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Galapagos Giant Tortoises Volume editor James P. Gibbs (State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry)

Galapagos Giant Tortoises By Volume editor James P. Gibbs (State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry)

Galapagos Giant Tortoises by Volume editor James P. Gibbs (State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry)

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Galapagos Giant Tortoises Summary

Galapagos Giant Tortoises by Volume editor James P. Gibbs (State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry)

Galapagos Giant Tortoises brings together researchers and conservationists to share the most up-to-date knowledge of Galapagos giant tortoises. Despite being icons of the world-famous Galapagos Archipelago and the target of more than 50 years of conservation research and management, Galapagos giant tortoise evolution and much of their ecology remained unknown until recently. This book documents the history, the pressing conservation issues, and success stories recovering several of the 15 different species of Galapagos tortoises from near extinction.The book begins with an overview of the history of the relationship between humans and Galapagos giant tortoises, starting from initial heavy exploitation of tortoises by pirates and whalers, and extending to the start of the modern conservation era in the 1960s. The book then shifts to biology, describing Galapagos tortoise evolution, taxonomy, ecology, habitats, reproduction, and behavior. Next the decades of conservation efforts and their results are reviewed, including issues of captive breeding, invasive species, introduced diseases, and de-extinction, as well as the current status and distribution of every species. The final portion of the book turns to four case studies of restoration, and then looks ahead to the future of all tortoise populations.The latest volume in the Biodiversity of the World: Conservation from Genes to Landscape series, Galapagos Giant Tortoises is a valuable resource for researchers and conservationists, as well as students of biology, wildlife conservation, and herpetology.

Galapagos Giant Tortoises Reviews

"I want to emphasize that this book is not just for Galapagos giant tortoise enthusiasts. It also highlights the many lessons that have been learned from restoration of Galapagos ecosystems. I teach an undergraduate course on conservation biology and always include a discussion of ecological substitutes as a means or restoring lost ecological functions. The comprehensive list of tortoise rewilding efforts around the globe (Chapter 2) will definitely be incorporated into my discussion of this topic the next time I give the course. My course similarly includes a unit on eradication of invasive species, and the eradications successfully completed in the Galapagos (Chapter 19) are certainly a guide for future eradication attempts around the globe. I was particularly interested in the rat eradication carried out on Pinzon Island (Chapter 22) and the immediate benefits detected for not only Galapagos giant tortoises, but also land snails, lava lizards, Galapagos snakes, cactus finches, and Galapagos rails. This leads to my final point about the books inspiring accounts of individual tortoises. Although we are all aware of the incredible longevity of giant tortoises, the stories in this volume brought it home to me in a way I had not experienced before. I was particularly moved by the story of Diego (Chapter 21), the Espanola giant tortoise who was collected from his home island in 1934, spent 43 years at the San Diego Zoo, was then transferred to the Tortoise Breeding Center to participate in the captive breeding program for another 43 years, before being returned to his home island in 2020. It is incredible to think of any living organism having witnessed so much change, but the authors of this volume calculate that 2% of Galapagos giant tortoises alive today would have been present when Darwin visited the islands in 1834. It is only due to their extreme longevity that the tortoises were able to persist through centuries of human exploitation and invasive species (e.g., there was no natural tortoise recruitment on Pinzon for over a century). I commend the authors for composing engaging chapters across the board and the editors for forming them into a cohesive volume." --The Quarterly Review of Biology

About Volume editor James P. Gibbs (State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry)

Dr. James P. Gibbs is Distinguished Professor of Conservation Biology in the Department of Environmental and Forest Biology at SUNY-ESF in Syracuse, New York, US and Conservation Scientist for the Galapagos Conservancy. He received his Ph.D. in forestry and environmental studies from Yale University, Connecticut, US. He has worked on biodiversity conservation issues in the Galapagos over four decades. Dr. Linda J. Cayot has worked for Galapagos conservation for 40 years. She received her PhD on Galapagos giant tortoises from Syracuse University, New York, US. Dr. Cayot served as herpetologist at the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) from 1988 to 1998. In 1997-98, she initiated Project Isabela, aimed at eradicating feral goats on northern Isabela Island. She worked for Galapagos Conservancy in the US from 2006 to 2019, where she played a lead role in the development of the Giant Tortoise Restoration Initiative. Washington Tapia A. is the director of the of the Galapagos Conservancys Giant Tortoise Restoration Initiative. He received his master's degree in conservation of tropical biodiversity from San Pablo University CEU, Sevilla, Spain and is pursuing his Ph.D. in biodiversity and environmental studies at the University of Malaga, Malaga, Spain. He has led conferences and headed numerous research publications focusing on the conservation and environmental factors on Galapagos animals including giant tortoises and land iguanas.

Table of Contents

Section I: Overview 1. The Galapagos: Island Home of Giant Tortoises 2. Galapagos tortoises: Protagonists in the spectacle of life on Earth Section II: History of Human - Tortoise Interactions 3. Human perceptions of Galapagos tortoises through history 4. The era of exploitation: 1700-1959 5. Darwin and the Galapagos giant tortoises 6. The Collectors: Beginnings of scientific inquiry and the lasting impacts of living and museum collections Section III: Natural History 7. Evolution and phylogenetics 8. Morphology 9. Reproduction 10. Thermoregulation 11. Behavior and Diet 12. Population biology 13. Movement ecology 14. Habitats 15. Role in Ecosystems 16. Galapagos Tortoises in a Changing Climate Section IV: Conservation: Slow Rescue from Near Destruction 17. History of Galapagos tortoise conservation 18. Tortoise health 19. Invasive Species: Impacts, Control, and Eradication 20. Tortoise Populations after 60 Years of Conservation Section V: Restoration Case Studies 21. Espanola Island: From Near Extinction to Recovery 22. Pinzon Island: A Century of Zero Tortoise Hatchlings to a Growing Population 23. Floreana and Pinta Islands: Restoring Tortoise Populations through Lost Lineage Recovery 24. Santa Fe Island: Return of tortoises via a replacement species Section VI: Into the Future 25. Beyond rescue to full recovery

Additional information

NGR9780128175545
9780128175545
0128175540
Galapagos Giant Tortoises by Volume editor James P. Gibbs (State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry)
Volume editor James P. Gibbs (State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry)
Biodiversity of the World: Conservation from Genes to Landscapes
New
Hardback
Elsevier Science Publishing Co Inc
2020-11-11
536
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
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Customer Reviews - Galapagos Giant Tortoises