Out of Eden: An Odyssey of Ecological Invasion

Science News, July 2, 2005

OUT OF EDEN: An Odyssey of Ecological Invasion

ALAN BURDICK

Nature is dynamic. Populations wax and wane and wander and, in the long run, plants and animals evolve. But humanity's interaction with nature has accelerated other species' transformations. In this book, Burdick examines how people have hastened the natural process of species migration, making this a phenomenon of occasionally disastrous consequences. A single ecological invasion--the introduction of a nonnative species to an environment--can wreak havoc on a fragile ecosystem. For example, Burdick describes how the brown tree snake, a native of Australia, now runs amok in Guam. The author tells how the island's invading snakes now hide in trees, airplane landing gear, and even toilets. Unfettered by natural predators, brown snakes are threatening native Guamanian wildlife. The world is quickly becoming homogenized, according to the author, with the same species appearing around the globe. Wherever people travel, Burdick explains, invasive species are sure to follow, either introduced by accident or deliberately by homesick settlers. This book is a fascinating meditation on the meanings of "natural" and "alien." Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005, 336 p., hardcover, $25.00.