Conservation biologists and ecologists in their quest for how best to preserve biodiversity in landscapes that are being rapidly fragmented may find intriguing avenues of thought in this newly edited volume of Ecology, Genetics, and Evolution of Metapopulations. --Jennifer H. Mattei, Department of Biology, Sacred Heart University, in JOURNAL OF THE TORREY BOTANICAL SOCIETY, 2004 A fascinating and timely collection of essays on one of the central paradigms of conservation biology. Excellent readings for anyone interested in current issues in population and community ecology, and a wonderful cource sourcebook. Highly recommended. --Simon Levin, Princeton University As the science of ecology has matured, from descriptive studies to deeper understanding which blends theory, experiment and analytic observation, the dynamics of metapopulations has increasingly moved to centre stage. Gilpin and Hanski's edited volume in 1991 was a milestone, but the present volume marks the real arrival of this central sub-discipline of ecology. More explicitly, the ecology of metapopulations - persisting in shifting tensions as sub-populations arrive at or disappear from local sites - is treated definitively, from fundamental principles to practical examples. The underlying genetics and ecolution of such metapopulations are also explored, from various viewpoints; here the subject is still in a relatively early state, and I found these chapters richly provocative in suggestions for future research. The bibliography is encyclopaedic, constituting 84 of the book's 682 pages, and it alone is worth the purchase price. --Robert M. May, Zoology Department, Oxford University Metapopulations have gone from an interesting idea to a core concept in ecological theory. There is perhaps no more challenging consideration in conservation biology than the need to manage species in a metapopulation context. Hanski and Gaggiotti's edited volume, unlike most edited volumes, is a collection of topnotch papers, many with something fresh to say. Modelers, ecologists, and conservationists will want to own this book. There is no better source of practical applications of the metapopulation framework than this book. If you are a population biologist or a conservation biologist, you need to read this book. --Peter Kareiva, Lead Scientist, The Nature Conservancy & Adjunct Professor, UCSB This book provides a feast for those fascinated by spatial patterns and dynamics of populations, be they ecologists or geneticists. No fact of metpopulation or source-sink dynamics has escaped attention. The result is the most comprehensive treatment of metapopulations yet undertaken, and it will remain so for quite some time. --Peter Grant, Princeton University In summary, this is a very good book, particularly for the intended audience of graduate students and researchers wanting to know more about the consequences and rewards of viewing the world through the eyes of a metapopulationist...It also piques one's curiosity and creates a desire to know what the equivalent book will look like a decade and a half from now. --Kirk A. Moloney, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University
