon,
shad, and other fishes moving up Atlantic coast rivers
was a not uncommon kind of description of their
migratory runs during early Colonial times. Accounts
tell of awe-inspiring numbers of spawners pushing
their way upriver, the waters “running silver”, to
complete life cycles that once replenished critical
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marine fisheries along the Eastern Seaboard. This
book is a hugely important, fascinating, and unique
look at the fish of North America whose history and
life-cycles and conservation challenges are poorly
understood. Despite these primordial abundances,
over the centuries these stocks were so stressed
that virtually all are now severely depressed, with
many biologically or commercially extinct and some
simply forgotten. Running Silver will tell the story
of the past, present, and future of these sea-river
fish. This book will elevate public consciousness
of the contrasts between the historical and the present
to show the enormous legacy that has already
been lost and to help inspire efforts to save what
remains. Drawing on the author’s thirty-year career
as a scientist and educator with a passion for the
native river fish of the North East, Running Silver
tells the story of these endangered fish with a mix
of research, historical accounts, anecdotes, personal
experience, interviews, and images.
Bald Eagle Nest: A Story of Survival in Photos.
Kate Davis. 2013. Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg,
PA. 112 pp. $16.95, softcover. ISBN
9780811711302. This unique book follows one Bald
Eagle nest over a nesting season in which a pair of
eagles managed to raise all four of their chicks to
adulthood—a very rare feat. One hundred beautiful
photos show feeding behavior, hunting, mating
flight, the behavior of chicks in the nest, brooding
and grooming, and learning to fly. Enjoy a close-up
look at the lives of these once-endangered birds.
Mushroom Cookbook: Recipes for White and
Exotic Varieties. Mimi Brodeur. 2005. Stackpole
Books, Mechanicsburg, PA. 128 pp. $19.95,
hardcover. ISBN 9780811732741. This cookbook
contains more than 60 great recipes with mushrooms
as the main ingredient. Information on history,
varieties, and nutritional value is included along
with recipes for appetizers, soups, sandwiches, side
dishes, and entrees and instructions on how to select,
clean, store, and prepare mushrooms.
Wildlife Damage Management: Prevention,
Problem Solving, and Conflict Resolution. Russell
F. Reidinger, Jr. and James E. Miller. 2013. Johns
Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD. 256 pp.
$85.00, hardcover. ISBN 9781421409443. Whether
you are a student in a wildlife degree program or
a professional wildlife biologist, you will find all
the up-to-date information on wildlife damage in
the pages of this clear, comprehensive text. Wildlife
Damage Management covers every imaginable
topic. Authors Russell F. Reidinger, Jr., and James
E. Miller explain the evolution of wildlife damage
management, differentiate facts from myths, and
detail the principles and techniques a professional
biologist needs to know. The book discusses native
as well as exotic invasive species, zoonotic diseases,
hazards to endangered or threatened fauna and
flora, and damage to crops, livestock, and property.
Reidinger and Miller argue that, in recent years,
the rate of undesirable human-wildlife interactions
has risen in many areas, owing in part to the expansion
of residences into places formerly wild or
agricultural, making wildlife damage management
even more relevant. From suburban deer eating
gardens and shrubs, to mountain lions threatening
pets and people, to accidentally introduced species
outcompeting native species, Reidinger and Miller
show how proper management can reduce wildlife
damage to an acceptable, cost-effective level. An
extensive section on available resources, a glossary
that explains terms and concepts, and detailed figures
will aid both students and seasoned professionals.
Instructors will find this text arranged perfectly for a
semester-long course. The end-of-chapter questions
will allow students to ponder the ways wildlife damage
management concepts can be put into practice.
For those already working in the field—biologists
and managers with federal, state, or international
agencies—Wildlife Damage Management will serve
as an ideal reference book. Destined to set the tone
of wildlife damage conversations for the next decade
and beyond, this book belongs on the shelf of all
wildlife professionals.
