The Everglades Handbook: Understanding the Ecosystem, Second Edition [Paperback]

Thomas E. Lodge (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1566706149 | ISBN-13: 978-1566706148 | Publication Date: July 26, 2004 | Edition: 2

The second edition of a bestseller, The Everglades Handbook: Understanding the Ecosystem continues to provide a wealth of information on the entire ecosystem of the Everglades. Offering the essentials of what the ecosystem is and how it works, the Handbook benefits those addressing issues such as Everglades restoration, water management, wildlife management, and water quality problems in urban and agricultural planning.

With an emphasis on natural history, the text is unified around themes of biogeography and ecosystem functions of the plant and animal communities. It presents current and historical geology, discussions of human impacts, ecosystem degradation, and planned restoration, and covers the socioeconomic aspects of the Everglades ecosystem.

What’s new in the Second Edition:

• Additional chapter on Big Cypress Swamp
• New section on Lake Okeechobee and its headwaters
• A new synthesis chapter which diagrams ecological succession and food webs

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Thomas E. Lodge, Ph.D., is a self-employed ecologist. He has led numerous environmental projects directly relating to the Everglades, including the development of methodology for evaluating the ecological function of historic Everglades wetlands. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Tropical Audubon Society and was an appointed member of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Multi-Species Ecosystem Restoration Team, which assists in Everglades restoration strategies dealing with listed species. He has also been an invited faculty, teaching South Florida ecology at Florida International University, where the first and second editions of The Everglades Handbook have been used regularly as a course text since 1994.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Dr. Lodge has a B.A. with a major and departmental honors in zoology from Ohio Wesleyan University (1966) and a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Miami in Florida (1974). In graduate school, Dr. Lodge became fascinated with the Everglades, both academically and personally. In addition to publishing magazine articles on the Everglades, he wrote and directed an educational film (The Everglades Region, An Ecological Study, John Wiley and Sons, 1973), and published on the fishes of the region. After receiving his Ph.D., he became an environmental consultant, specializing in wetlands and aquatic ecosystems. From 1996 to 1998, he was director of the Kampong, a botanical garden and former home of Dr. David Fairchild.  His personal interest in the region has outweighed his professional activities. For over 35 years he has been a regular observer and photographer of Everglades wildlife.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: CRC Press; 2 edition (July 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566706149
• ISBN-13: 978-1566706148
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #525,451 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #95 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Natural Resources > Fisheries & Aquaculture

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Guide to Understanding the Everglades, May 15, 2005

By 

P. Gertenbach (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Everglades handbook: Understanding the ecosystem

As an environmental consultant, I found the first edition of The Everglades Handbook to be very useful, and the second edition even better! There are new chapters and very important new information, such as the new chapters on the Big Cypress Swamp, Lake Okeechobee, and "Synthesis" with its diagrams of succession and food chains, and the updated final chapter with details of human history in South Florida. I especially looked forward to the updated information on the Everglades restoration - it was excellent. The new edition is well worth the price (I heard that CRC Press reduced the price by 10%!). I can't recommend this book more highly for those people wanting to become familiar with how the Everglades works as an ecosystem.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A welcome, professional addition to college library and environmental studies shelves, July 12, 2010

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Everglades Handbook: Understanding the Ecosystem, Third Edition (Hardcover)

Now in an updated third edition, The Everglades Handbook: Understanding the Ecosystem is an exhaustive, scholarly reference packed cover to cover with scientific information about the ecosystem of the Everglades - taking into account how drastically the Everglades has changed, and how it can be restored and safeguarded to promote sustainable use. Full-color photography illustrates the extensively researched text. The new third edition includes information about agriculture in historic Everglades lands, the latest information about and difficulties with the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, and a brand new chapter titled "Peripheral Ecosystems of the Everglades". A welcome, professional addition to college library and environmental studies shelves.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential resource, May 29, 2010

By 

Paul Martin "Pmartin" (los angeles, ca United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Everglades Handbook: Understanding the Ecosystem, Third Edition (Hardcover)

Having enjoyed the prior edition of this book, I was delighted to receive the Third Edition which is even better with marvellous photos and graphics. This is essential reading for anybody trying to understand the challenges we face in restoring this unique ecosystem. The text is well writtten and reflects the author's scientific studies as well as his passion for the River of Grass.It is also an excellent source of information about the fauna and flora of the Everglades. it is delightful to browse through prior to a trip to Florida.