CRC Press Wildlife Toxicology: Emerging Contaminant and Biodiversity Issues

Updating the extremely successful Wildlife Toxicology and Population Modeling (CRC Press, 1994), Wildlife Toxicology: Emerging Contaminant and Biodiversity Issues brings together a distinguished group of international contributors, who provide a global assessment of a range of environmental stressors, including pesticides, environmental contaminants, and other emerging chemical threats, and their impact on wildlife populations. Addresses Emerging Wildlife Threats in One Concise VolumeA decade ago, many of these threats existed but were either unrecognized or considered minor issues, and all have now snowballed into major challenges for the conservation of wildlife populations. This is the first book to address these dangers in a single volume and recommend proven mitigation techniques to protect and sustain Earth’s wildlife populations.Examines Species Range Shifts, Ocean Acidification, Coral Bleaching, & Impacts of Heightened UV InfluxThis comprehensive reference identifies and documents examples of chemical stressor exposures and responses among ecosystem receptors worldwide. Chapters discuss emerging diseases and the expansion of pesticide/contaminant use, as well as agricultural trends and biofuels, and the widespread use of munitions and explosives from military and industrial-related activities. With the aid of several solid case studies, the book also addresses atmospheric contaminants and climate change, population modeling, and emerging transnational issues in ecotoxicology. Wildlife Toxicology: Emerging Contaminant and Biodiversity Issues stimulates dialogue among the academic and research communities and environmental public policy decision makers. The book challenges these groups to think more globally about environmental contaminants and their potential impacts on biodiversity and environmental degradation. Review This work uses selected examples to highlight the complicated yet pertinent interactions between environmental contaminants and real-world global challenges. ... The chapter 'Global Perspectives on Wildlife Toxicology' is particularly impressive as it provides a snapshot of key issues, organized by geographical regions. The book will be of particular use to advanced readers who have a sound basis in environmental toxicology and seek to expand their knowledge into a broader, global framework. The key concepts covered in the book are essential in advancing an understanding of environmental quality and sustainability on an ever-changing planet. Summing Up: Highly recommended. --CHOICE, January 2011Each of the chapters is a reasonable review of the topic at hand. I very much enjoyed the chapter on biodiversity and ecosystem function by Lacher and coauthors, which presents four interesting case studies of how contaminants have had effects at the population and ecosystem levels. From veterinary pharmaceuticals reducing ungulate-carrion-eating vultures in India to diclophenac and amphibian declines, from genetic and evolutionary changes in wildlife in Azerbaijan to agriculture and birds, these four case studies provide insight into events in parts of the world unfamiliar to many of us, places with less regulation of pesticides and toxic substances than we have here. Similarly, interesting insight is provided by the chapter on global perspectives, which presents information about contaminant threats to wildlife in different geographical regions, each region being covered by a different set of authors for a total of seventeen. It is frightening to learn about the excessive use of pesticides in developing countries that lack evironmental regulation.--Judith S. Weis, Rutgers University, New Jersey, in BioScience, February 2011 About the Author Ronald J. Kendall, Ph.D., is the director of The Institute of Environmental and Human Health (TIEHH). He is also chair of the Department of Environmental Toxicology at Texas Tech University in Lubbock and former president of SETAC.