2013 Noteworthy Books 451
Invasive Plant Ecology. Shibu Jose, Harminder
Pal Singh, Daizy Rani Batish, and Ravinder
Kumar Kohli (Eds.). 2013. CRC Press, Boca
Raton, FL. 302 pp. $99.95, hardcover. ISBN
9781439881262. Invasion of non-native plant
species, which has a significant impact on the
earth’s ecosystems, has greatly increased in recent
years due to expanding trade and transport
among different countries. Understanding the
ecological principles underlying the invasive
process as well as the characteristics of the invasive
plants is crucial for making good management
decisions to address this problem. Invasive
Plant Ecology includes chapters derived from
presentations at conferences such as the World
Congress of the International Union of Forestry
Research Organizations (IUFRO), as well as
contributions from invited renowned authors.
The chapters include both original research
and syntheses of current knowledge on specific
topics. Actions essential for coordinated
approaches to curtail plant invasion include
increasing awareness of the ecological impacts
of alien plants and employing novel control
strategies. This book provides a foundation
in invasion ecology by examining ecological
theories and case studies that explain plant invasions,
their impacts, management strategies, and
the ecological economics. The chapters describe
ecological characteristics, mutualistic associations,
microbial communities, and disturbance
regimes that affect the spread of invasive
plants. The book also covers spatial analysis
and predictive modeling of invasive plants. The
final chapters offer guidelines for ecological
management and restoration of invaded areas
and describe the economics of the invasive plant
issue. This collection contains case studies from
around the world, giving readers a real view of
the extent of the invasive species issue along
with real-world strategies. With its focus on the
ecological aspects of plant invasion, this book
provides an important reference for students,
scientists, professionals, and policy makers who
are involved in the study and management of
alien invasive plants and ecosystems.
Essay on the Geography of Plants. Alexander
von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland. 2010.
University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL. 296
pp. $45.00, hardcover. ISBN 9780226360669.
The legacy of Alexander von Humboldt (1769–
451
1859) looms large over the natural sciences. His
1799–1804 research expedition to Central and
South America with botanist Aimé Bonpland set
the course for the great scientific surveys of the
nineteenth century and inspired such essayists
and artists as Emerson, Goethe, Thoreau, Poe,
and Church. The chronicles of the expedition
were published in Paris after Humboldt’s return,
and first among them was the 1807 “Essay on
the Geography of Plants.” Among the most cited
writings in natural history, after those of Darwin
and Wallace, this work appears here for the first
time in a complete English-language translation.
Covering far more than its title implies, it
represents the first articulation of an integrative
“science of the earth, ” encompassing most
of today’s environmental sciences. Ecologist
Stephen T. Jackson introduces the treatise and
explains its enduring significance two centuries
after its publication. This edition also includes
a poster-sized color reproduction of the Mt.
Chimborazo tableau, an icon in the history of
science and scientific graphics.
The Nine-Banded Armadillo: A Natural
History. W.J. Loughry and Colleen M. Mc-
Donough. 2013. University of Oklahoma Press,
Norman, OK. 320 pp. $39.95, hardcover. ISBN
9780806143101. The word armadillo is Spanish
for “little armored one”. This midsize mammal
that looks like a walking tank is a source of
fascination for many people but a mystery to
almost all. Dating back at least eleven million
years, the nocturnal, burrowing insectivore was
for centuries mistaken for a cross between a
hedgehog and a turtle, but it actually belongs
to the mammalian superorder Xenarthra that
includes sloths and anteaters. Biologists W.
J. Loughry and Colleen M. McDonough have
studied the Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus
novemcinctus) for more than twenty years.
Their richly illustrated book offers the first
comprehensive review of everything scientists
know about this unique animal. Engaging both
scientists and a broader public, Loughry and
McDonough describe the armadillo’s anatomy
and physiology and all aspects of its ecology,
behavior, and evolution. They also compare
the Nine-banded Armadillo with twenty or so
other, related species. The authors pay special
attention to three key features of armadillo
biology—reproduction, disease, and habitat
Noteworthy Books
Received by the Southeastern Naturalist, Issue 12/2, 2013
452 Southeastern Naturalist Vol. 12, No. 2
expansion—and why they matter. Armadillos
reproduce in a unique and puzzling manner: females
always give birth to litters of genetically
identical quadruplets, a strategy not found in
any other vertebrates. Nine-banded Armadillos
are also the only vertebrates except for humans
known to contract leprosy naturally. And what
about habitat expansion? The authors suggest
that the armadillo’s remarkable spread across
the southeastern United States may be the consequence
of its most notable feature: a tough,
protective carapace. Biologists, evolutionists,
students, and all those interested in this curious
creature will find The Nine-Ganded Armadillo
rich in information and insight. This comprehensive
analysis will stand as the definitive scientific
reference for years to come and a source
of pleasure for the general public.
