WETLANDS, Vol. 28, No. 1, March 2008, pp. 251–254 ’ 2008, The Society of Wetland Scientists

REVIEWS

WETLANDS, FOURTH EDITION

new citations and deletion of many old, hard-tolocate citations. A new chapter on Climate Change and Wetlands has been added; however, the seven chapters on wetlands types (tidal salt marshes, tidal freshwater marshes, mangrove swamps, freshwater marshes, peatlands, freshwater swamps, and riparian ecosystems) were removed. In the preface, the authors provide a sound rationale for deleting the wetland-type chapters and note that they preserved some important points by placing them in other sections. I cannot disagree with them in making this change – it is impossible to try to cover all wetland types without leaving many of them out. Still, I will miss those chapters as a means of exploring with my classes the diversity of those places we call wetlands. The new chapter on climate change provides a brief, less-than-AlGoreian description of recorded temperature changes, consequences, and causes. Much of the chapter is then devoted to the biogeochemistry of carbon sequestration and emission from peat. The effects of climate change on wetland ecosystems are mostly described in terms of sea-level rise, but inland wetlands and management approaches are discussed briefly. The Mitsch and Gosselink text will continue to be used in many wetland courses because it covers the physical sciences better than most alternative texts and also delves into wetland development, management, and protection. Hydrology is arguably the most important function to understand when learning about wetlands, and the text continues to do a good job laying out the general principles of hydroperiods and water budgets. However, I don’t think it covers ground-water hydrology in enough detail for students to understand how to conduct or interpret ground-water studies. Therefore, I use figures from Winter et al. (1998) (see http:// pubs.usgs.gov/circ/circ1139/) when teaching that topic. Wetland biogeochemistry is the most difficult topic for me to teach, despite having two degrees in biochemistry, because many or most students do not have a background in chemistry that is adequate for dealing with complex cycles and chemical reactions. The text does a yeoman’s job in laying them out, but I must find other ways to simplify that material in lectures. As in the third edition, most other material in the book is covered well. However, one major problem remains.

Mitsch, W. J. and J. G. Gosselink. 2007. Wetlands, Fourth Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, NY, USA. 582 pp. US$90.00 (hardcover), ISBN 0471699675. I started using the second edition of the Mitsch and Gosselink text Wetlands ten years ago when I began teaching Wetland Ecology as a graduate course at the University of Michigan. I assigned 11 of the 18 chapters for reading, but I relied on supplementary material to cover many of the topics that I thought to be important. I did not assign the seven chapters on specific wetland types. When the third edition came out in 2000, I found it much improved in content – adding considerable updated material within the chapters I had been using, improving many of the graphics, taking a more worldly view, and doing more with material on wetland values, human impacts, management, protection, and restoration/creation. I even began to assign the seven relatively unchanged chapters on wetland types as background reading, although I did not include that material in graded exams. Imagine my surprise in the summer of 2007 when the bookstore at University of Michigan-Dearborn (where I have also been teaching the course for four years) called to tell me that the fourth edition of Wetlands was now available, and it seemed to be somewhat reduced in size. I was able to obtain a copy relatively quickly–in time to revise the course syllabus before classes started. The new version was reduced from 21 chapters and 920 pages to 14 chapters and 582 pages. The chapter on Wetlands of North America is gone; however, most of the subject is now covered (and even expanded upon) in the revamped chapter on Wetlands of the World. In an effort to ‘‘internationalize’’ the book further, the revised chapter covers more of the important wetland complexes on the globe, and a later chapter ties some of them to recent events, such as Hurricane Katrina, the Indian Ocean tsunami, and restoration of the Mesopotamian Marshland. The chapters on wetland management remain intact and are improved, although the order has changed a bit, and the chapter on Wetland Classification has moved to a different section of the book. Other chapters have been updated also, with inclusion of more than 200 251

