The Work of Nature: How the Diversity of Life Sustains Us

One of the greatest deficits in knowledge that most Americans carry has to do with biodiversity. Yvonne Baskin does a great job of pulling together a wide variety of ecological research results to reduce that deficit. Her writing is strong and clear (although it is an exaggeration to compare it to a Stephen King thriller, as is done on the back cover of the book). The Work of Nature is worth reading cover to cover, and then keeping as a useful reference book. Take the message to heart, and spread it widely: it is vital that we do more to save the natural world from human devastation. We depend the "work of nature" for our very lives.

Biodiversity is an important global issue that few people consider in their everyday life. Baskin's book provides a sense of purpose for preserving diversity by identifying important connections in ecosystems and their effects on people. According to the author, not all plants and animals are created equal. Some plant and animal species provide crucial functions in ecosystems processes, while others may serve redundant purposes. Although redundancy implies that these species are not needed, they may become important if a similar species is eliminated from the ecosystem. Species that provide crucial ecosystems functions and do not have replacements require focused attention in conservation efforts. The Work of Nature identifies many examples of our attempts to manage plant and animal species without considering the ecological side effects. A striking example is the massacre of small perching birds in China during the 1950's to reduce grain losses to them. After eliminating most of these birds, major insect outbreaks were reported across the country. Diversity is usually associated with tropical rain forests and other wild areas that cover only a small part of the world. To her credit, Baskin expands the discussion to include human dominated systems such as farming. The author describes processes such as the decomposition of compost by microbes in easy to understand language for a general audience. Throughout the book, important and surprising ecological connections are identified that stimulate interest in preserving biological diversity.