WFC 50: Natural History of California Wild Vertebrates

Extensive, completely revised and updated 17-volume version of the original work published in Germany in 1960. Incorporates recent developments in the animal world as noted by prominent advisors and contributors from the scientific community. Volume 1 covers Lower metazoans and lesser deuterostomes and volume 2 is on Protostomes. Volume 3 is about Insects. Volumes 4-5 are both concerning Fishes. Volume 6 pertains to Amphibians and volume 7 is about Reptiles. Volumes 8-11 are all concerning Birds. Volumes 12-16 are on Mammals and lastly, volume 17 is the cumulative index.
•Each entry by family includes taxonomic placement & brief details including thumbnail description, size, number of genera/species, habitat, conservation status, & distribution map.
•Detailed sections describe: evolution & systematics; physical characteristics; distribution; habitat; behavior; feeding ecology & diet; reproductive biology; conservation status; significance to humans; and end with lengthy species accounts

2019 (2nd ed.) J.C. Chose, ed. This “ … Four- Volume Set [is] the latest update since the 2010 release, builds upon the solid foundation established in the first edition. Updated sections include Host-parasite interactions, Vertebrate social behavior, and the introduction of ‘overview essays’ that boost the book's comprehensive detail. The structure for the work is modified to accommodate a better grouping of subjects. Some chapters have been reshuffled, with section headings combined or modified.”

2nd edition (2017). Edited by Simon A. Levin. “… this 7 volume comprehensive work covers all aspects of biodiversity. “Major themes of the work include the evolution of biodiversity, systems for classifying and defining biodiversity, ecological patterns and theories of biodiversity, and an assessment of contemporary patterns and trends in biodiversity.” Over 320 articles with “approximately 1,800 figures and 350 tables complement the text, and more than 3,000 glossary entries explain key terms”. Topics range from: Agriculture; Conservation & Restoration; Economics of Biodiversity; Environmental Conditions & Effects; Evolution; Extinctions; Genetics; Geographic & Global Issues; Habitats & Ecosystems; Human Effects & Interventions; Invertebrates; Microbial Diversity; Plant Biodiversity; Population Issues; Public Policies & Attitudes; Species Interactions & Interrelationships; Systematics & Species Concept; Techniques & Measurements; Theories & Concepts of Biodiversity; to Vertebrates.”

From California Fish & Wildlife agency description:

”These life history accounts and range maps represent updated versions of the species information in the three-volume set “California’s Wildlife” edited by Zeiner, D.C. et al 1988-1990. There are also accounts for 48 more species here than in the original publication, bringing the total up to 694.

The information was prepared under contract with the best available experts for various taxonomic groups. Authors and reviewers names appear on the individual life history accounts. Accounts were initially edited by Marshall White and, in later years, by California Wildlife Habitat Relationships (CWHR) Program staff with the California Department of Fish and Game. Update dates are noted on individual life history accounts. Revision histories are also noted on individual range maps.

The life history accounts and range maps are designed to support the computerized species-habitat relationships database models in the CWHR System. The system is continually being revised.”

2016. Edited by Harold E. Mooney et al. Several chapters have UCD faculty contributors. This “reference and sourcebook for California's remarkable ecological abundance provides an integrated assessment of each major ecosystem type - its distribution, structure, function, and management. … Ecosystems of California covers the state from oceans to mountaintops using multiple lenses: past and present, flora and fauna, aquatic and terrestrial, natural and managed. Each chapter evaluates natural processes for a specific ecosystem, describes drivers of change, and discusses how that ecosystem may be altered in the future. This book also explores the drivers of California's ecological patterns and the history of the state's various ecosystems, outlining how the challenges of climate change and invasive species and opportunities for regulation and stewardship could potentially affect the state's ecosystems. The text explicitly incorporates both human impacts and conservation and restoration efforts and shows how ecosystems support human well-being.”

2020 (5th ed.) Michael Allaby, editor. “
Allaby covers all aspects of the study of animals in more than 5,250 clearly written entries--many new to this edition, including alarm pheromone, Fick's laws, manometer, and synanthrope. Illustrated with many line drawings, the book defines terms from animal behavior, evolution, earth history, zoogeography, genetics, and physiology, provides full taxonomic coverage of arthropods and other invertebrates, fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals, and introduces new material on behavioral ecology and conservation biology. In many entries, he recommends web links, which are kept up to date through the Dictionary of Zoology's companion website. Finally, the book includes detailed appendices covering the universal genetic code, endangered animals, the geologic time scale, and SI units.”

Fifth edition (2015). Edited by Michael Allaby. Oxford Reference Library. Classic, comprehensive dictionary covering “all aspects of ecology and related environmental scientific disciplines such as biogeography, genetics, soil science, geomorphology, atmospheric science, and oceanography. Entries cover topics such as plant and animal physiology, animal behaviour, pollution, conservation, habitat management, population, evolution, environmental pollution, climatology, and meteorology.”

2016. Greg De Nevers, et al. “The California Naturalist Handbook provides a fun, science-based introduction to California's natural history with an emphasis on observation, discovery, communication, stewardship and conservation. It is a hands-on guide to learning about the natural environment of California. Subjects covered include California natural history and geology, native plants and animals, California's freshwater resources and ecosystems, forest and rangeland resources, conservation biology, and the effects of global warming on California's natural communities. The Handbook also discusses how to create and use a field notebook, natural resource interpretation, citizen science, and collaborative conservation and serves as the primary text for the California Naturalist Program.”

