Hawaiian Natural History, Ecology, and Evolution (ISBN 0824821904)

A fascinating lesson in ecology and the state of paradise:
Many visitors arrive in Honolulu from Japan on planes decorated with one of the most exotic of Hawaiian birds, the scarlet i'iwi. But they will not see an i'iwi on Oahu. To see one they will have to treck to a remote tract of forest on one of the outer islands. Why are there almost no native Hawaiian birds left outside mountain forests? How did the i'iwi develop its spectacular shape? And what happened to the flightless birds whose remains have accumulated in lava tubes? To understand such things requires some understanding of the the geology, climate, and flora as well as the history of the islands. Ziegler's book makes all of these things accessible, especially to readers with some prior knowledge of one or more of these fields. It covers everything from the volcanic origins of the islands to the agricultural practices of the Polynesian settlers and the impact of alien species. It gains greatly from being written by a single author with a consistent, learned but readable style and format. As a linguist I was impressed by the care taken with the Hawaiian language: Hawaiian terms and names for species are provided and explained wherever possible. The book thus makes an unexpected but welcome contribution to the ongoing revival of the Hawaiian language, as well as to ecology and island biogeography. A paperback edition would help greatly to promote wider appreciation of the fragile natural world of the Hawaiian islands.

Indispensible and up-to-date mythbuster:
It's been three decades since anyone has published a general survey of Hawaii's natural history. A lot has happened since. Just on Maui, researchers have discovered po`ouli birds, happyface spiders and the fossils of extinct, flightless giant "geese." And we now know more about what was already known here 30 years ago, like the fibropapilloma tumor disease of green sea turtles, which was present at least by the mid-'50s, though unrecognized. Today it is epidemic. These islands are unique and so strange, biologically and geologically, that even a survey requires a thick book. Alan Ziegler says his "Hawaiian Natural History, Ecology, and Evolution" is "relatively condensed" and intended for the general reader or possibly as a college textbook. For a condensed product, "Hawaiian Natural History" is pretty chewy. The book is filled with tables and charts. So if you want to know how many species of geckos live in Hawaii and when each was introduced, the answer is on page 238 -- seven species, four brought by ancient Polynesians and the most recent migrant, the orange-spotted day gecko, sometime in the 1980s. Anyone in Hawaii with an interest in environmental issues needs to be familiar with what's in this book, which covers even more subjects than Sherwin Carlquist's standard text "Hawaii: A Natural History," which hasn't been updated since 1980. For one thing, there are four myths about Hawaii that are found in almost every popular book and article, and even in some professional papers, and Ziegler explodes three of them. It is not true that Hawaii enjoys "rich volcanic soil." That's Sicily. Hawaii's volcanos are different, and Ziegler explains why. It is not true that Hawaii harbors an incredibly diverse biota. Like other isolated archipelagoes, it is missing a lot -- reptiles, amphibians, pines, oaks etc. Ziegler dislikes such terms as "depauperate," "impoverished" or "truncated," settling somewhat reluctantly for "disharmonic." Anyhow, Hawaii's flora and fauna demonstrate very high endemism but very low diversity. It is not true that the ancient Hawaiians had some sort of mystical understanding that allowed (or required) them to live in harmony with nature in a way Westerners cannot. It takes some courage for Ziegler to say it, but we know now that every human society -- Polynesians no less than any other -- altered its territory to suit its desires, to the limit of its technology. Batting .750 is pretty good, but unfortunately Ziegler whiffs the fourth myth. It is not true that after Contact the Hawaiian population succumbed to exotic diseases for which they "had no natural immunity." Neither did anybody else. Diseases such as smallpox were as deadly to Europeans as to Hawaiians. The etiology of the disease played out differently, and more disastrously both individually and socially, for the Hawaiians. But it should have been clear from news reports current at the time this book was published (concerning the possibility that terrorists had somehow gotten hold of live smallpx virus) that Europeans and European Americans do not believe they enjoy natural immunity from smallpox. That episode ought to have been enough to demolish the fantasy of haole (white) immunity, but the notion is so entrenched, it probably won't. "Hawaiian Natural History" is not as graceful reading as some flossy "environmental" books about Hawaii, but it is much more reliable than most, and it lopes across more territory than any other. Should a reader want to explore more deeply, Ziegler provides an extensive annotated bibliography. "Hawaiian Natural History" will be indispensable.

Hard Critic:
I hold this book to a somewhat higher level, being published by a University Press. It is quite good, but tends to be somewhat wordy in some parts of the text. I also note episodes of over-simplification in some areas (e.g. use of 'Basalt'). I would rather the author use Basalt where it is intended and Basalt-like or some similar term to distinguish the difference between the two in a text-like book. Some benefit could also be made of some larger degree of color plates. All this aside, the text is quite balanced and has a variety of authorized illustrations that are pertinent, even when not of a higher quality. Some elements of less particular relevance to Hawai'i in particular might have been dispensed with. An example would be the chapter explaining Ecology concepts. A perfunctory paragraph or two might do with reference to standard texts or even an expanded discussion of the concepts, but using Hawai'in examples rather than more generic ones. Much of this is a criticism, and not overwhelming on the whole, inasmuch as no similar work of such broad breadth is known to me. A book trying to do this much has a tendency to turn 'off the path' at times. In summation, this is a worthy book that might benefit from mild textual revisions and improved illustrations, but is a bargain anyway. I would clearly recommend it as an option to 6 or 7 books in the subspecialties it replaces: Geology, Ecology, Meteorology, Evolution, Botany, Marine Biology and Terestrial Vertebrate Biology.

Arthropods to Mammals:
Ziegler covers every topic in Hawaiian Natural History: Invertebrates, vertebrates and plants. Also there are interesting chapters on Geology as well. If you are wondering where the evolution is in the book, there is a nice chapter on evolution's history and concepts. It has been mentioned that Ziegler devotes particular care to the traditional Hawaiian names of animals and plants and that is the case. There is also a chapter on the history of the Polynesians and another on their ecology. There are separate chapters for birds, mammals and even snails. Nice tables list endemic species as well as indigenous and alien. I found the book rather boring to read cover to cover but that is my particular taste. I am a biology student but not working in the field. Perhaps this book would serve as a reference.

A great overview of a unique place...:
Alan C. Ziegler's Hawaiian Natural History, Ecology, and Evolution book is a rich source of detailed information on the physical, biological, and cultural evolution of the Hawaiian Islands. It begins, as expected, with chapters on the physical processes involving the formation of the islands. This is followed by a review of ocean-land interactions, and a discussion of the various ecosystems occurring on the islands and in the nearshore environments. Ziegler then discusses various taxa, from snails to birds to plants to flies. There is a discussion of how people arrived in Hawaii, and how they affected change in the islands. Finally, he has a chapter on the early naturalists in Hawaii, and notes on their contributions. This book can serve as both a reference for anyone interested in Hawaiian natural history, or, I am certain, as a textbook in a course on this topic. It really is a book on ecology, using the Hawaiian Islands as the organizing theme. I try to keep on top of natural history issues, and I was pleasantly surprised at the continual discovery of new information as I read the book. Ziegler writes well, and the illustrations, maps, and diagrams are used liberally and appropriately throughout. Recommended for all with an interest in the Hawaiian Islands.