Extinction in Our Times
Subtitle
Global Amphibian Decline
For over 350 million years, thousands of species of amphibians have lived on earth, but since the 1980s they have been disappearing at an alarming rate, in many cases quite suddenly and mysteriously. What is causing these extinctions? What role do human actions play in them? What do they tell us about the overall state of biodiversity on the planet? In "Extinction in Our Times," James Collins and Martha Crump explore these pressing questions and many others as they document the first modern extinction event across an entire vertebrate class, using global examples that range from the Sierra Nevada of California to the rainforests of Costa Rica and the Mediterranean coast of North Africa. Joining scientific rigor and vivid storytelling, this book is the first to use amphibian decline as a lens through which to see more clearly the larger story of climate change, conservation of biodiversity and a host of profoundly important ecological, evolutionary, ethical, philosophical and sociological issues.
Bios
James P. Collins is Virginia M. Ullman Professor of natural history and the environment at the School of Life Life Sciences at Arizona State University as well as the assistant director for biological sciences at the National Science Foundation.
Praise for this book
'Extinction in Our Times' is centered on the global problem of declines and extinctions of amphibians, but it has important things to say to anyone interested in how science, policy and conservation can interact in the face of crisis. It is worthwile reading for anyone interested in conserving biological diversity.
TREE
"I would recommend this book to anyone who wants an informative read that will allow him or her to understand the problem discussed as well as gain a perspective on how biological scientists proceed with their pursuits."
Bioscience
