Promotions - Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles 2023 -

The beautiful quagga zebras, which had fewer stripes and more of a reddish-brown coloration than other variants of the subgenus Equus quagga, were once abundant in southern Africa and often depicted in traditional art. They were also exhibited in many early zoos. However, excessive hunting caused their extinction during the late 19th century. A focus of this work is the Quagga Project, spearheaded by Reinhold Rau, who arranged to send DNA obtained from the hides of museum specimens to scientists who compared it with DNA from living plains zebras, which mostly have black-and-white stripes covering a larger proportion of their bodies, and determined they were members of the same species. Plains zebras with traits resembling the extinct quagga zebras were selected for breeding, and in each subsequent generation, the offspring most like the extinct quaggas were crossbred until a line of zebras called Rau quaggas, with striping patterns very similar to the extinct quaggas, resulted. This well-illustrated volume discusses cultural issues, ethical questions, and genetics. Given impending global reduction of biodiversity caused by climate change, hunting, and habitat loss, etc., this succinct multidisciplinary work, with its case history example of restoring biodiversity, is both relevant and timely.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.

Alison Richard (emer., Yale Univ.), who has spent a lifetime studying the ecology and natural history of Madagascar, has written a book that successfully interweaves Madagascar science, cultural insights, and personal reflections. Richard clearly loves and understands this island and is dedicated to telling its stories to the world. The text is accessible and a must-read for anyone with interest in island cultures and unique fauna. The reader will learn how plate tectonics created the island; how ocean currents inhabited the island with species; how species evolved in new habitats; how grasslands have long been a part of the Madagascar landscape; and about the challenges posed by possible species extinction, habitat loss, and invasive species. The book is at once scientific overview and reflective memoir, posing questions and examining underlying factors. An extensive bibliography is included along with photographs illustrating important concepts. Drawing together a mix of storytelling and scientific prose, Richard has written an up-to-date compilation of what is known about Madagascar's geology, evolution, ecology, human communities, and conservation challenges, including due attention to cultural and political factors. This book is an important contribution to efforts to educate stakeholders, scientists, students, and the public, and to conserving Madagascar's biodiversity.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.