Hiking and Traveling the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Leonard M. Adkins. 2013. University of
North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC. 408
pp. $18.00, softcover. ISBN 9781469608198.
This comprehensive guidebook provides a
detailed description of every official trail along
the Blue Ridge Parkway. But that's just the
beginning: veteran hiker Leonard M. Adkins
includes information on every trail that touches
the Parkway, including the Appalachian Trail,
the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, and other public
pathways on national park, state park, national
forest, municipal, and private lands. You’ll
find GPS coordinates for official Parkway
trailheads, along with fifty maps and many
photographs of what you’ll see along the way.
Adkins notes each trail’s length, difficulty,
points of interest, handicap accessibility, and
natural features. Far more than a guide to the
trails, this book also tells you what to expect at
overlooks, as well as where to dine, sleep, and
find a restroom, and suggests worthwhile side
trips. Elevation change charts for bicyclists,
minimum tunnel heights for RVs, camping
recommendations, roadside bloom calendars,
sightseeing information for nearby towns, and
other advice make this the perfect companion
for your next Parkway adventure.
Florida Wildflowers: A Comprehensive
Guide. Walter Kingsley Taylor. 2013. University
Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL. 584 pp.
$29.95, softcover. ISBN 9780813044255. Walter
Kingsley Taylor’s Florida Wildflowers in
their Natural Communities was wildly praised
for its beauty, ease of use, and unique organizational
structure; plants were described in the
context of where they grow, making identification
much simpler—and more rewarding—for
the casual hiker or wildflower enthusiast. Vastly
expanded and updated with new taxonomy, this
edition provides detailed information on more
than 450 species and nearly doubles the number
of species included by expanding coverage into
wetlands.
Landscaping with Conifers and Ginkgo for
the Southeast. Tom Cox and John M. Ruter.
2013. University Press of Florida, Gainesville,
FL. 296 pp. $29.95, softcover. ISBN
9780813042480. Conifers are among the most
beautiful and versatile of all landscape plants,
offering year-round variety of color, form,
and texture. They remain underutilized in the
South, in part because of the common misconception
that they are not adaptable to the
climate. Laying such claims to rest, this book
introduces readers to conifers that grow successfully
in southern landscapes. Gardeners in
the South traditionally have relied on masses
of spectacular spring blooms as the mainstay
of their landscapes. However, with the addition
of conifers or cultivars of the genus Ginkgo,
homeowners can enjoy twelve months of low
maintenance color. Tom Cox and John Ruter
present a variety of conifers that grow from Virginia
to Florida to Texas. They provide tips on
growing, pruning, preventing disease and pest
problems, and proper selection and cultivation
requirements—all unique to the Southeast. In
short, this guide includes essential information
about what to buy, where to plant it, and how
to maintain it. It also offers advice on what
to expect from mature conifers and ginkgo
while suggesting genera and species that have
proved adaptable and cultivars that have performed
well in the southeastern United States.
Landscaping with Conifers and Ginkgo for the
Southeast is a compilation of years of research
and horticulture experience that will aid anyone,
whether novice or professional, in creating
beautiful year-round landscapes.
Corals of Florida and the Caribbean. George
F. Warner. 2012. University of Florida Press,
Boca Raton, FL. 232 pp. $24.95, softcover.
ISBN 9780813041650. Presenting a stunning
array of beauty and biodiversity, the coral reefs
of Florida and the Caribbean are part play2013
Noteworthy Books 453
ground, part research lab for the thousands of
tourists, divers, and marine scientists who visit
them every year. Documenting the wide array
of corals at home in the warm waters of the
Caribbean, George Warner’s Corals of Florida
and the Caribbean provides an easy-to-use (and
carry) guidebook that is both scientifically accurate
and reader friendly. Warner provides an
exhaustive identification guide that will enrich
any novice’s vacation dive or an expert’s return
to the reefs. Written for the amateur naturalist,
this handbook will travel well throughout the
Caribbean, from Florida south to Belize, east
to Tobago, and all points in between. Beyond
documenting the wide variety of corals found
in the Caribbean, Warner also outlines their
biology, from the way they grow to their reproductive
habits, while examining major threats
to the reefs including hurricanes, pollution, and
global warming. With over 150 color photos,
most taken by the author himself, as well as
detailed descriptions, Corals of Florida and
the Caribbean makes identifying and learning
about corals hassle free—on the boat, at home,
or in the classroom.
The World of the Salt Marsh: Appreciating
and Protecting the Tidal Marshes of
the Southeastern Atlantic Coast. Charles
Seabrook. 2013. University of Georgia Press,
Athens, GA. 384 pp. $19.95, softcover. ISBN
9780820345338. The World of the Salt Marsh
is a wide-ranging exploration of the southeastern
coast—its natural history, its people and
their way of life, and the historic and ongoing
threats to its ecological survival. Focusing on
areas from Cape Hatteras, NC, to Cape Canaveral,
FL, Charles Seabrook examines the
ecological importance of the salt marsh, calling
it “a biological factory without equal”. Twicedaily
tides carry in a supply of nutrients that
nourish vast meadows of Spartina (Spartina
alterniflora)—a crucial habitat for creatures
ranging from tiny marine invertebrates to wading
birds. The meadows provide vital nurseries
for 80 percent of the seafood species, including
oysters, crabs, shrimp, and a variety of finfish,
and they are invaluable for storm protection,
erosion prevention, and pollution filtration.
Seabrook is also concerned with the plight
of the people who make their living from the
coast’s bounty and who carry on its unique
culture. Among them are Charlie Phillips, a
fishmonger whose livelihood is threatened by
development in McIntosh County, GA, and
Vera Manigault of Mount Pleasant, SC, a basket
maker of Gullah-Geechee descent, who says
that the sweetgrass needed to make her culturally
significant wares is becoming scarcer. For
all of the biodiversity and cultural history of
the salt marshes, many still view them as vast
wastelands to be drained, diked, or “improved”
for development into highways and subdivisions.
If people can better understand and appreciate
these ecosystems, Seabrook contends,
they are more likely to join the growing chorus
of scientists, conservationists, fishermen, and
coastal visitors and residents calling for protection
of these truly amazing places.
Cougar Ecology and Conservation. Maurice
Hornocker and Sharon Negri (Eds.). 2009. University
of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL. 304 pp.
$49.00, hardcover. ISBN 9780226353449. The
Cougar is one of the most beautiful, enigmatic,
and majestic animals in the Americas. Eliciting
reverence for its grace and independent nature,
it also triggers fear when it comes into contact
with people, pets, and livestock or competes
for hunters’ game. Mystery, myth, and misunderstanding
surround this remarkable creature.
The Cougar’s range once extended from northern
Canada to the tip of South America, and
from the Pacific to the Atlantic, making it the
most widespread animal in the western hemisphere.
But overhunting and loss of habitat
vastly reduced Cougar numbers by the early
twentieth century across much of its historical
range, and today the Cougar faces numerous
threats as burgeoning human development
encroaches on its remaining habitat. When
Maurice Hornocker began the first long-term
study of cougars in the Idaho wilderness in
1964, little was known about this large cat.
Its secretive nature and rarity in the landscape
made it difficult to study. But his groundbreaking
research yielded major insights and was the
prelude to further research on this controversial
species. The capstone to Hornocker’s long
career studying big cats, Cougar is a powerful
and practical resource for scientists, conservationists,
and anyone with an interest in large
carnivores. He and conservationist Sharon
Negri bring together the diverse perspectives of
twenty-two distinguished scientists to provide
the fullest account of the Cougar’s ecology,
behavior, and genetics, its role as a top predator,
and its conservation needs. This compilation
of recent findings, stunning photographs, and
firsthand accounts of field research unravels
454 Southeastern Naturalist Vol. 12, No. 2
conservation action that has led to notable successes,
including the recovery of some of the
nation’s most emblematic species, such as the
Bald Eagle, Brown Pelican, Whooping Crane,
and Peregrine Falcon. Despite this, a third of all
American bird species are in trouble—in many
cases, they’re in imminent danger of extinction.
