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Biological invaders represent one of the primary threats to the maintenance of global biodiversity, human health, and the success of human economic enterprises. The continuing globalization of our society ensures that the need to understand the process of biological invasion will only increase in the future. There is also a growing recognition that the study of biological invaders provides a unique insight into basic questions in ecology and evolution. The study of exotic birds has had a particularly long history and has come to represent a fascinating intersection between the study of biological invasions, avian conservation biology, and basic principles of ecology and evolution.
Avian Invasions summarizes and synthesizes this unique historical record and unravels the insights that the study of exotic birds brings to all three of these research strands. It includes chapters on the well-known contributions of exotic bird study to ecological science, and on the post-establishment evolution of introduced bird populations. The result is the most comprehensive picture yet of the invasion process. Avian Invasions is aimed at professional avian biologists and ornithologists as well as graduate students of avian ecology, evolution and conservation. It will also appeal to a more general audience of invasion ecologists.
Preface; 1. Introduction to the Study of Exotic Birds; 2. Transport and Introduction; 3. The Role of Contingency in Establishment Success; 4. The Role of Species Traits in Establishment Success; 5. The Role of Location in Establishment Success; 6. Geographic Range Expansion of Exotic Birds; 7. The Ecology of Exotic Birds in Novel Locations; 8. The Genetics of Exotic Bird Introductions; 9. The Evolution of Exotic Birds; 10. Lessons from Exotic Birds; References; Index
Overall, this is a comprehensive, up-todate, and exciting book. It provides a much-needed stimulus for a greater focus on avian invasions and their effects on native biodiversity, but it also illustrates how the study of exotic birds can help to advance our general understanding of invasion ecology. I predict that it will become a classic text in invasion ecology, and I strongly commend it to all who are interested in this important and growing field. PLoS Biology In this book, three leading experts combine theory with a rigorous analysis of the evidence to ask what are the causes and consequences of avian invasions. And they succeed formidably. The book is a must read for anyone interested in biological invasions, and will inspire students and academic researchers alike. It is informative, comprehensive, rigorous, stimulating and highly readable. Trends in Ecology and Evolution