The Story of N: A Social History of the Nitrogen
Cycle and the Challenge of Sustainability. Hugh
S. Gorman. 2013. Rutgers University Press, New
Brunswick, NJ. 260 pp. $49.95, hardcover. ISBN
9780813554389. In The Story of N, Hugh S. Gorman
analyzes the notion of sustainability from a fresh
perspective—the integration of human activities
with the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen—and
provides a supportive alternative to studying sustainability
through the lens of climate change and the
cycling of carbon. It is the first book to examine the
social processes by which industrial societies learned
to bypass a fundamental ecological limit and, later,
began addressing the resulting concerns by establishing
limits of their own. The book is organized
into three parts. Part I, “The Knowledge of Nature”,
explores the emergence of the nitrogen cycle before
humans arrived on the scene and the changes that
occurred as stationary agricultural societies took
root. Part II, “Learning to Bypass an Ecological
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The Northeastern Naturalist welcomes submissions of review copies of books that publishers or authors
would like to recommend to the journal’s readership and are relevant to the journal’s mission of
publishing information about the natural history of the northeastern US. Accompanying short, descriptive
summaries of the text are also welcome.
Limit”, examines the role of science and market
capitalism in accelerating the pace of innovation,
eventually allowing humans to bypass the activity
of nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Part III, “Learning
to Establish Human-Defined Limits”, covers the
twentieth-century response to the nitrogen-related
concerns that emerged as more nitrogenous compounds
flowed into the environment. A concluding
chapter, “The Challenge of Sustainability”, places
the entire story in the context of constructing an
ecological economy in which innovations that
contribute to sustainable practices are rewarded.
Marine Community Ecology and Conservation.
Mark D. Bertness, John F. Bruno, Vrian
Silliman, and John J. Stachowicz. 2014. Sinauer
Associates, Sunderland, MA. 566 pp. $93.46,
hardcover. ISBN 9781605352282. Marine
Community Ecology and Conservation was
written to give advanced undergraduate and
graduate students a current overview of what
is known about the structure, organization, and
conservation of organism assemblages that live
in the ocean. It largely focuses on advancements
over the past decade since the publication of
Marine Community Ecology in 2001. Each
chapter is written by leading researchers to give
students an up-to-date look at these communities,
and what remains to be learned about them.
The book is organized into three parts. Part 1
explores general processes that generate pattern
in benthic communities. These introductory
chapters examine how physical and biological
forces interacting with historical and genetic
constraints operate to structure marine communities.
Part 2 examines the ecology of specific
marine benthic community types, from rocky
shores and coral reefs to deep-sea hydrothermal
vents and open-ocean plankton communities.
These chapters are intended to be the most current
summaries available of our understanding
of these communities. Part 3 examines conservation
and management issues of marine communities.
The closing chapters emphasize how
pervasively and profoundly marine communities
are impacted by humans and outlines how
we can use our understanding of these systems
to manage and preserve the valuable services
and resources they provide. Marine Community
Ecology and Conservation is extensively referenced
and includes a bibliography of over 5000
citations. It is suitable as a text for advanced
marine ecology courses and seminars, as well as
a general reference for students and researchers.
Evolution, 3rd Edition. Douglas J. Futuyma.
2013. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, MA. 656
pp. $126.95, hardcover. ISBN 9781605351155.
Published in March 2013, this new edition is
a comprehensive treatment of contemporary
evolutionary biology that is directed toward
an undergraduate audience. It addresses major
themes—including the history of evolution,
evolutionary processes, adaptation, and evolution
as an explanatory framework—at levels of
biological organization ranging from genomes
to ecological communities. Throughout, the text
emphasizes the interplay between theory and
empirical tests of hypotheses, thus acquainting
students with the process of science. Teachers
and students will find the list of important concepts
and terms in each chapter a helpful guide,
and will appreciate the dynamic figures and
lively photographs. The content of all chapters
has been updated.
Identification of Medicinal Plants: A Handbook
of the Morphology of Botanicals in Commerce.
Wendy Applequist. 2006. Missouri Botanical Garden
Press, St. Louis, MO. 209 pp. $59.99, hardcover.
ISBN 9780965555517. This work describes morphological
characteristics used to identify species of
botanicals, specifically those that can be observed
with a hand lens or dissecting microscope. The first
portion of the work provides a review of basic plant
structure, practical advice on identification, and an
introduction to botanical nomenclature. The second
portion of the work provides information on individual
species, organized alphabetically.