The most authoritative account ever published
of the threats these species face, The American
Bird Conservancy Guide to Bird Conservation
will be the definitive book on the subject. The
Guide presents for the first time anywhere a
classification system and threat analysis for bird
habitats in the United States, the most thorough
and scientifically credible assessment of threats
to birds published to date, as well as a new list
of birds of conservation concern. Filled with
beautiful color illustrations and original range
maps, the Guide is a timely, important, and
inspiring reference for birders and anyone else
interested in conserving North America’s avian
fauna. But this book is far more than another
shout of crisis. The Guide also lays out a concrete
and achievable plan of long-term action
to safeguard our country’s rich bird life. Ultimately,
it is an argument for hope. Whether you
spend your early weekend mornings crouched
in silence with binoculars in hand, hoping to
check another species off your list, or you’ve
never given much thought to bird conservation,
you’ll appreciate the visual power and intellectual
scope of these pages.
Deerland: America’s Hunt for Ecological
Balance and the Essence of Wildness. Al Cambronne.
2013. Lyons Press, Gilford, CT. 272
pp. $18.95 softcover. ISBN 9780762780273.
Behind the unassuming grace and majesty of
America’s White-tailed Deer is the laundry list
of human health, social, and ecological problems
they cause. They destroy farm crops and
vegetable gardens, devour suburban landscaping,
ravage entire ecosystems, endanger motorists,
and spread Lyme disease all across the
United States. In Deerland, Al Cambronne ventures
afield with botanists, ecologists, frustrated
farmers and foresters, overworked body-shop
owners, camo-clad hunters, and humble deer
enthusiasts. Along the way, he gives readers an
insider’s tour of America’s deer-industrial complex—
and makes a convincing case that yes,
there really is such a thing. Cambronne examines
our history with White-taileds, pinpoints
where our ecological problems began, and
asks tough questions about what it will take to
the mysteries of this magnificent animal and
emphasizes its importance in healthy ecosystem
processes and in our lives.
The Atlas of Coasts and Oceans: Ecosystems,
Threatened Resources, Marine Conservation.
Don Hinrichsen. 2011. The University of
Chicago Press, Chicago, IL. 128 pp. $22.00,
softcover. ISBN 9780226342269. Oceans drive
the world’s climate, nurture marine ecosystems
full of aquatic life, and provide shipping lanes
that have defined the global economy for centuries.
And few realize that half of the world’s
population lives in a coastal region within easy
reach of one. Yet human activities such as commercial
fishing, coastal real estate development,
and industrial pollution have taken their toll on
the seas. The first book of its kind, The Atlas of
Coasts and Oceans documents the fraught relationship
between humans and the earth’s largest
bodies of water—and outlines the conservation
steps needed to protect the marine environment
for generations to come. The Atlas offers a
fascinating and often sobering account of how
urbanization, climate change, offshore oil drilling,
shipping routes, global tourism, and maritime
conflict have had a profound impact on
the world’s oceans and coasts. Combining text
and images in visually engaging, thematically
organized map spreads, this volume addresses
the ecological, environmental, and economic
importance of marine phenomena such as coral
reefs, eroding shorelines, hurricanes, and fish
populations—and how development threatens
to destroy the ultimate source of all life on the
“blue planet”. Lavishly illustrated with global
and regional maps, from the Arabian Gulf to the
Great Barrier Reef, from the Black Sea to the
Mediterranean, and all the other major global
waterways, The Atlas of Coasts and Oceans will
be the definitive companion to any study of its
subject for years to come.
The American Bird Conservancy Guide to
Bird Conservation. Daniel J. Lebbin, Michael
J. Parr, and George H. Fenwick. 2010.
University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL. 456
pp. $45.00, hardcover. ISBN 9780226647272.
Whether we live in cities, in the suburbs, or
in the country, birds are ubiquitous features of
daily life, so much so that we often take them
for granted. But even the casual observer is
aware that birds don’t fill our skies in the number
they once did. That awareness has spawned
2013 Noteworthy Books 455
Walter Tschinkel’s passion for fire ants has
been stoked by over thirty years of exploring
the rhythm and drama of Solenopsis invicta’s
biology. Since South American fire ants arrived
in Mobile, AL, in the 1940s, they have spread
to become one of the most reviled pests in the
Sunbelt. In Fire Ants, Tschinkel provides not
just an encyclopedic overview of S. invicta—
how they found colonies, construct and defend
their nests, forage and distribute food, struggle
among themselves for primacy, and even relocate
entire colonies — but a lively account
of how research is done, how science establishes
facts, and the pleasures and problems of
a scientific career. Between chapters detailed
enough for experts but readily accessible to
any educated reader, “interludes” provide vivid
verbal images of the world of fire ants and the
people who study them. Early chapters describe
the several failed, and heavily politically influenced,
eradication campaigns, and later ones
explore the remarkable spread of S. invicta’s
“polygyne” form, in which nests harbor multiple
queens and colonies reproduce by “budding”.
