Out Of Eden [Hardcover]

A worthy and timely read, providing a provocative and literary exploration of a topic that is of growing prominence and debate. It is a book to love for its exploration of a fascinating and timely subject, for the writing itself, and for Burdick's adeptness at taking the reader along for a remarkable exploration.

Burdick deserves high praise (which he is getting - see professional reviews) for the width and breadth of his research, travels and writing. The writing is wonderfully descriptive and poetic, the facts, processes and theories of invasive species biology and research are artfully described. These qualities, I believe, assure that the book will prove stimulating and readily enjoyable to readers who might not stray into the natural history and science fields otherwise.

A growing debate over "saving" endangered species has generated a rise in ecological studies. We too often view the issues raised in these discussion in too large a framework. Dams and chemicals savage habitat. Denuded rainforests reduce rain and reduce oxygen output. Disruption of the "balance of nature" must be stopped and reversed, according to environmental campaigners. There is another element rarely considered in ecological studies - how humans have been and are introducing new species into global habitats. Alan Burdick spent much of the past decade talking to the people who are investigating this phenomenon. This book is the result of his "odyssey". In a superb investigating account, he reveals what work has been achieved and what more is needed. Both accomplishments and unfinished studies are staggering in their scope and importance.

Opening his travel narrative with one of the more noted ecological disasters, he tours Guam, where an Australian reptile, the brown tree snake, devastated the indigenous species. Guam's isolation had protected its wildlife from major predators and thus was vulnerable to this invader. From the mid-Pacific, he visits Hawai'i [which he's careful to spell correctly, but only for a while]. The snake has almost certainly arrived in that State, but has been preceded by more notorious invaders - rats, goats and pigs. In Hawai'i, the pig occupies a less absolute value as an "alien" species. The Polynesian settlers brought pigs of their own all those hundreds of years ago. This "domestic" version is a major item in Hawai'ian culture, and hunting it is beset with ritual. It is reputed to be less destructive than the "wild" pigs left by Cook and other Europeans. Burdick explains how its uprooting practices might add new habitat to forest species. It is at this point that he introduces the problem of assessing just what values we must consider in determining what is "natural".

With millennia of species' movements throughout the world, humans don't have sufficient record of how various organisms have shifted location and how much they might have changed original habitats. The introduction of the brown tree snake is set in time - post World War II. How do we compare that to Darwin's Finches on the Galapagos? New species either fit into the existing environment or change it to a new stability. Burdick examines these questions in both biological and philosophical frameworks. Yet, as he makes clear, the philosophical resolution must await more research information.

For more detailed biological research Burdick returns to the mainland. Travelling with Jim Carlton, one of the heroes of this tale, he follows a team around San Francisco Bay. The Bay, a major Pacific port, receives millions of litres of "ballast water" every year. Picked up at points of origin almost anywhere in the world, this water keeps ships stable. The water, with all the marine organisms it contains, is dumped on arrival. Jim Carlton's team is not only counting and typing the organisms, they are trying to understand how the "invaders" react with the present environment. The research isn't confined to one area and some surprising results are described.

Far distant from San Francisco Bay, James Drake in Knoxville, Tennessee, performed a series of lab experiments. He sequentially added "new" species in controlled environments. Expecting to see the "intruders" overwhelming the prior organisms or be rejected, he was astonished to discover the intruders and "indigenous" organisms fit in without rancour. Even though each had but limited resources and occupied the same "niche", both survived intact. To Carlton, this study indicated that all the classical theories of "biogeography" need to be reconsidered - perhaps "turned on its head". In effect, introduced species can create "alternative" ecosystems. The result, as Carlton emphasizes, is that we have little idea of what a "natural" ecosystem actually is. Carlton's plea for more research and new students to perform it is a cry from the heart. The work is neither glamourous nor personally rewarding, but is essential to understanding ecological impact. Legislation is pending on the issue of ballast water dumping, but information remains insufficient to posit specifics.

The mass of world trade moves across the seas from point to point - ballast water being taken up and dumped with little idea of what it contains. Fleets of aircraft, carrying snakes, lizards or other durable animals, depart and land with crews unaware of the stowaways. What impact these conveyed intruders have remains a mystery in most places. There are new species of bacilli in one of NASA's "clean rooms" waiting hitch a ride to Mars and Europa. Are they invaders, modified from an organism carried in or something that evolved within the facility? Burdick echoes Carlton's call, reminding us that we haven't had enough time to assess the results of these transportations. Since we don't know what "unadulterated nature" is, we may be ignorantly suffering from changes. To Burdick and many of those he interviewed, "we must guard against everything". That's a big task. To learn how big, read this account. Then pass it on to your children. They are that new generation of researchers. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Who knew that a book about such a serious topic could be so witty and fun to read. Burdick takes the reader on an excellent world tour -- and he makes a the best sort of travel companion.

If you're tired of the shrill discourse that surrounds ecological matters, you'll welcome this book. Burdick has no axe to grind. He clearly went out to report on this complicated topic with an open mind. What does it mean to label something an invasive species? Can a non-native spieces increase the biodiversity of an ecosystem? Given that humans are the ultimate invasive species, what are our hopes for curbing the spread of other organisms? It's enjoyable to watch a savvy and smart journalist really think about these questions.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 17 reviews  4.1 out of 5 stars