Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
and 1 of 18 in Hawaii to be mis-assigned to decade on the basis of chance), the
resulting error is too small to compromise the overall patterns shown, but the gain
in evidence is large. Introductions prior to 1850 were clustered together as “< 1850”
and used to set the Y-intercept for the timeline graphs illustrated in Chapter 2.
7.
Supporting Literature
. Included here are references documenting all preced-
ing data cells for the introduction record as well as references providing infor-
mation on continued range expansion within the invaded jurisdiction. For many
introductions there is some degree of redundancy among these included citations
as more recent references repeat the claims of those preceding them. I have
deliberately retained this redundancy because it will help ensure that interested
researchers can locate at least some of the relevant literature pertaining to any
particular introduction of interest. This is important because the primary litera-
ture for a large number of introductions resides in a wide array of obscure, fre-
quently regional journals that may be difficult for many interested researchers to
obtain. Despite this favorable bias toward some amount of redundancy, I did not
strive for an absolutely complete coverage of all possible herpetological topics
that might mention a particular introduction because I reckon any sensible per-
son will think of these sources without my assistance and because it is becoming
impossible to keep up with the flood of regional herp topics swamping the mar-
ket, especially from a bibliographically starved location such as I inhabit.
Typically, when I have cited topics in the database it is because they provide
some amount of novel information for the relevant introduction.
8.
Additional Literature
. Included here are references that were not relevant to
populating the main cells of the database but which provide information on eco-
logical attributes, interactions, or impacts, as well as genetics or evolution of the
introduced populations. Many of these citations involve brief and fairly unin-
formative notes that, nonetheless, could be construed as providing a modicum of
relevant habitat or behavioral information. A few references are for laboratory
behavioral studies that are nonetheless directly relevant to understanding the
ecology of the alien populations from which the investigated animals were
taken. Citations in this column were included to assist the interested researcher
in entering the relevant literature. They also serve to highlight the paucity of
studies on these relevant biological topics for the large majority of alien herpeto-
fauna. Perhaps drawing attention to these lacunae may stimulate interest in their
diminishment.
I made every effort to have the citations in columns (7) and (8) as complete as
possible through 2006. I have also included whatever citations from 2007 that I
have incidentally encountered, although I have made no attempt to comprehen-
sively sample the literature after 2006. Excluded from both columns of the litera-
ture cited are theses and dissertations. This is because such sources are frequently
difficult to obtain but primarily because I figure if the authors can't be bothered to
publish their findings I can't be bothered to cite them. Also excluded are articles in
newspapers because it would be impossible to capture that information on a global
scale. Nevertheless, interested researchers might bear in mind that such sources
