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Biodiversity, or biological diversity, is usually defined as the variety and variability of living organisms and the biological communities in which they live, plus the ecological and evolutionary processes that keep them functioning. There are four levels of diversity: genetic, species, ecosystem, and landscape. Biodiversity is directly and indirectly affected by human activities, which sometimes lead to unintended reductions in diversity. Many scientists and conservationists think the loss of biodiversity should already be considered a crisis and will accelerate in the near future. They argue that biodiversity must be maintained because of the ecosystem services, economic benefits, and evolutionary potential it provides, as well as for esthetic and ethical reasons. Not intended to be a comprehensive bibliography, this guide is designed--as the name of the series implies--to put the reader "on target."
Myers, Norman. Tackling mass extinction of species: a great
creative challenge. Berkeley, University of California, College
of Natural Resources, Dept. of Forestry and Resource Management,
1986. 40 p. (The Horace M. Albright lectureship in conservation,
26) Wildlife conservation. In Environmental viewpoints: selected
essays and excerpts on issues in environmental protection.
v. 1. Detroit, Gale Research, c1992. p. 473-504. Wilson, Edward O. Threats to biodiversity. Scientific
American, v. 261, Sept. 1989: 108-112, 114, 116.
Subject Headings used by the Library of Congress, under which books on biodiversity can be located in most card, book, and online catalogs, include the following: Highly relevant
Biodiversity II: understanding and protecting our biological
resources. Marjorie L. Reaka-Kudla, Don E. Wilson, and Edward
O. Wilson, editors. Washington, Joseph Henry Press, 1997. 551 p.
Biological diversity: problems and challenges. Edited
by S. K. Majumdar and others. Easton, Penn., Pennsylvania Academy
of Science, c1994. 461 p. Conserving the world's biological diversity. By Jeffrey
A. McNeely and others. Gland, Switzerland, International Union for
Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources; Washington, World
Resources Institute, Conservation International, World Wildlife
Fund-US, World Bank, c1990. 193 p. Includes bibliographical references
(p. 157-183). Global biodiversity: status of the earth's living resources:
a report. Compiled by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre.
Editor, Brian Groombridge; in collaboration with the Natural History
Museum, London, and in association with IUCN-the World Conservation
Union and others. London, New York, Chapman&Hall, 1992. 585
p. Global biodiversity assessment. V. H. Heywood, executive
editor; R. T. Watson, chair. Cambridge, New York, Cambridge University
Press, 1995. 1140 p. "Published for the United Nations Environment
Programme." National Forum on BioDiversity (1986, Washington, D.C.).
Biodiversity. E. O. Wilson, editor, Frances M. Peter, associate
editor. Washington, National Academy Press, 1988. 521 p. "The source
of the book is the National Forum on BioDiversity, held in Washington,
D.C. on September 21-24, 1986, under the auspices of the National
Academy of Sciences and Smithsonian Institution." Noss, Reed F., and Allen Y. Cooperrider. Saving nature's legacy:
protecting and restoring biodiversity. Washington, Island Press,
c1994. 416 p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 343-387).
Ryan, John C. Life support: conserving biological diversity.
Washington, Worldwatch Institute, c1992. 62 p. (Worldwatch paper,
108) Wilson, Edward Osborne. The diversity of life. Cambridge,
Mass., Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1992. 424 p.
Titles about Particular Geographic Areas or Habitats Arctic and alpine biodiversity: patterns, causes, and ecosystem
consequences. F. Stuart Chapin III and Christian Korner. Berlin,
New York, Springer-Verlag, c1995. 332 p. (Ecological studies, v.
113) Based on papers from a workshop held in Kongsvold, Norway,
Aug. 17-20, 1993. Biodiversity and ecosystem processes in tropical forests.
Gordon H. Orians, Rodolfo Dirzo, J. Hall Cushman, editors. Berlin,
New York, Springer, c1996. 229 p. (Ecological studies, v. 122) Biodiversity of the southeastern United States: aquatic communities.
Edited by Courtney T. Hackney, S. Marshall Adams, William H. Martin.
