by Peter A. Bowler, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, California 92717-2525.
This book is part of the Springer Series on Environmental Management,
which "is concerned with humanity’s stewardship of the environment, our
use of natural resources, and the ways in which we can mitigate environmental
hazards and reduce risks." The book’s four sections include human perceptions,
assessment of ecological interactions, direct management, and regulation
and advocacy, and eighteen papers are presented. There is a useful appendix
with a list of selected plant species interfering with resource management
goals in North American natural areas. Scientific and common names, growth
form, indigenous range, invaded range (in North America by state) and a
discussion of means of introduction with selected references are given
for each of the over 90 non-indigenous species included in the list. Because
the list is a selection, many species are absent, and southern California
restorationists will note that many of the primary problem species for
upland restorationists are absent (globe artichoke, Cynara cardunculus,
black mustard, Brassica nigra, most of the exotic annual grasses). The
reference section is an alphabetical compilation of all literature cited
in the book; individual literature cited sections do not appear for each
paper. The index is well done and includes both species names and topics.
Each chapter ends with a numbered series of conclusions.
From the beginning this book is thought provoking and well crafted. In "Defining indigenous species" Mark Schwartz provides a template for determining whether or not a species is indigenous or exotic, ranging from evidence in the fossil record to genetic diversity to a plant’s relationship to oligophagous insects. Numerous examples and case studies illustrate his interesting and well thought through discussion, and he discusses determining original vegetation as well as individual species. John Randall ("Defining weeds of natural areas") discusses weediness and its interpretations for both native and non-indigenous taxa, providing a table of definitions and many examples of natural-area weeds. In an excellent review of "potential valuable ecological functions of nonindigenous plants,"Charles Williams provides new perspectives, a literature review, and useful examples of ways in which some non-native plants have ecological utility in various stages of restoration. This is an important paper suggesting understanding and measuring ecological values of exotic species as a "...balanced cost-benefit analysis for management of non-indigenous palnts within and across systems."
In the ecological interactions section, a chapter by Stephen Jackson explores the use of paleoecological methods to document natural and human-caused plant invasions and provides an intriguing and useful application of techniques not commonly employed to track changes in plant distributions and abundances, including the appearance of exotics. An example, cited by Jackson (Davis, 1992), with which I am familiar, is that of the University of California Natural Reserve System’s San Joaquin Marsh Reserve, which is a coastal wetland whose vegetation has changed from salt marsh to freshwater marsh then back again, over a period of thousands of years as sea level changed. Owen Davis’s stratigraphic pollen records clearly show the point at which pollen from exotic species (Eucalyptus, Erodium cicutarium, Rumex acetosella, Salsola, and so forth) enters the environment at this site. In "Community response to plant invasion" Kerry Woods does a good job of reviewing the literature and providing new insight in this important and enigmatic area of plant invasion ecology. Useful tables and further review is provided by Lawrence Walker and Stanley Smith ("Impacts of invasive plants on community and ecosystem properties"). "Animal mediated dispersal and disturbance" (Paula Shiffman) presents an interesting and unique documentation of the role of native animals in sustaining and expanding the distribution and presence of exotic plant species in some habitats. Other papers in this section include a discussion of non-indigenous plants as an agent of global change (Laura Huenneke), experimental design for plant removal and restoration (Michael Morrison), and the response of a forest understory to removal of the invasive exotic Alliaria petiolata (Brian McCarthy).
The section on "direct management" includes papers on ecological succession and exotics (James Luken), methods for managing aquatic non-natives (John Madsen), a review of biological control of weeds in North America (C.Jack DeLoach) and the prioritization of introduced plants in planning and management (Ronald Hiebert). The final section, "Regulation and Advocacy," has four chapters presenting discussions of national and local prevention of introduction (Sara Reichard), exotic pest control councils (Faith Campbell), the Team Arundo interagency effort to eradicate Giant Cane (Arundo donax) (Paul Franson), and the multiagency containment program for Miconia calvescens in Hawaii (P. Conant, A. Medeiros, and L. Loope). All of these papers contain literature reviews, many present original data, and all are easily accessible to those familiar with the literature of restoration ecology.
This excellent book is highly recommended for restorationists, as it contains many new ideas as well as good literature reviews. It is hard to imagine any reader not being stimulated and coming away with fresh approaches after reading this book.
Acknowledgements
I am grateful to the UC Natural Reserve System’s San Joaquin Marsh Reserve for computer support, and to a grant from the TCA to the UC Irvine School of Biological Sciences.
Literature Cited
Davis, O.K. 1992. Rapid climatic change in coastal southern California inferred from pollen analysis of San Joaquin Marsh. Quaternary Research 37: 89-100.
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