Why birds matter : avian ecological function and ecosystem services / C̦ağan H. Şekercioğlu, Daniel G. Wenny, and Christopher J. Whelan, editors

Cover image for Why birds matter : avian ecological function and ecosystem services / C̦ağan H. Şekercioğlu, Daniel G. Wenny, and Christopher J. Whelan, editors

ISBN:

9780226382777

Title:

Why birds matter : avian ecological function and ecosystem services / C̦ağan H. Şekercioğlu, Daniel G. Wenny, and Christopher J. Whelan, editors

Author:

S̜ekercioğlu, C̜ağan, editor.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (x, 387 pages) : illustrations, charts

Contents:

Foreword / by Jeffrey A. Gordon -- Preface -- Chapter 1. Bird ecosystem services : economic ornithology for the 21st century / Christopher J. Whelan, Çağan H. Şekercioğlu, and Daniel G. Wenny -- Chapter 2. Why birds matter economically : values, markets, and policies / Matthew D. Johnson and Steven C. Hackett -- Chapter 3. Trophic interaction networks and ecosystem services / Christopher J. Whelan, Diana F. Tomback, Dave Kelly, and Matthew D. Johnson -- Chapter 4. Pollination by birds : a functional evaluation / Sandra H. Anderson, Dave Kelly, Alastair W. Robertson, and Jenny J. Ladley -- Chapter 5. Seed dispersal by fruit-eating birds / Daniel G. Wenny, Çağan H. Şekercioğlu, Norbert J. Cordeiro, Haldre S. Rogers, and Dave Kelly -- Chapter 6. Dispersal of plants by waterbirds / Andy J. Green, Merel Soons, Anne-Laure Brochet, and Erik Kleyheeg -- Chapter 7. Seed dispersal by corvids : birds that build forests / Diana F. Tomback -- Chapter 8. Ecosystem services provided by avian scavengers / Travis L. DeVault, James C. Beasley, Zachary H. Olson, Marcos Moleón, Martina Carrete, Antoni Margalida, and José Antonio Sánchez-Zapata -- Chapter 9. Nutrient dynamics and nutrient cycling by birds / Motoko Fujita and Kayoko O. Kameda -- Chapter 10. Avian ecosystem engineers : birds that excavate cavities / Chris Floyd and Kathy Martin -- Chapter 11. Avian ecological functions and ecosystem services in the tropics / Çağan H. Şekercioğlu and Evan R. Buechley -- Chapter 12. Why birds matter : bird ecosystem services that promote biodiversity and support human well-being / Çağan H. Şekercioğlu, Daniel G. Wenny, Christopher J. Whelan, and Chris Floyd -- Contributors -- Index

Local Note:

eBooks on EBSCOhost

Subject Term:

Birds -- Ecology.

Birds -- Environmental aspects.

Oiseaux -- Aspect de l'environnement.

NATURE -- Animals -- Birds.

NATURE -- Birdwatching Guides.

SCIENCE -- Life Sciences -- Zoology -- Ornithology.

Birds -- Ecology

Birds -- Environmental aspects

Oiseaux -- Écologie.

Added Author:

S̜ekercioğlu, C̜ağan,

Wenny, Daniel G.,

Whelan, Christopher J. (Christopher John), 1958-

Format:

Electronic Resources

Electronic Access:

http://ezproxy.angliss.edu.au/login?url=http://ezproxy.angliss.edu.au/login?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&AN=1331640

Publication Date:

2016

Publication Information:

Chicago ;

London :

The University of Chicago Press,

2016

Available:*

Shelf Number	Material Type	Copy	Shelf Location	Status
598 23	1:E-BOOK	1	1:ONLINE	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

For over one hundred years, ornithologists and amateur birders have jointly campaigned for the conservation of bird species, documenting not only birds' beauty and extraordinary diversity, but also their importance to ecosystems worldwide. But while these avian enthusiasts have noted that birds eat fruit, carrion, and pests; spread seed and fertilizer; and pollinate plants, among other services, they have rarely asked what birds are worth in economic terms. In Why Birds Matter , an international collection of ornithologists, botanists, ecologists, conservation biologists, and environmental economists seeks to quantify avian ecosystem services--the myriad benefits that birds provide to humans.

The first book to approach ecosystem services from an ornithological perspective, Why Birds Matter asks what economic value we can ascribe to those services, if any, and how this value should inform conservation. Chapters explore the role of birds in such important ecological dynamics as scavenging, nutrient cycling, food chains, and plant-animal interactions--all seen through the lens of human well-being--to show that quantifying avian ecosystem services is crucial when formulating contemporary conservation strategies. Both elucidating challenges and providing examples of specific ecosystem valuations and guidance for calculation, the contributors propose that in order to advance avian conservation, we need to appeal not only to hearts and minds, but also to wallets.

Author Notes

Çağan H. Şekercioğlu is professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Utah, associate of ornithology at the Harvard University Museum of Comparative Zoology, and distinguished visiting fellow at Koç University of Istanbul. He is coauthor, most recently, of Conservation of Tropical Birds and Winged Sentinels: Birds and Climate Change . Daniel G. Wenny is landbird senior biologist at the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory and visiting research scholar at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley. Christopher J. Whelan is visiting research associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a research affiliate at the Field Museum, Chicago. He is coeditor of Restoration of Endangered Species: Conceptual Issues, Planning and Implementation .

Reviews (1)

Choice Review

Ecosystems perform many essential services for human society--moderating climate, storing freshwater, preventing erosion, producing food, pollinating crops, maintaining nutrient cycles, and providing recreational, cultural, aesthetic, and spiritual values. Some services, such as food production, can readily be monetized; aesthetic values are more challenging. Twelve chapters provide an overview of services and economic ornithology, recognizing that not all economic contributions are beneficial. For example, birds control pests in some systems but serve as pests in others. Chapters examine the intrinsic value of birds as food and specimens, their relation to trophic networks, and their role in pollination, seed dispersal, and nutrient cycling. Woodpeckers "excavate cavities" in trees that are used by many other species for nests or winter shelter. In the tropics, birds are central to a growing ecotourism industry. The intrinsic value of seeing and hearing birds is important to many, but a dollar value may be needed to convince others who are oblivious to birds and ecosystems. Many nations recognize the importance of maintaining biodiversity while failing to fund conservation. Monetizing ecosystem services may be the answer. This book builds the "conceptual framework" and provides specific examples. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers. --Joanna Burger, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick