ISBN : 9780198759812
The musteloids are the most diverse super-family among carnivores, ranging from little known, exotic, and highly-endangered species to the popular and familiar, and include a large number of introduced invasives. They feature terrestrial, fossorial, arboreal, and aquatic members, ranging from tenacious predators to frugivorous omnivores, span weights from a 100g weasel to 30kg giant otters, and express a range of social behaviours from the highly gregarious to the fiercely solitary. Musteloids are the subjects of extensive cutting-edge research from phylogenetics to the evolution of sociality and through to the practical implications of disease epidemiology, introduced species management, and climate change. Their diversity and extensive biogeography inform a wide spectrum of ecological theory and conservation practice. The editors of this book have used their combined 90 years of experience working on the behaviour and ecology of wild musteloids to draw together a unique network of the world's most successful and knowledgeable experts. The book begins with nine review chapters covering hot topics in musteloid biology including evolution, disease, social communication, and management. These are followed by twenty extensive case studies providing a range of comprehensive geographic and taxonomic coverage. The final chapter synthesises what has been discussed in the book, and reflects on the different and diverse conservation needs of musteloids and the wealth of conservation lessons they offer. Biology and Conservation of Musteloids provides a conceptual framework for future research and applied conservation management that is suitable for graduate level students as well as professional researchers in musteloid and carnivore ecology and conservation biology. It will also be of relevance and use to conservationists and wildlife managers.
Part I: Reviews
1 David W. Macdonald, Chris Newman, and Lauren A. Harrington: Dramatis personae: an introduction to the wild musteloids
2 Klaus-Peter Koepfli, Jerry W. Dragoo, and Xiaoming Wang: The evolutionary history and molecular systematics of the Musteloidea
3 Andrew C. Kitchener, Carlo Meloro, and Terrie M. Williams: Form and function of the musteloids
4 Xavier Lambin: The population dynamics of bite-sized predators: prey dependence, territoriality and mobility
5 Christina Buesching and Theodore Stankowich: Communication amongst the musteloids: Signs, signals, and cues
6 David W. Macdonald and Chris Newman: Musteloid sociology: the grass-roots of society
7 Lauren A. Harrington, Jorgelina Marino, and Carolyn M. King: People and wild native musteloids
8 Roger A. Powell, Stephen Ellwood, Roland Kays, and Tiit Maran: Stink or swim - techniques to meet the challenges for the study and conservation of small critters that hide, swim or climb and may otherwise make themselves unpleasant
9 Chris Newman and Andrew Bryne: Musteloid Diseases - Implications for conservation and species management
Part II: Case studies
10 Carolyn M. King, Grant Norbury, and Andrew J. Veale: Small mustelids in New Zealand: invasion ecology down-under
11 Roger A Powell, Aaron N Facka, Mourad W Gabriel, Jonathan H Gilbert, J Mark Higley, Scott LaPoint, Nicholas P McCann, Wayne Spencer, and Craig M Thompson: The fisher as a model organism
12 Samuel A. Cushman and Tzeidle N. Wasserman: Quantifying loss and degradation of former American Marten habitat due to the impacts of forestry operations and associated road networks in northern Idaho, USA
13 Youbing Zhou, Chris Newman, Yayoi Kaneko, Christina D. Buesching, Wenwen Chen, Zhao-Min Zhou, Zongqiang Xie, and David W. Macdonald: Asian badgers - the same, only different: How diversity among badger societies informs socio-ecological theory and challenges conservation
14 Joanna Ross, Andrew J. Hearn, and David W. Macdonald: The Bornean carnivore community: Lessons from a little-known guild
15 Dean E. Biggins and David A. Eads: Evolution, natural history, and conservation of black-footed ferrets
16 Elaine J. Fraser, Lauren A. Harrington, David W. Macdonald, and Xavier Lambin: Control of an invasive species: the American mink in the UK
17 Tiit Maran, Madis Podra, Lauren A. Harrington, and David W. Macdonald: European mink - restoration attempts for a species on the brink of extinction
18 Jeffrey P. Copeland, Arild Landa, Kimberly Heinemeyer, Keith B. Aubry, Jiska van Dijk, Roel May, Jens Persson, John Squires, and Richard Yates: Social ethology of the wolverine
19 Rich D. Weir, Trevor A. Kinley, Richard W. Klafki, and Clayton D. Apps: Ecotypic variation affects the conservation of American badgers endangered along their northern range extent
20 Rosie Woodroffe and Christl A. Donnelly: European badgers and the control of bovine tuberculosis in Great Britain
21 Chris Newman, Christina D. Buesching, and David W. Macdonald: Meline mastery of meteorological mayhem: The effects of climate changeability on European badger population dynamics
22 Jessica Groenendijk, Frank Hajek, Paul J. Johnson, David W. Macdonald: Giant otters: using knowledge of life history for conservation
23 James A. Estes, M. Tim Tinker, and Terrie M. Williams: Advances in the physiology, behaviour and ecology of sea otters
24 Christine C. Hass and Jerry W. Dragoo: Competition and coexistence in sympatric skunks
25 Matthew E. Gompper: Range decline and landscape ecology of the eastern spotted skunk
26 Melody Brooks and Roland Kays: Kinkajou - the tree top specialist
27 Samuel I. Zeveloff: On the mortality and management of a ubiquitous musteloid: the common racoon
28 Ben T. Hirsch and Matthew E. Gompper: Causes and consequences of coati sociality
29 Yibo Hu, Dunwu Qi, and Fuwen Wei: Conservation genetics of red pandas in the wild
Part III: Synthesis
30 David W. Macdonald, Chris Newman, and Lauren A. Harrington: Beneath the umbrella: Conservation out of the limelight
