Book Reviews 2008 313 313 Book Reviews of the Northeastern Naturalist, Issue 15/2, 2008 British Weather and the Climate of Enlightenment. Jan Golinski. 2007. University of Chicago Press, Chicago IL. 272 pp. $35, hardcover. ISBN 0226302059. A quirky academic work examining the interplay of the systematic study of weather and the European intellectual movement known as the Enlightenment. Looks at how weather often runs counter to Enlightenment ideals regarding the role of humans in nature, and how this can lead to more modern ecological concepts. A cultural history as well as history of science. Interesting. S.O’M. Useless Arithmetic: Why Environmental Scientists Can’t Predict the Future. Orrin H. Pilkey and Linda Pilkey-Jarvis. 2007. Columbia University Press, New York. 230 pp. $29.95, hardcover. ISBN 9780231132121. The reliance by scientists and policy makers upon mathematical models to predict environmental change can have far-reaching negative consequences, according to these authors. Drawing upon examples from fisheries management, nuclear waste storage, openpit mining, rising sea levels, and invasive plants, they show how the use of flawed mathematical models has acted as a crutch for policy makers, and a propaganda tool for corporate interests. All too often, scientists have arrived at false conclusions due to relying too heavily upon computer simulation and modeling. While these are and will remain important tools, the authors advocate for a more qualitative and flexible approach to environmental policy making. Written for a non-mathematical audience, this is an important and accessible read for the general public, policy makers, and scientists. S.E. Golden Wings and Hairy Toes: Encounters with New England’s Most Imperiled Wildlife. Todd McLeish. 2007. University Press of New England, Lebanon, NH. 242 pp. $26, hardcover. ISBN 9781584656265. An important and readable text for any field naturalist in the northeast region. Wonderful mix of science and first-person anecdotes that really grabs the readers attention about the nuts and bolts of day-to-day work in the field by professionals working in endangered species conservation. Each chapter contains descriptions of encounters with 14 of New England’s rarest species (mammals, birds, insects, plants, and fish) and examines the approach used in their conservation through accounts of the author’s field experience with the experts. Species featured in the book include: North Atlantic Right Whale, Ringed Boghunter, Bicknell’s Thrush, Northern Red-bellied Cooter, Sandplain Gerardia, Indiana Bat, Atlantic Salmon, American Burying Beetle, Golden-winged Warbler, Karner Blue, Canada Lynx, Shortnose Sturgeon, Jesup’s Milk-vetch, and Roseate Tern. I suggest that this book would be perfect supplemental reading for a class on endangered species or conservation. G.M. The Macrolichens of New England. James W. Hinds and Patricia L. Hinds. 2007. The New York Botanical Garden Press, Bronx, NY. 586 pp. $65, hardcover, ISBN 9780893274771. A beautiful and technically accurate addition to the lichen literature of New England with hundreds of colored plates, detailed species descriptions and easy-to-use keys. Useful to the amateur who wants to know more about this intriguing group of organisms as well as to professional botanists, ecologists, and foresters alike. The title notwithstanding, broadly applicable to the Appalachian-Great Lakes region and the Canadian Maritime provinces. Each species treatment includes a high-quality color photograph, scientific and common names, description, chemistry, habitat, range, and notes. Notes include such diverse topics as special ecological requirements, pollution tolerance, rarity, and 314 Northeastern Naturalist Vol. 15, No.2 “look-alikes.” Not only an identification manual in the traditional sense, the book includes chapters on lichen morphology and reproduction, ecology, human uses, rare or declining species, and how to collect and identify macrolichens. An extensive bibliography is provided for those who wish to investigate topics in greater detail. This book is the perfect companion volume for those already acquainted with Brodo’s Lichens of North America, but who wish to benefit from a more regionally circumscribed treatment. F.O. Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region, Volume 1: The Pyrenolichens and most of the Squamulose and Macrolichens. Thomas H. Nash III, Bruce D. Ryan, Corinna Gries, and Frank Bungartz (Eds.). 2002. 532 pp. $29.95, hardcover. ISBN 0971675902. Volume 2: Most of the Microlichens, Balance of the Macrolichens, and the Lichenicolous Fungi. Thomas H. Nash III, Bruce D. Ryan, Paul Diederich, Corinna Gries, Frank Bungartz (Eds.). 2004. 