Cracraft, Joel, and Francesca T. Grifo. 1999. The living planet in crisis: biodiversity science and policy. New York: Columbia University Press, 311pp. A significant contribution to the literature on biodiversity from American Museum of Natural History researchers.
Daily, Gretchen C. 1997. Nature's services: societal dependence on natural ecosystems. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 392pp. A five part edited volume, addressing economic issues of valuation, overarching services, services supplied by major biomes, case studies, and conclusions.
Grifo, Francesca, and Joshua Rosenthal, eds. 1997. Biodiversity and human health. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 379pp. In recent years, biodiversity has been linked with human health, national defense, and other global issues.
Knight, Richard L., and Suzanne Riedel, eds. 2002. Aldo Leopold and the Ecological Conscience. New York: Oxford University Press, 190pp. Thirteen essays on [Aldo] "Leopold's relevance to today's social and environmental changes," including one by Stephen R. Kellert of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
Levin, Simon. 1999. Fragile dominion: complexity and the commons. Reading, Massachusetts: Helix Books/Perseus Books, 250pp. Two chapters were used as readings in the seminar. The complete book is challenging and enlightening. A merging of ecology, evolutionary biology, complex systems theory, and biodiversity to address key questions about patterns in nature, historical considerations, ecosystem assembly, structure and function, and ecosystem resiliency.
Reaka-Kudla, Marjorie L., Don E. Wilson, and Edward O. Wilson, eds. 1997. Biodiversity II: understanding and protecting our biological resources. Washington, D.C.: Joseph Henry Press, 551pp. The follow-up volume on biodiversity from the National Academy of Sciences.
Soule, Michael E., and Gordon H. Orians, eds. 2001. Conservation biology: research priorities for the next decade. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 307pp. Described by ecologist David Wilcove as "an informed synopsis of today's accomplishments in the field of conservation biology, and a guide to tomorrow's breakthroughs."
Wilson, Edward O. 2002. The future of life. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 229pp. An up-to-date account of the value of biodiversity by the leading figure in the field.
Wilson, Edward O. 1992. The diversity of life. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 424pp. An earlier work by this Pulitzer Prize winning author.
Wilson, E.O., ed. 1988. BioDiversity. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 521pp. This National Academy of Sciences publication laid the groundwork for all subsequent works on biodiversity.
Worster, Donald. 1994. Nature's economy: a history of ecological ideas (Second edition). New York: Cambridge University Press, 507pp. Read during the course of the seminar, this classic work will (along with works by such authors as Roderick Nash) lead to further refinement of this curriculum unit to include a section on the environmental ethic.
