Grouse—an ecologically important group of birds that include capercaillie, prairie chickens, and ptarmigan—are distributed throughout the forests, grasslands, and tundra of Europe, Asia, and North America. Today, many grouse populations are in decline, and the conservation and management of these charismatic birds is becoming a global concern. This volume summarizes current knowledge of grouse biology in 25 chapters contributed by 80 researchers from field studies around the world. Organized in four sections—Spatial Ecology, Habitat Relationships, Population Biology, and Conservation and Management—the chapters offer important insights into spatial requirements, movements, and demography of grouse. Much of the research employs emerging tools in ecology that span biogeochemistry, molecular genetics, endocrinology, radio-telemetry, and remote sensing. The chapters explore topics including the impacts of climate change, energy development, and harvest, and give new evidence for life-history changes in response to human activities.
Brett K. Sandercock is Associate Professor in the Division of Biology at Kansas State University. Kathy Martin is Professor in the Department of Forest Sciences and Director of the Centre for Alpine Studies at the University of British Columbia. Gernot Segelbacher is Lecturer at the University of Freiburg in Germany.
“The grouse of the northern hemisphere have been bellwether agents for population ecology and conservation. This book will help bring our knowledge of these birds together both to increase our ecological understanding of grouse and to improve our conservation efforts for these birds.”--Charles J. Krebs, Professor Emeritus of Zoology, University of British Columbia
"A marvelous feast of field studies, especially for researchers working with dwindling and threatened populations, focusing on habitat relationships and population biology. This book is a sumptuous meal for avian researchers.”--Paul Johnsgard, Professor Emeritus, University of Nebraska-Lincoln and author of Grassland Grouse and their Conservation
"This volume is exciting from the perspective of a grouse biologist but also from a more general ecological perspective. It provides an excellent synthesis of the ecology and conservation of these fascinating and beautiful inhabitants and their ecosystems, which are as diverse as tundra, forest, and grassland."--Hans Christian Pedersen, Professor and Senior Scientist, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research.
376 pp.7 x 10Illus: 4 b/w photographs, 60 line illustrations, 11 maps, 65 tables
9780520270060$100.00|£84.00Hardcover
Oct 2011