New York, Wiley, c1992. 779 p. Norse, Elliott A. Ancient forests of the Pacific Northwest.
Washington, Island Press, c1990. 327 p. "The Wilderness Society."
Includes bibliographical references (p. 293-314). Terborgh, John. Diversity and the tropical rain forest.
New York, Scientific American Library; Distributed by W.H. Freeman,
c1992. 242 p. (Scientific American Library series, no. 38) Thorne-Miller, Boyce, and John G. Catena. The living ocean:
understanding and protecting marine biodiversity. Washington,
Island Press, c1991. 180 p. Includes bibliographical references
(p. 155-167). Understanding marine biodiversity: a research agenda for the
nation. Committee on Biological Diversity in Marine Systems.
Washington, National Academy Press, 1995. 114 p. "The workshop,
entitled Biological Diversity in Marine Systems, was held May 24-26,
1994, at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center of the National Academy
of Sciences in Irvine, California." Includes bibliographical references
(p. 76-93). Air pollution effects on biodiversity. Edited by Jerry
R. Barker and David T. Tingey. New York, Van Nostrand Reinhold,
1992. 322 p. "This book is based on a workshop that evaluated the
effects of air pollution on biodiversity ... " Available on microfiche
from National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Va., as
PB92-170166. Biodiversity: culture, conservation, and ecodevelopment.
Edited by Margery L. Oldfield and Janis B. Alcorn. Boulder, Westview
Press, 1991. 349 p. Biodiversity and ecosystem function. Ernst-Detlef Schulze,
Harold A. Mooney (eds.). Berlin, New York, Springer-Verlag, c1993.
525 p. (Ecological studies, v. 99) Cook, Laurence Martin. Genetic and ecological diversity: the
sport of nature. London, New York, Chapman&Hall, 1991.
192 p. Davis, Peter. Museums and the natural environment: the role
of natural history museums in biological conservation. London,
New York, Leicester University Press, 1996. 286 p. Environmental policy and biodiversity. Edited By R. Edward
Grumbine. Washington, Island Press, c1994. 416 p. Global warming and biological diversity. Edited by Robert
L. Peters and Thomas E. Lovejoy. New Haven, Yale University Press,
c1992. 386 p. Kellert, Stephen R. The value of life: biological diversity
and human society. Washington, Island Press/Shearwater Books,
c1996. 263 p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 219-248).
Landscape linkages and biodiversity. Defenders of Wildlife.
Edited by Wendy E. Hudson. Washington, Island Press, 1991. 196 p.
Magurran, Anne E. Ecological diversity and its measurement.
Princeton, N.J., Princeton University Press, [1988]. 179 p. Includes
bibliographical references (p. 115-125). Molecular genetic approaches in conservation. Edited by
Thomas B. Smith and Robert K. Wayne. New York, Oxford University
Press, 1996. 483 p. Perspectives on biodiversity: case studies of genetic resource
conservation and development. Christopher S. Potter, Joel I.
Cohen, Dianne Janczewski, editors. Washington, AAAS Press, c1993.
245 p. (AAAS publication, 93-10S) Pimm, Stuart L. The balance of nature? Ecological issues in
the conservation of species and communities. Chicago, University
of Chicago Press, c1991. 434 p. Includes bibliographical references
(p. 391-417). Systematics, ecology, and the biodiversity crisis. Edited
by Niles Eldredge. New York, Columbia University Press, c1992. 220
p. "Outgrowth of a symposium held at the American Museum of Natural
History in March 1990."
Conservation biology: the theory and practice of nature conservation,
preservation, and management. Peggy L. Fiedler and Subodh K.
Jain, editors. New York, Chapman and Hall, 1992. 507 p. Ecological heterogeneity. Jurek Kolasa, Steward T. A.
Pickett, editors; contributors, T. F. H. Allen and others. New York,
Springer-Verlag, c1991. 332 p. (Ecological studies, v. 86) Hunter, Malcolm L. Fundamentals of conservation biology.