742 pp. $39.95, hardcover. ISBN 0971675910. Lichens Unlimited, Tempe, AZ. These two volumes are a must for the serious lichen student. Although focused on the lichen flora of the American southwest, lichenologists east of the Mississippi would certainly benefit from owning these volumes. In particular, the first volume contains a fine detailed introduction to thallus morphology, photobionts (including a key), colors and chemistry, and collecting and curating. Beyond that, both volumes contain excellent keys to genera and species, detailed generic and species descriptions, with each treatment written by a world-wide authority. Especially helpful is additional information provided for each taxon, including basyonyms and synonyms, geographic distribution, substrate and ecology, and notes detailing features separating each taxon from closely related taxa. A real plus is the fine treatment of lichenicolous fungi provided in the second volume, especially for lichenologists who do not already have a working familiarity with this group. An extensive bibliography and list of contributors completes each work for those interested in investigating specific taxa in greater depth. Highly recommended! F.O. Tectonic Faults: Agents of Change on a Dynamic Earth. Mark A. Handy, Greg Hirth, and Niels Hovius (Eds.). 2007. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA. 446 pp. $45, hardcover. ISBN 100262083620. Consists of contributions from scientists at the 95th Dahlem Workshop on The Dynamics of Fault Zones, held in Berlin in January, 2005. Tectonic faulting is one of the more important geological processes occurring on our planet, with far ranging consequences. Various papers are presented here on the connections between tectonic faults and the processes of the earth’s atmosphere, surface, and interior. Some of the topics addressed here include imaging analyses of the earth’s interior, the structure of fault strata, and the role of fluids and melt on plate movement. These are technical papers, requiring expertise in the subject area. Of interest to professional geologists and earth systems scientists. S.E. Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Natural Resource Management. Charles R. Menzies (Ed.). 2006. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE. 273 pp. $19.95, softcover. ISBN 139780803232464. Traditional ecological knowledge continues to be valued and taught in Native American communities, particularly on the northwest coast of North America. This text consists of contributions from a number of social scientists and ecologists that give examples of how indigenous people manage their local resources. Different subsistence resources such as tidal pulse fishing, seaweed, pine mushrooms, and salmon are examined. Local management strategies are placed in the larger context of US Book Reviews 2008 315 and Canadian government management policy. Ultimately, the hope is that this collection will show how traditional ecological knowledge can sustain and guide the larger community of non-indigenous people in resource management. S.E. Salmon. Peter Coates. 2006. Reaktion Books LTD, London, UK. 216 pp. $19.95, softcover. ISBN 1861892950. Salmon is one of a series of books, each focused on one animal species. Well-researched and passionate in its admiration of the salmon’s courage, fortitude, rituals, and resilience, Coates’ book fosters extreme identification with the wild fish and empathy for its farmed brethren. Wonderfully sensitive in its description of the spawning ritual that leaves the salmon so exhausted that it succumbs to death without resistance, the book fosters compassion for the fish. Consequently, we are assaulted by unethical human predator activity and cheered by natural and human efforts to replenish depleted stock. Written in empathetic prose interspersed by period quotations and pictures as well as nutritional advice on salmon consumption, the book is a riveting read. N.L. Land Use Effects on Streamflow and Water Quality in the Northeastern United States. Avril L. de la Crétaz and Paul K. Barten. 2007. CRC Press, Boca Raton, fl. 319 pp. $139.95, hardcover. ISBN 0849391873. This text is designed to be a desk reference on issues of watershed management for a target audience of watershed and forestry managers, scientists, legislators, planners, engineers, and students. The first part of the text covers the fundamental science underlying watershed management, with chapters on the relationship between upland activities and water quality, hydrologic processes, water chemistry and pollutants, how aquatic organisms are used to assess stream health, and the structure and function of riparian zones. The text then builds on this scientific knowledge, using published case studies to examine the effects of specific land uses on watershed health. A valuable and much needed synthesis of how landuse policy affects watersheds. S.E. Global Warming: Causes, Effects, and the Future. Mark Maslin. 