The reader learns much about ants, the
practice of science, and humans’ role in the fire
ant’s North American success.
Life in a Shell: A Physiologists View of a
Turtle. Donald C. Jackson. 2013. Harvard University
Press, Cambridge, MA. 192 pp. $18.95,
softcover. ISBN 9780674072305. Trundling
along in essentially the same form for some
220 million years, turtles have seen dinosaurs
come and go, mammals emerge, and humankind
expand its dominion. Is it any wonder the persistent
reptile bested the hare? In this engaging
book, physiologist Donald C. Jackson shares a
lifetime of observation of this curious creature,
allowing us a look under the shell of an animal
at once so familiar and so strange. Here we discover
how the turtle’s proverbial slowness helps
it survive a long, cold winter under ice. How
the shell not only serves as a protective home
but also influences such essential functions as
buoyancy control, breathing, and surviving
remarkably long periods without oxygen, and
how many other physiological features help
define this unique animal. Jackson offers insight
into what exactly it’s like to live inside a shell—
to carry the heavy carapace on land and in water,
to breathe without an expandable ribcage, to
have sex with all that body armor intervening.
Along the way we also learn something about
the process of scientific discovery—how the
restore the balance we’ve disrupted. With over
30 million deer in the US, a hundred times more
than just a century ago, Deerland is a timely and
insightful look at the ecological havoc being
wreaked by this innocent and adored species.
Whether you’re a hunter or a gardener, and
whether you care about the environment, the
deer in your back yard, or the shrubbery they
just ate, Deerland is an eye-opening read that
will change forever the way you think about
deer and the landscape we share with them.
Concealing Coloration in Animals. Judy
Diamond and Alan B. Bond. 2013. Harvard
University Press, Cambridge, MA. 288 pp.
$29.95, hardcover. ISBN 9780674052352. The
biological functions of coloration in animals are
sometimes surprising. Color can attract mates,
intimidate enemies, and distract predators. But
color patterns can also conceal animals from
detection. Concealing coloration is unusual
because it is an adaptation not only to the visual
features of the environment but also to the
perceptual and cognitive capabilities of other
organisms. Judy Diamond and Alan Bond bring
to light the many factors at work in the evolution
of concealing coloration. Animals that
resemble twigs, tree bark, stones, and seaweed
may appear to be perfect imitations, but no
concealment strategy is without flaws. Amid the
clutter of the natural world, predators search for
minute, telltale clues that will reveal the identity
of their prey. Predators have remarkable
abilities to learn to discriminate the fake from
the real. But prey have their own range of defensive
tactics, evolving multiple appearances
or the ability to change color at will. Drawing
on modern experimental evidence of the functional
significance of animal color strategies,
Diamond and Bond offer striking illustrations
of how the evolution of features in one organism
can be driven by the psychology of others.
Concealing Coloration in Animals takes
readers on a scientific adventure that explores
creatures inside mats of floating seaweed, mice
and lizards on desert rocks and sand, and rare
parrots in the rainforest of New Zealand. Color
photographs extensively document the mindboggling
array of deceptive strategies animals
use to blend in, mislead, or vanish from view.
The Fire Ants. Walter R. Tschinkel. 2013.
Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. 744
pp. $29.95, softcover. ISBN 9780674072404.
456 Southeastern Naturalist Vol. 12, No. 2
The Southeastern 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 southeastern US. Accompanying short, descriptive
summaries of the text are also welcome.
answer to one question leads to new questions,
how a chance observation can change the direction
of study, and above all how new research
always builds on the previous work of others.
A clear and informative exposition of physiological
concepts using the turtle as a model
organism, this book is as interesting for what it
tells us about scientific investigation as it is for
its deep and detailed understanding of how the
enduring turtle “works”.