Holocene extinctions / edited by Samuel T. Turvey.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Turvey, Sam.

Series:

Oxford biology

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Extinction (Biology).

Paleontology--Holocene.

Paleontology.

Physical Description:

xii, 352 pages : illustrations, maps ; 26 cm.

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2009.

Summary:

The extent to which human activity has influenced species extinctions during the recent prehistoric past remains controversial, due to confounding factors such as large-scale climatic change and a general lack of data. However, the Holocene (the geological interval spanning the last 11,500 years from the end of the last glaciation) has witnessed massive levels of extinctions that have continued into the modern historical era, but in a context of only relatively minor climatic fluctuations. A detailed consideration of these extinctions can therefore provide unique insights into the impacts of human activity over time.

Holocene Extinctions describes and analyses the range of global extinction events which have occurred during this key time period, as well as their relationship to both earlier and ongoing species losses. By integrating information from fields as diverse as zoology, ecology, palaeontology, archaeology and geography, and by incorporating data from a broad range of taxonomic groups and ecosystems, this novel text provides a fascinating insight into human impacts on global extinction rates, both past and present.

This truly interdisciplinary book is suitable for both graduate students and researchers in these varied fields. It will also be of significant use to policy-makers and conservations professionals since it provides valuable guidance on how to apply lessons from the past to prevent future biodiversity loss and inform modern conservation planning.

Contents:

1 An introduction to Late Glacial-Holocene environments / Anson W. Mackay 1

2 In the shadow of the megafauna: prehistoric mammal and bird extinctions across the Holocene / Samuel T. Turvey 17

3 Holocene mammal extinctions / Samuel T. Turvey 41

4 Holocene avian extinctions / Tommy Tyrberg 63

5 Past and future patterns of freshwater mussel extinctions in North America during the Holocene / Wendell R. Haag 107

6 Holocene extinctions in the sea / Nicholas K. Dulvy, John K. Pinnegar, John D. Reynolds 129

7 Procellariiform extinctions in the Holocene: threat processes and wider ecosystem-scale implications / R. Paul Scofield 151

8 Coextinction: anecdotes, models, and speculation / Robert R. Dunn 167

9 Probabilistic methods for determining extinction chronologies / Ben Collen, Samuel T. Turvey 181

10 The past is another country: is evidence for prehistoric, historical, and present-day extinction really comparable? / Samuel T. Turvey, Joanne H. Cooper 193

11 Holocene deforestation: a history of human-environmental interactions, climate change, and extinction / Rob Marchant, Simon Brewer, Thompson Webb III, Samuel T. Turvey 213

12 The shape of things to come: non-native mammalian predators and the fate of island bird diversity / Julie L. Lockwood, Tim M. Blackburn, Phillip Cassey, Julian D. Olden 235

13 The Quaternary fossil record as a source of data for evidence-based conservation: is the past the key to the future? / John R. Stewart 249

14 Holocene extinctions and the loss of feature diversity / Arne Ø. Mooers, Simon J. Goring, Samuel T. Turvey, Tyler S. Kuhn 263.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 279-338) and index.

ISBN:

9780199535095

0199535094

OCLC:

310154634