2017 (2nd Ed.) Allan A. Schoenherr. “In this comprehensive and abundantly illustrated book, Allan A. Schoenherr describes the natural history of California-a state with a greater range of landforms, a greater variety of habitats, and more kinds of plants and animals than any area of equivalent size in all of North America. A Natural History of California focuses on each distinctive region, addressing its climate, rocks, soil, plants, and animals. The second edition of this classic work features updated species names and taxa, new details about parks reclassified by federal and state agencies, new stories about modern human and animal interaction, and a new epilogue on the impacts of climate change.”

2011. Ariel Rubissow Okamoto et al. Useful for finding information on California aquatic/marine vertebrates and waterbirds. “ This complete primer on San Francisco Bay is a multifaceted exploration of an extraordinary, and remarkably resilient, body of water. Bustling with oil tankers, laced with pollutants, and crowded with forty-six cities, the bay is still home to healthy eelgrass beds, young Dungeness crabs and sharks, and millions of waterbirds. … topics including fish and wildlife, ocean and climate cycles, endangered and invasive species, and the path from industrialization to environmental restoration. More than sixty scientists, activists, and resource managers share their views and describe their work-tracing mercury through the aquatic ecosystem, finding ways to convert salt ponds back to tidal wetlands, anticipating the repercussions of climate change, and more.”

2018. Lawrence R. Walker, et al. “Invites readers to explore the smallest and most unique southwestern desert, the beautiful Mojave.”

2006. John O. Sawyer. “Northwestern California is mainly known for its majestic redwood forests and incomparable coastline, but there is much more in its rich biota and scenery. The forests are part of the most diverse temperate coniferous forest in the world. Rugged mountains, numerous lakes, wilderness areas, and wild rivers attract outdoor enthusiasts and geologists came here to refine the theory of plate tectonics. Distilling a vast amount of knowledge, this book is the starting point for anyone who wants to explore the biological and geographical richness of northwestern California. John O. Sawyer describes the famous forests and varied landscapes from a geographic perspective. He explains its long geological history and the changing roles of fire and land use. The result of a lifetime of work, his rich narrative illustrates how the region, in many ways the least modified portion of the state, is a place where plants and animals have been shielded from extinction. Sawyer documents the restoration of dunes and forests, the control of nonnative plant invasions, and innovative approaches to restoring rivers so they can support thriving fisheries.”

2020 (Rev. Ed.) Tracy Irwin Storer, et al. “The magnificent and much-loved Sierra Nevada, called the "Range of Light" by John Muir, is the dominant feature on the California landscape. First published forty years ago, this handbook has become an enduring natural history classic, used by thousands to learn more about virtually every aspect of this spectacular mountain range—from its superb flora and fauna to its rugged topography. Comprehensive yet concise and portable, the book describes hundreds of species: trees and shrubs, flowering plants and ferns, fungi and lichens, insects and fish, amphibians and reptiles, and birds and mammals. Now completely updated and revised, it will continue to be the essential guide to the Sierra Nevada for a new generation of hikers, campers, tourists, naturalists, students, and teachers—everyone who wants to know more about this unique and beautiful mountain range. * Describes more than 750 of the species most likely to be encountered with more than 500 new color photographs and 218 detailed black-and-white drawings * Includes engaging and accessible introductory sections on Sierra Nevada topography, climate, geological history, and human history * The compact, updated species accounts make identification easy, provide informative remarks on ecology and life history, and note which species are threatened or endangered.”

2021. Iain Campbell, author, et al. “ … first field guide to the world's major land habitats-189 in all. Using the format of a natural history field guide, this compact, accessible, and comprehensive book features concise identification descriptions and is richly illustrated-including more than 650 color photographs of habitats and their wildlife, 150 distribution maps, 200 diagrams, and 150 silhouettes depicting each habitat alongside a human figure, providing an immediate grasp of its look and scale. Each major habitat has an illustrated "climate box" that allows easy comparisons between habitats. Thirty other illustrated boxes present clear explanations of complex phenomena affecting habitats-from plate tectonics and mountain formation to fire regimes and climate change.“

2020. Michael Goldstein, ed., et al. “ … a unique, five volume reference that provides a global synthesis of biomes, including the latest science. All of the book's chapters follow a common thematic order that spans biodiversity importance, principal anthropogenic stressors and trends, changing climatic conditions, and conservation strategies for maintaining biomes in an increasingly human-dominated world.“

Second edition (2020). Edited by Yeqiao Wang. Volume III in The Handbook of Natural Resources series. This volume "provides fundamental information on wetlands and their integral functions as a productive ecosystem. The topics it covers include wetlands biodiversity, wetlands classification and monitoring, floods, river ecosystems, pollution, and more. New to this edition are discussions on wetland vegetation, assessment of current wetland health status, restoration, sea-level rises and coastal storm, vulnerability to human impacts, and lakes and wetlands remote sensing. This volume demonstrates the key processes, methods, and models used through many case studies from around the world."

Second edition (2008). Edited by Marlene Weigel. “ … this 3-volume encyclopedia provides "detailed comparative essays on major biomes and their component ecosystems. Includes entries on land biomes and water biomes and covers climate, elevation, soil, water bodies, vegetation, animal life, food web, plant and animal adaptations, endangered species, human effects on the biome and the effects of the environment on humans' culture and economy."