Out of Eden: An Odyssey of Ecological Invasion

Published in 2005, Alan Burdick's Out of Eden explores the modern ecological threats posed by invasive species, and specifically the ways in which biodiversity is under threat by globalization. I am less inclined than Burdick to view the natural world (ex-homo sapiens) as one that tends towards equilibrium — is there a Hyman Minsky equivalent in the field of biology? — but he cites a number of intelligent examples (e.g., bacteria that emerge in sterile labs, brown tree snakes which have periodically taken over Guam, cave-dwelling insects, etc.) to show how species thrive or fail in various environments. Recommended.