Wildlife Toxicology

This work uses selected examples to highlight the complicated yet pertinent interactions between environmental contaminants and real-world global challenges. ... The chapter 'Global Perspectives on Wildlife Toxicology' is particularly impressive as it provides a snapshot of key issues, organized by geographical regions. The book will be of particular use to advanced readers who have a sound basis in environmental toxicology and seek to expand their knowledge into a broader, global framework. The key concepts covered in the book are essential in advancing an understanding of environmental quality and sustainability on an ever-changing planet. Summing Up: Highly recommended. --CHOICE, January 2011 Each of the chapters is a reasonable review of the topic at hand. I very much enjoyed the chapter on biodiversity and ecosystem function by Lacher and coauthors, which presents four interesting case studies of how contaminants have had effects at the population and ecosystem levels. From veterinary pharmaceuticals reducing ungulate-carrion-eating vultures in India to diclophenac and amphibian declines, from genetic and evolutionary changes in wildlife in Azerbaijan to agriculture and birds, these four case studies provide insight into events in parts of the world unfamiliar to many of us, places with less regulation of pesticides and toxic substances than we have here. Similarly, interesting insight is provided by the chapter on global perspectives, which presents information about contaminant threats to wildlife in different geographical regions, each region being covered by a different set of authors for a total of seventeen. It is frightening to learn about the excessive use of pesticides in developing countries that lack evironmental regulation. --Judith S. Weis, Rutgers University, New Jersey, in BioScience, February 2011