Review by John Avise (University of Georgia) in Quart. Review Biology (2002) 77:480.

Quantitative genetics (the study of multigene traits) and population genetics are mature fields with robust textbooks summarizing vast empirical experience and large bodies of mathematical and statistical theory. Now, conservation genetics—a younger discipline that applies genetic principles to biodiversity management—has its own teaching textbook. Although edited volumes on conservation genetics exist, and a journal by that title was launched in 2000, Introduction to Conservation Genetics fills an open classroom niche, and is a welcome sign that this field too has begun to mature scientifically.

With more than half of all vertebrate and 12% of plant species now categorized by theWorld Conservation Union as threatened with extinction, mostly from human activities, it is sadly imperative that the biodiversity disciplines adopt an applied focus. This book explains why genetic outlooks should be included in management plans for both wild and captive populations.

Genetic perspectives mostly have been neglected in past conservation efforts, one reason perhaps being that the mathematics of population and quantitative genetics can be daunting. This primer will help to make that material more accessible to a wide audience. Frankham et al. introduce the relevant theory in comparatively simple terms, and bring the conservation relevance of population and quantitative genetics to life with clear numerical examples on endangered species. The book walks the narrow line between advocacy and chauvinism for genetic viewpoints. For example, by showing how losses of genetic variation can interact with ecological and stochastic factors to trap small, inbred populations in extinction vortices, it captures the proper notion that genetics, ecology, and demography can all be important and often mutually reinforcing elements in a species decline.

The book’s central tenet and mantra is that genetic variation is relevant, both ecologically and evolutionarily. Sixteen of the book’s 20 chapters emphasize the within-population component of genetic variability—how “heterozygosity” is generated and maintained, lost in small closed populations, empirically quantified at single genes and in polygenic traits, monitored with respect to fitness consequences, and sometimes managed in breeding programs to improve the immediate or longtermsurvival prospects of endangered species. The remaining chapters survey additional topics for which genetic theory or data (often from molecular markers) have management relevance: assessing population fragmentation, demarcating management units, improving taxonomies, identifying wildlife products via DNA forensics, and unveiling the natural histories or cryptic behaviors in threatened species. Although a more even breakdown between the “heterozygosity” and “other” applications might be a better representation of the developing field of conservation genetics, the book’s inclusion of both areas is itself unusual and to be applauded.

Readers should find this treatment user-friendly and not intimidating. The book is richly embellished with line drawings of endangered species, useful tables and figures, numerical examples, problem sets with worked solutions, and case histories illustrating real-life pertinence to biodiversity preservation. Many conservation biologists come to the field with a background in natural history, behavioral ecology, or other “organismal” specialties. To them especially, I recommend this book as a fine introduction to population genetics and quantitative genetics in a conservation arena.