Cambridge, Mass., Blackwell Science, c1996. 482 p. Includes bibliographical
references (p. 413-459). Landscape boundaries: consequences for biotic diversity and
ecological flows. Andrew J. Hansen, Francesco di Castri, editors;
contributors, A. D. Armand and others. New York, Springer-Verlag,
c1992. 452 p. (Ecological studies, v. 92) Meffe, Gary K., C. Ronald Carroll, and contributors. Principles
of conservation biology. Sunderland, Mass., Sinauer Associates,
c1994. 600 p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 565-586).
Primack, Richard B. Essentials of conservation biology.
Sunderland, Mass., Sinauer Associates, c1993. 564 p. Includes bibliographical
references (p. 515-547). Spellerberg, Ian F. Monitoring ecological change. Cambridge,
Eng., New York, Cambridge University Press, 1991. 334 p.
Biodiversity data sourcebook. Compiled by the World Conservation
Monitoring Centre; editor, Brian Groombridge; advisory editor, Martin
Jenkins; in collaboration with IUCN - The World Conservation Union,
United Nations Environment Programme, World Wide Fund for Nature.
Cambridge, U.K., World Conservation Press, 1994. 155 p. (WCMC biodiversity
series, no. 1) Includes bibliographical references (p. 149-155).
Conservation and environmentalism: an encyclopedia. Editor,
Robert Paehlke. New York, Garland Pub., 1995. 771 p. (Garland reference
library of social science, v. 645). Krebs, Charles J. Ecological methodology. New York, Harper&Row,
c1989. 654 p. See particularly p. 328-369. Measuring and monitoring biological diversity. Standard methods
for mammals. Edited by Don E. Wilson and others. Washington,
Smithsonian Institution Press, c1996. 409 p. Includes bibliographical
references (p. 355-390). World watch list for domestic animal diversity. Edited
by Beate E. Scherf. 2nd ed. Rome, Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations, c1995. 769 p. Includes bibliographical references:
p. (756-766).
Biodiversity and human health. Edited by Francesca Grifo
and Joshua Rosenthal. Washington, Island Press, c1997. 379 p. Biodiversity in managed landscapes: theory and practice.
Edited by Robert C. Szaro, David W. Johnston. New York, Oxford University
Press, 1996. 778 p. Based on a symposium held in Sacramento, California,
July 13-17, 1992. Biodiversity, science and development: towards a new partnership.
Edited by Francesco di Castri and Talal Younes. Wallingford, Oxon,
UK, CAB International in association with the International Union
of Biological Sciences, c1996. 646 p. "Edited papers from an International
Forum held in September 1994 in Paris organized by IUBS." Systematics and conservation evaluation. Edited by P.
L. Forey, C. J. Humphries, and R. I. Vane-Wright. Oxford, Published
for the Systematics Association by Clarendon Press; New York, Oxford
University Press, 1994. 438 p. (The Systematics Association special
volume, no. 50) Papers presented during a symposium held in London,
June 17-20, 1992. Symposium on Agroecology and Conservation Issues in Tropical and
Temperate Regions (1990, University of Padova). Biotic diversity
in agroecosystems: papers from a Symposium on Agroecology and Conservation
Issues in Tropical and Temperate Regions, University of Padova,
Padova, Italy, 26-29 September 1990. Edited by M. G. Paoletti
and D. Pimentel. Amsterdam, New York, Elsevier, 1992. 356 p. "Reprinted
from Agriculture, ecosystems and environment, vol. 40, nos. 1-4
(1992)." Tropical deforestation and species extinction. Edited
by T. C. Whitmore and J. A. Sayer. London, New York, Chapman&Hall,
1992. 153 p. Papers presented at a workshop held during the 18th
General Assembly of the International Union for Conservation of
Nature and Natural Resources, Nov. 28- Dec. 5, 1990 in Perth, Australia.
Gerard, Philip W. Agricultural practices, farm policy, and
the conservation of biological diversity. Washington, U.S.
Dept. of the Interior, National Biological Service, 1995. 28 p.
