Free (nook/Kindle/Kobo) Wolf's Tooth: Predators & Biodiversity [Ecosystem Science]

[ATDrake]

The Wolf's Tooth: Keystone Predators, Trophic Cascades, and Biodiversity by Cristina Eisenberg, a conservation biologist at Oregon State University, is her newbie-friendly guide to learning about Exactly What It Says In The Title, free courtesy of publisher Island Press' Shearwater imprint, who've given us a couple of rather nice climate/ecology-oriented science freebies previously.

This is really very nifty, and the author not only provides easily understandable explanations of all the important concepts, she also fleshes it out with travelogue-ish anecdotes from her own experiences camping out and observing wildlife.

It's somewhat more technical and involved than the other Island Press freebies we're getting this week, but still fairly readable even if you've no prior background in biology, IMHO (YMMV, because I did take a couple of years worth of classes, so maybe my perspective is a little skewed, although it does come with rather a lot of editorial review praise from non-specialty newspaper outlets, so hopefully it works out for the more layman-type Gentle Readers).

Currently free @ B&N (also UK), Amazon (available to Canadians & in the UK), & Kobo (available to Canadians). ETA: now also free @ Google Play (available to Canadians).

The Kindle version is a Topaz format file, so you might want to also pick it up in some form of ePub or other at one of the other stores, if it's available in your region.

Description
Animals such as wolves, sea otters, and sharks exert a disproportionate influence on their environment; dramatic ecological consequences can result when they are removed from—or returned to—an ecosystem.

In The Wolf’s Tooth, scientist and author Cristina Eisenberg explores the concept of “trophic cascades” and the role of top predators in regulating ecosystems. Her fascinating and wide-ranging work provides clear explanations of the science surrounding keystone predators and considers how this notion can help provide practical solutions for restoring ecosystem health and functioning.

Eisenberg examines both general concepts and specific issues, sharing accounts from her own fieldwork to illustrate and bring to life the ideas she presents. She considers how resource managers can use knowledge about trophic cascades to guide recovery efforts, including how this science can be applied to move forward the bold vision of rewilding the North American continent. In the end, the author provides her own recommendations for local and landscape-scale applications of what has been learned about interactive food webs.

At their most fundamental level, trophic cascades are powerful stories about ecosystem processes—of predators and their prey, of what it takes to survive in a landscape, of the flow of nutrients. The Wolf’s Tooth is the first book to focus on the vital connection between trophic cascades and restoring biodiversity and habitats, and to do so in a way that is accessible to a diverse readership.

[ATDrake]

Now also free @ Google Play & iTunes (links also added to OP).