2007. Voyageur Press. St. Paul, MN. 72 pp. $17.95, hardcover. ISBN 0760329656. This book explores the concept of global warming and plausibly explains why this concept has only recently gained global acceptance. Written by a leading climatologist in layman’s terms, the book explicates ways that industrialization and the human population explosion threaten the balance between natural warming and cooling forces—a balance that has been disturbed by natural events in the past. Included are photographs and models that foster visual appreciation of these forces. Similarly, anticipated effects of global warming are explored by continent and include effects on coastal waters, weather patterns, fresh water, agriculture, and disease patterns. Clearly written, this instructive book provides baseline information and an adaptive action agenda for concerned global citizens. N.L. Grasses of Colorado. Robert B. Shaw. 2008. University Press of Colorado, Boulder, CO. 662 pp. $75, hardcover. ISBN 087081883X. This fine reference book covers the 335 grass species known to occur outside of cultivation in the state. It begins with a discussion of the physiography and ecoregions of Colorado and a well-illustrated chapter describing the structures of the grass plant that will aid in the use of the keys that follow. A checklist is provided, organized by family, subfamily, and tribe. A key to the genera contains two parts and is illustrated with examples. Each genus begins with a brief description followed by keys to the species. Species accounts include synonym, vernacular name, lifespan, origin, and season. Detailed floral characteristics and vegetative characteristics are provided as 316 Northeastern Naturalist Vol. 15, No.2 well as habitat description and comments that include such things as forage value and variability of characteristics. Range maps are based on herbarium holdings that are noted to be particularly deficient in eastern counties. Finely detailed line drawings accompany each species description. C.R. Flora of China Illustrations, Poaceae 22. Wu Zhengyi, Peter Raven and Hong Deyuan (Eds.). 2007. Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing and St. Louis, MO respectively. 937 pp. $140, hardcover. ISBN 9781930723610. This is the illustrated companion volume to the Flora of China, volume 22, published in 2006, which covers 1795 species in the Poaceae family. In this volume, 1271 species are illustrated in 904 captioned line drawings. Each drawing includes the name of the taxon with naming authority, its Chinese name, and the pinyin transliteration. Synonyms are also included. Most of the full-page, detailed, line drawings are reprinted from the Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae published in Chinese. An excellent reference for the Poacaea. C.R. Behavioral Ecology of Insect Parasitoids: From Theoretical Approaches to Field Applications. Eric Wajnberg, Carlos Bernstein, Jacques Van Alphen (Eds.). 2008. Blackwell Publishing Ltd., Malden, MA. 445 pp. $80, hardcover. ISBN 9781405163477 This collection of 18 papers covers a range of topics that are relevant to the development of effective biological control programs. A section on current issues covers a wide range of topics including foraging, predation, nutrition, competition, risk assessment, and fitness. Another section looks at the evolutionary approach of behavioral ecology to other issues such as multitrophic interactions (those between plants, herbivores and their enemies). Also covered is the effectiveness of using parasitoid wasp sex ratios in biological control programs, and the importance of population dynamics in the host-parasitoid interaction. Host resistance and counter resistance is examined and the future of parasitoid resistance and counter resistance is discussed. The final section of the text covers methodologies for studying insect parasitoids including topics such as state-dependent problems, a Bayesian approach, genetic algorithms and statistical tools for data analysis. This text will be valuable to scientists and students interested in the use of biological controls. C.R. Book Reviewers: G.M. = Glen Mittelhauser, S.E. = Stephen Eddy, S.O’M. = Sarah O'Malley, F.O. = Fred Olday, N.L. = Nancy Lovejoy, and C.R. = Cathy Rees. Errata In the last issue of the Northeastern Naturalist (Volume 15, Number 1), we neglected to give credit to the cover photographer. The photograph, which appeared on the issue's cover, of the river otter on a fallen log in Yellowstone National Park was taken by Valerie Efird. Thank you Valerie and sorry for the accidental omission.