(Biological science report, 4) Includes bibliographical references
(p. 25-28). Noss, Reed F., Edward T. LaRoe, and J. Michael Scott. Endangered
ecosystems of the United States: a preliminary assessment of loss
and degradation. Washington, U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National
Biological Service; May be obtained from the Publications Unit,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1995. 58 p. (Biological report,
28) Includes bibliographical references (p. 19-28). Our living resources: a report to the nation on the distribution,
abundance, and health of U.S. plants, animals, and ecosystems.
Edited by Edward T. LaRoe and others. Washington, U.S. Dept. of
the Interior, National Biological Service, 1995. 530 p. Technologies to maintain biological diversity. Washington,
Congress of the U.S., Office of Technology Assessment, 1987. 334
p. (OTA-F-330)
Technical Reports and other types of literature are indexed in the following guides:
The following selected technical reports are available in the microform collection of the Science Reading Room. They are sold by the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161. Barker, J. R., and others. Biodiversity and human impacts.
Corvallis, Or., Corvallis Environmental Research Lab., 1990. 40
p. Biodiversity and coarse woody debris in southern forests: Proceedings
of the Workshop on Coarse Woody Debris in Southern Forests: Effects
on Biodiversity. Editors, James W. McMinn and D. A. Crossley.
Asheville, N.C., Southeastern Forest Experiment Station, 1996. 154
p. (FSGTR-SE-94) Report on a workshop held in Athens, Georgia, October
18-20, 1993. Gow, D., and K. Clark. Peru: an assessment of biological diversity.
Washington, Development Alternatives, Inc., 1988. 86 p. (AID-PN-ABC-597)
Managing forest ecosystems to conserve fungus diversity and
sustain wild mushroom harvests. Editors, David Pilz and Randy
Molina. Portland, Or., Pacific Northwest Research Station, 1996.
112 p. (FSGTR-PNW-371) Report on a workshop held in Corvallis, Oregon
on May 3-4, 1994. Norse, Elliott, and others. Threats to biological diversity
in the United States. Final report. Cambridge, Mass., Industrial
Economics, Inc., 1990. 61 p. Wickham, James D., Jianguo Wu, and David F. Bradford. Stressor
data sets for studying species diversity at large spatial scales.
Reno, Nev., Desert Research Institute, 1995. 44 p. (EPA/600/R-95/018)
Bibliography. In Conserving the world's biological diversity.
By Jeffrey A. McNeeley and others. Gland, Switzerland, International
Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources; Washington,
World Resources Institute, Conservation International, World Wildlife
Fund-US, World Bank, c1990. p. 157-183. Clewis, Beth. Biological diversity: a selected bibliography.
Monticello, Ill., Vance Bibliographies, [1990]. 12 p. (Public administration
series--bibliography, P 2985) Stein, Edith Carol. Biodiversity. In her The environmental
sourcebook. In cooperation with the Environmental Data Research
Institute. New York, Lyons&Burford, c1992. p. 117-142.
Abstracting and indexing services that index relevant journal articles and other literature on biodiversity are listed below. Some suggested terms are given as aids in searching. Consult a reference librarian for location of abstracting and indexing services in the Science Reading Room. NOTE: Most of these titles may also be available on CD-ROM terminals or in computer format.
Journals that often contain relevant articles include the following:
Allan, J. David, and Alexander S. Flecker. Biodiversity conservation
in running waters. BioScience, v. 43, Jan. 1993: 32-43.
Bull, Alan T., Michael Goodfellow, and J. Howard Slater. Biodiversity
as a source of innovation in biotechnology. In Annual review
of microbiology. v. 46; 1992. Palo Alto, Calif., Annual Reviews.
p. 219- 252. Discusses microbial diversity, screening of microorganisms
for desired attributes, and conservation of the microbial genepool.
Cracraft, Joel. The urgency of building global capacity for biodiversity
science. Biodiversity and conservation, v. 4, July 1995:
463-475. Gardner, Scott L., and Mariel L. Campbell. Parasites as probes
for biodiversity. Journal of parasitology, v. 78, Aug.
