Don Croll, Associate Professor
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

The Song of the Dodo by David Quammen

This book brings together many of the elements that breathe life into being a biologist: adventure, discovery, natural history, insight and challenge. In his journey Quammen describes speciation, extinction, natural selection, and the important relationship between biodiversity and islands. It begins with an inspiring description and comparison of Darwin and Wallace. In particular, Quammen shows how different these two monumental individuals were in their privilege and life experience – providing a real appreciation for Wallace's accomplishments. Quammen weaves their travels and experiences with how the places that formed their ideas have fared into present. From there Quammen builds to show how islands are not only keys to our understanding of evolution, but are centers of biodiversity, extinction, and conservation opportunity. He tells the interesting recent controversy of how islands may inform conservation today – bringing to life today's leaders in biology and conservation such as MacArthur, Wilson , Diamond, and Soule (Professor Emeritus from UCSC). By the end, the reader has come to understand something about the diversity of our planet, the importance of preserving its wild landscapes and some of the human characters that are intertwined with that diversity. Best, the book leaves the reader with a sense of excitement and hope for the future of conservation.