Applied Soil Ecology 15 (2000) 301
Book review
Invertebrate biodiversity as bioindicators of sus-tainable landscapes. Practical use of invertebrates to assess sustainable landscapes
M.G. Paoletti (Ed.); Elsevier, Amsterdam, New York, 1999, 460 pp., NLG 295 (US$ 149.50), ISBN 0444500197
The aim of this volume as stated in the foreword is “... to provide an up-to-date summary of our current
knowledge of how and where small organisms could help in assessing environmental status. ” The topics included were chosen “...to suggest groups of
organ-isms, mostly invertebrates with either demonstrated value or strong potential as bioindicators.” Much of the concern in relation to loss of biodiversity in ter-restrial habitats has focused on the more conspicuous fauna (birds, mammals and butterflies). However, as the editor correctly points out “... small
inconspic-uous invertebrates can offer a database of millions, thereby offering a more abundant and sophisticated tool for environmental assessment.”
The rationale for using biodiversity-based indi-cators, and current limitations of this approach, are considered by Paoletti in the opening chapter. Rela-tionships between biodiversity and function are ex-amined by Altieri, who reviews the various ecological services performed by biodiversity in agro-ecosystems and considers options for enhancing functional bio-diversity in crop fields. Duelli, Obrist and Schmatz consider above-ground insects generally in relation to biodiversity evaluation in agricultural landscapes and stress the need for standardized inventory methods applied over longer time periods.
These three general chapters are followed by 18 chapters addressing current and potential utility of particular groups as bioindicators. Unexpectedly for a volume dedicated to invertebrates, there are chapters dealing with bacteria and AM fungi as well as proto-zoa, nematodes, earthworms, woodlice, soil-dwelling
Diptera, carabid beetles, spiders, Heteroptera, Neu-roptera, predacious coccinellids, syrphids, pollinators, predatory mites and ants. Information is provided on the ecology and general biology of these groups, their distribution, taxonomy and identification, sampling and handling methods, sensitivity to stresses of vari-ous kinds and potential as bioindicators. As might be expected in a multi-authored volume, the treatment of these topics is rather uneven across chapters: some provide quite specific information on sampling meth-ods and key taxonomic works for example; others are less informative in these respects.
This book provides valuable pointers to the use-fulness of particular invertebrate groups as bioindi-cators in particular circumstances and contains useful information on the design and implementation of biodiversity studies and the difficulties involved in conducting and interpreting such studies. However, it does not provide a simple answer to the question: which group(s) of invertebrates can be most easily and reliably used to evaluate environmental quality? Indeed it is apparent from the various chapters that there is as yet little agreement as to which (if any) taxa or groups of taxa are good indicators for bio-diversity generally, and for changes in biobio-diversity associated with environmental perturbation. Never-theless, despite the fact that it may not be possible to be prescriptive at this stage, a concluding chapter summarizing information on the pros and the cons of the various candidate groups as potential bioindicators in different circumstances would have been helpful.
J.P. Curry∗
University College Dublin, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Environmental Resource Management, Belfield, Dublin, 4, Ireland
∗
Tel.:+353-1-706-7093; fax:+353-1-706-1102.
E-mail address:james.curry@ucd.ie (J.P. Curry).
Received 6 July 2000
