Precious Heritage The Status of Biodiversity in the United States

by Stein, Bruce A.; Kutner, Lynn S.; Adams, Jonathan S.

• ISBN13: 9780195125191
• ISBN10: 0195125193
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-03-16
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Gigantic in geographical scope, the United States is home to a wealth ofnatural beauty. It has the largest number of known species of any temperatecountry, including the most species of mammals and among the most abundantflora. With the greatest range of biome types of any country on the planet, itextends from rain forest to Arctic tundra and from coral reefs to great lakes,and it leads the world in diversity of salamanders, crayfishes, and freshwaterturtles and mollusks. However, much of this natural richness has yet to beexplored as Americans continue to put development above natural preservation. Infact, if Americans persist in exploiting the land, the nation's naturalenvironment will soon be fully destroyed.One way to prevent such devastation is through awareness, and PreciousHeritage, with its mix of mathematical analyses and precise descriptions of manyhabitats and species, does just that. This wide-ranging book from the NatureConservancy brings together leading environmental experts who offer the mostlucid and thorough examination of the nation's biota ever presented. Utilizingthe best available database on the biodiversity of the United States, PreciousHeritage provides information on all the 4,350 species of plants and animalsthat are threatened or endangered within the range of the United States. Andfull-color examples, graphs, and detailed charts occur throughout.As the largest non-profit association devoted to the environment with over800,000 members, the Nature Conservancy is among the best possible sources ofenvironmental information. And it is strongly dedicated to promoting a level ofawareness about America's biotic history. In Precious Heritage, the NatureConservancy combines its knowledge with its objective to advance awareness intoone comprehensive volume, ultimately empowering the nation's habitats. As such,this book is appropriate for conservationists, scientists, students, or anyonewho believes in preserving America's natural beauty.

Table of Contents

Foreword	ix
Edward O. Wilson
Preface	xiii
Deborah B. Jensen
Thomas F. Breden
Acknowledgments	xvii
Contributors	xxi
Participating Institutions	xxiii
Biodiversity: Our Precious Heritage	3	(16)
Jonathan S. Adams
Bruce A. Stein
Lynn S. Kutner
Discovering Life in America: Tools and Techniques of Biodiversity Inventory	19	(36)
Bruce A. Stein
Frank W. Davis
A Remarkable Array: Species Diversity in the United States	55	(38)
Bruce A. Stein
Jonathan S. Adams
Lawrence L. Master
Larry E. Morse
Geoffrey Hammerson
Vanishing Assets: Conservation Status of U.S. Species	93	(26)
Lawrence L. Master
Bruce A. Stein
Lynn S. Kutner
Geoffrey A. Hammerson
State of the States: Geographic Patterns of Diversity, Rarity, and Endemism	119	(40)
Bruce A. Stein
Lynn S. Kutner
Geoffrey A. Hammerson
Lawrence L. Master
Larry E. Morse
The Geography of Imperilment: Targeting Conservation Toward Critical Biodiversity Areas	159	(42)
Stephen J. Chaplin
Ross A. Gerrard
Hal M. Watson
Lawrence L. Master
Stephanie R. Flack
More Than the Sum of the Parts: Diversity and Status of Ecological Systems	201	(38)
Mark T. Bryer
Kathleen Maybury
Jonathan S. Adams
Dennis H. Grossman
Leading Threats to Biodiversity: What's Imperiling U.S. Species	239	(16)
David S. Wilcove
David Rothstein
Jason Dubow
Ali Phillips
Elizabeth Losos
Strategies for Biodiversity Protection	255	(20)
Michael J. Bean
Owning Up to Our Responsibilities: Who Owns Lands Important for Biodiversity?	275	(26)
Craig R. Groves
Lynn S. Kutner
David M. Stoms
Michael P. Murray
J. Michael Scott
Michael Schafale
Alan S. Weakley
Robert L. Pressey
Safeguarding Our Precious Heritage	301	(22)
Mark L. Shaffer
Bruce A. Stein
Appendix A: Extinct and Missing Species of the United States	323	(14)
Appendix B: State Diversity, Endemism, and Rarity	337	(4)
Appendix C: Kuchler Potential Natural Vegetation Types	341	(4)
Appendix D: Principal Sources for U.S. Species Names in the Natural Heritage Central Databases	345	(2)
Literature Cited	347	(20)
Index	367