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The biology of wetlands is sprinkled throughout much of the book, but unlike hydrology and biogeochemistry, there are no chapters on wetland plant, invertebrate, fish, waterbird, or other wildlife communities. Biological adaptations to the wetland environment are covered well in the chapter by that name, and wetland ecosystem development (including succession, seed banks, and several means of looking at biological systems holistically) is covered well in another chapter. However, the biology that had been addressed in the wetland-type chapters is no longer available. I wish there was a section in the book specifically covering wetland plants and animals in a cohesive manner, although I recognize that this is a large undertaking that may be more suitable for another book. Indeed, several other wetland texts have been published in recent years that largely focus on biology but do not cover the physical sciences well. It would be nice to have everything in one text so that students need not buy multiple books and professors need not look elsewhere for supplementary lecture material. Overall, the topic of wetland science is extremely broad and far-ranging. The wide variety of scientific expertise found in the membership of SWS, topics covered in journal articles, and papers presented at meetings attests to the multi-disciplinary nature of our work. Although the Mitsch and Gosselink Wetlands text has sometimes been referred to in biblical terms, there are many forms of wetland science, just as there are religions and denominations. Reaching total agreement on what should be included in the book is perhaps as improbable as religious uniformity and world peace. So, I thank Bill and Jim for their initial effort two decades ago in unifying what we know about wetlands and then regularly updating it with revisions. The fourth edition of Wetlands will be used widely. Douglas A. Wilcox, Ph.D., PWS U.S. Geological Survey – Great Lakes Science Center 1451 Green Road Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA 48105

ECOLOGY OF FRESHWATER AND ESTUARINE WETLANDS Batzer, D. P. and R. R. Sharitz. 2007. Ecology of Freshwater and Estuarine Wetlands. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA, USA. 691 pp. US$59.95 (hardcover), ISBN 0:520-24777-9. As the book review editor I generally receive a book, spend a few days looking through it, assign a reviewer(s), and wait. Occasionally I purchase a

copy, quickly peruse the chapter(s) of interest, and place it on my shelf but after reading Freshwater and Estuarine Wetlands; I ordered 24 more for my graduate wetland ecology course. In the preface, the editors, Batzer and Sharitz, correctly identify the proliferation of wetland ecology courses and programs (both undergraduate and graduate), the paucity of wetland ‘‘ecology’’ textbooks, and the need to relate ecological principles across freshwater and estuarine wetland systems. While recognizing this need, the editors fail to report that there is currently no single resource available that simultaneously addresses both freshwater and estuarine wetlands making their contribution immediately applicable regardless of content, style, or veracity. Fortunately, Batzer and Sharitz do not disappoint and provide 17 ‘‘A-list’’ scientists, 691 well written and edited pages, distributed across 12 integrated and intuitive chapters. While predictably organized Ecology of Freshwater and Estuarine Wetlands provides a comprehensive introduction to the great ecological breadth and complexity that wetlands exhibit ranging from microbial process to biogeography and global climate. Early chapters address primary abiotic (e.g., geomorphology, soils, and hydrology) and biotic (e.g., adaptations of wetland plants and animals) properties of wetlands providing an excellent foundation for the substantial ecology that follows. This is not meant to suggest that these chapters are generic or elementary; rather they provide a much needed explanation of how and why wetlands are fundamentally different from terrestrial and aquatic systems allowing the reader to continue logically forward. Of these foundation chapters, wetland hydrology (Chapter 3), stands out as being sorely needed, timely, and summative addressing the basics of hydrology, applying these principles to wetlands of differing geomorphic conditions, and clearly articulating the role of hydropattern in shaping wetland biological communities. Having received a primer on the physical and abiotic constraints on wetland plants and animals, we launch into the second section of the book, which addresses general ecology and many ecological topics typically relegated to discipline specific text. Biogeochemistry and bacterial ecology of hydrologically dynamic wetlands (Chapter 5) is both intriguing and informative but probably too advanced for undergraduates. Chapter 6, Development of wetland plant communities, provides a lucid and objective introduction to the distribution of wetland plants in time and space addressing historic and current models with succinct detail. The same can be said

