The Wolf's Tooth: Keystone Predators, Trophic Cascades, and Biodiversity - Hardcover

Eisenberg, Cristina

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1597263974 ISBN 13: 9781597263979

Publisher: Island Press, 2010

Synopsis

Animals such as wolves, sea otters, and sharks exert a disproportionate influence on their environment; dramatic ecological consequences can result when they are removed from—or returned to—an ecosystem.
 
In The Wolf's Tooth, scientist and author Cristina Eisenberg explores the concept of "trophic cascades" and the role of top predators in regulating ecosystems. Her fascinating and wide-ranging work provides clear explanations of the science surrounding keystone predators and considers how this notion can help provide practical solutions for restoring ecosystem health and functioning.
 
Eisenberg examines both general concepts and specific issues, sharing accounts from her own fieldwork to illustrate and bring to life the ideas she presents. She considers how resource managers can use knowledge about trophic cascades to guide recovery efforts, including how this science can be applied to move forward the bold vision of rewilding the North American continent. In the end, the author provides her own recommendations for local and landscape-scale applications of what has been learned about interactive food webs.
 
At their most fundamental level, trophic cascades are powerful stories about ecosystem processes—of predators and their prey, of what it takes to survive in a landscape, of the flow of nutrients. The Wolf's Tooth is the first book to focus on the vital connection between trophic cascades and restoring biodiversity and habitats, and to do so in a way that is accessible to a diverse readership.

About this title

About the Author

Ecologist Cristina Eisenberg studies wolves, bison, and fire in Rocky Mountain ecosystems and works to empower native people to use Traditional Ecological Knowledge to restore nature and create a resilient, sustainable Earth. She is the former chief scientist at Earthwatch Institute where she developed strategic initiatives to explore key environmental sustainability issues and establish partnerships with principal investigators. She is a Smithsonian Research Associate, a Boone and Crockett Club professional member, and the nonfiction editor of the literary journal Whitefish Review. She serves on the board of directors for the Society of Ecological Restoration, the board of trustees at Prescott College, and the editorial board of Oregon State University Press. She holds a PhD in forestry and wildlife from Oregon State University. Her books for Island Press include The Carnivore Way: Coexisting with and Conserving America's Predators and The Wolf's Tooth: Keystone Predators, Trophic Cascades, and Biodiversity. She lives with her family in a remote, wild corner of northwest Montana.

Reviews

What do wolves have to do with the viability of trees? Or sea otters with kelp? Conservation biologist Eisenberg explains the far-reaching impact of such keystone species on their habitats in her debut book, which is rooted in the seminal work of Aldo Leopold, who traced the energy flow of the food chain, and the much debated “green world hypothesis,” which states that the world is green because predators keep herbivores in check. Eisenberg shares eye-opening revelations regarding the full scope and astonishing subtleties of predator/prey relationships and their immense ecological impact. Drawing on her own fieldwork with wolves, she observes that when they are eradicated, entire biotic communities are jeopardized, including aspen stands, in a process known as a trophic cascade. This waterfall or domino effect gravely diminishes terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Eisenberg cites vivid examples in Yellowstone, the Aleutian Islands, Amazon rain forests, and coral reefs that affirm the core truth about nature: it's all about relationships. An enlightening work that will advance understanding of biodiversity and how to sustain it. --Donna Seaman

Edition details

• Publisher: Island Press
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1597263974
• ISBN 13: 9781597263979
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272