Extinction Rates [Paperback]

John H. Lawton (Editor), Robert M. May (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 9, 1995

As the need increases for sound estimates of impending rates of animal and plant species extinction, scientists must have a firm grounding in the qualitative and quantitative methods required to make the best possible predictions. Extinction Rates offers the most wide-ranging and practical introduction to those methods available. With contributions from an international cast of leading experts, the book combines cutting-edge information on recent and past extinction rates with treatments of underlying ecological and evolutionary causes. Throughout, it highlights apparent differences in extinction rates among taxonomic groups and places, aiming to identify unresolved issues and important questions. Written with advanced undergraduate and graduate students in mind, Extinction Rates will also prove invaluable to researchers in ecology, conservation biology, and the earth and environmental sciences.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This timely work derives from a 1993 conference that focused on the estimation of extinction rates. The papers are data-driven contributions that focus on all aspects of ongoing extinction rates without ignoring the fossil record. . . .Excellent chapters on how to assess extinction rates, the role of pollinator and disperser failure in plant extinctions, and extinction-rate estimation from molecular phylogenies add much-needed methodological background to the outer chapters. In general, the book is oriented towards a conservation-conscious audience, and it does its job well." --Choice

About the Author

John H. Lawton is at Imperial College. Robert M. May is at Oxford University and Imperial College.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (February 9, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 019854829X
• ISBN-13: 978-0198548294
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,831,180 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)