1992: 596-600. Gibbons, J. Whitfield, and others. Perceptions of species abundance,
distribution, and diversity: lessons from four decades of sampling
on a government-managed reserve. Environmental management,
v. 21, Mar./Apr. 1997: Jablonski, David. The tropics as a source of evolutionary novelty
through geological time. Nature, v. 364, July 8, 1993:
142-144. Lugo, Ariel E. Comparison of tropical tree plantations with secondary
forests of similar age. Ecological monographs, v. 62, Mar.
1992: 1-41. Mann, Charles C. Extinction: are ecologists crying wolf? Science,
v. 253, Aug. 16, 1991: 736-738. Myers, Norman. Environmental services of biodiversity. Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,
v. 93, Apr. 2, 1996: 2764-2769. Norton, Bryan G., and Robert E. Ulanowicz. Scale and biodiversity
policy: a hierarchical approach. Ambio, v. 21, May 1992:
244-249. One of 10 articles in a special issue on The Economics
of Biodiversity Loss. Prance, Ghillean T. Systematics, conservation and sustainable development.
Biodiversity and conservation, v. 5, July 1995: 490-500.
Reid, Walter V., and Mark C. Trexler. Responding to potential impacts
of climate change on U.S. coastal biodiversity. Coastal management,
v. 20, Apr./June 1992: 117-142. Upton, Harold F. Biodiversity and conservation of the marine environment.
Fisheries, v. 17, May/June 1992: 20-25. "This issue of
Fisheries is devoted to a discussion of biodiversity and some of
the issues it raises for fisheries professionals."
Selected Materials available in the Science Reading Room pamphlet boxes include the following. Chapin, F. Stuart, and others. Biotic control over the functioning of ecosystems. Science, v. 277, July 25, 1997: 500-504. Davis, Cabell S., Carin J. Ashjian, and Philip Alatalo. Zooplankton diversity. Oceanus, v. 39, spring/summer 1996: 7-11. One of seven articles in a special section on Marine Biodiversity. Ehrlich, Paul R. Habitats in crisis: why we should care about the loss of species. Wilderness, v. 50, spring 1987: 12-15. One of several articles in a special issue on Biodiversity and the Public Lands. Hobbs, Richard J., and Laura F. Huenneke. Disturbance, diversity, and invasion: implications for conservation. Conservation biology, v. 6, Sept. 1992: 324-337. A review article with numerous references. Hooper, David U., and Peter M. Vitousek. The effects of plant composition and diversity on ecosystem processes. Science, v. 277, Aug. 29, 1997: 1302-1305. Horn, Henry S. Biodiversity in the backyard. Scientific American, v. 268, Jan. 1993: 150-152. Lubchenco, Jane. The role of science in formulating a biodiversity strategy. In Science and biodiversity policy, supplement to BioScience. Washington, American Institute of Biological Sciences, 1995. p. S7-S9. One of 17 articles in this supplement, bound with 1995 issues of BioScience. May, Robert M. How many species are there on Earth? Science, v. 241, Sept. 16, 1988: 1441-1449. Pimm, Stuart L., and others. The future of biodiversity. Science, v. 269, July 21, 1995: 347-350. Raven, Peter H. Defining biodiversity. Nature conservancy, v. 44, Jan./Feb. 1994: 10-15. Sepkoski, J. John. Presidential address: biodiversity: past, present, and future. Journal of paleontology, v. 71, no. 4, July 1997: 533-539. Includes numerous bibliographical references pertaining to the paleontological aspects of this topic. Soule, Michael E. Conservation: tactics for a constant crisis. Science, v. 253, Aug. 16, 1991: 744-750. One of five articles on biodiversity in this issue of Science.
Additional sources of information are listed below. To identify the current addresses of other relevant sources, consult Conservation Directory (S920.C64 <SciRR Desk>) and World Directory of Environmental Organizations (S920.W67 <SciRR Desk>) under such keywords as Biodiversity and Biological Diversity.
The Internet offers a growing number of biodiversity sites; these may contain bibliographies, information resources, lists of species, and texts of documents.
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