BOOK REVIEWS of the following 42 pages that concisely summarize wetland animal ecology highlighting trophic interactions (to include algal herbivory and arguments of top down versus bottom up constraints), secondary succession, biogeography, and focal wetland animals. The general ecology section ends with wetland ecosystem processes (Chapter 8) that serves to integrate previous chapters, place wetlands in time and space via the flow of energy and materials between wetlands, surface water, and terrestrial systems, as well as pointing out critical feedbacks within and among wetland ecosystems. The last four chapters of Freshwater and Estuarine Wetlands focus on issues of applied ecology, specifically regulation and policy, restoration, maintenance of biodiversity in floodplains, and the consequence of a changing global environment on wetlands. All are well crafted and provide a utilitarian view of the role of ecology at the science/advocacy interface. While the primary focus is on U.S. wetlands the principles presented are universal and relevant. As a landscape ecologist, it is refreshing to see how these chapters, especially Chapter 10 (Wetland restoration) and Chapter 11 (Flood pulsing and the development and maintenance of biodiversity in floodplains) incorporate time and space, with Chapter 10 serving as a practical functional template for wetland restoration from microsite to watershed. As with any first edition, there are some stylistic issues to resolve but these are negligible. For example, citations would be more user friendly at the end of each chapter as opposed to the end of the book, chapter number and authors names in the footer would be helpful, and a few of the figures could be made larger for those of us whose arms are not quite long enough anymore. These minor editorial criticisms are certainly outweighed by this book’s ‘‘accessibility’’– most notably the cost (,$60.00 U.S.) and length. In an era of specialty and ‘‘hybrid’’ academic resources, Ecology of Freshwater and Estuarine Wetlands is first and foremost an ecology textbook. It is well conceived, written, and edited with chapters following the typical class format. While this sounds innocuous, the editors have developed a resource that provides a comprehensive ecological foundation tailored to wetland environments, examines a wide range of ecological disciplines and often underrepresented taxa within the context of wetland ecology, and applies the acquired knowledge to policy without the lengthy trappings of advocacy often front loaded in other wetland resources. By doing so, Batzer and Sharitz provide a resource for ‘‘tool-

253 building’’ that is easily followed and conducive to the classroom and beyond. Kevin S. Godwin Book Review Editor, SWS Coastal Carolina University

THE BIOLOGY OF FRESHWATER WETLANDS van der Valk, Arnold G. 2006. The Biology of Freshwater Wetlands. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. 173 pp. US$95 (hardcover), ISBN 019-852539-7. As an aspiring wetland ecologist, I jumped at the opportunity to review a book by a scientist whose manuscripts I had read numerous times over the last three years. Not only was this a great opportunity to read a text authored by a highly respected ecologist, but my major professor said the words that make every graduate student smile with delight, ‘‘free book’’. The Biology of Freshwater Wetlands is a short text that covers the biology of freshwater wetlands of the world with great breadth and enough detail to interest but not overwhelm. The chapters are organized and illustrated with the student in mind. This text would be a great introduction for upper level undergraduate students, potential graduate students that are looking to narrow their specialization, wetland managers gaining world perspective, or professionals toying with the idea of making a career change. Although the text was a wonderful read, the layperson may be a bit intimidated by the scientific language. This is nothing that the small glossary and a good biology or ecology dictionary will not cure. Each chapter guides the reader through a short, well-written description of the major components of wetland ecology: wetland environments, microorganisms and invertebrates, wetland plants and animals, spatial and temporal patterns associated with wetlands, wetland function and a discussion on the future of wetlands. Especially thoughtful and interesting are the ‘‘Practical Experiments and Observation’’ activities outlined at the end of Chapters 1–6. These activities are straightforward, do not require large amounts of time and capital, and will provide the budding wetland ecologist with useful field experience. In addition to the review of the science, excellent figures depicting more detailed processes, interesting examples from relevant research, and suggested activities, van der Valk provides a thorough literature review. Students that find their curiosity peaked by particular topics will find a surprising

254 range of citations from the ‘‘classics’’ to the most current literature with an extensive bibliography on pages 155–168. Although there were a few minor editing errors, I believe that this is a fine introductory text that excites the reader while providing just enough detail so as not to overwhelm. As a wetland ‘‘plant geek’’ I found the section regarding plants a good review, citing a few articles that I had never read as well as several I needed to dust off. As everyone that has traveled down the graduate school path knows, once a student has spent a few years specializing, they tend to forget about the rest of the ‘‘world’’. Using interesting and timely examples from wetlands across the globe, van der Valk reminded me that in addition to the vegetation I am so passionate about, there is a plethora of interesting taxa, critical

WETLANDS, Volume 28, No. 1, 2008 functions, and interesting spatiotemporal relationships worthy of study. Danielle C. Zoellner Graduate Student Clemson University Book Editor note: I remember marveling the first time I read van der Valk’s environmental sieve model for its elegance and use it to this day in graduate seminar as an example of the strength and utility of a conceptual model. Following in the same fashion, the breadth and depth of this book provide an immediate tool for working environmentalists/ regulators, students, and faculty to articulate wetlands to an ever broadening audience. Kevin S. Godwin Book Review Editor, SWS Coastal Carolina University