| Freshwater Mussel Ecology
A Multifactor Approach to Distribution & Abundance
by David L Strayer
2008, University of California Press, laminated board covers, cover size about 6 by 9¼ inches (15.5 by 23.5 cm) 204 pages 53 text fig. mainly charts and a few b/w photographs of shell sites
Unlike the other books that you will find in this category this is not an identification guide to shells. It is a highly detailed analysis of the combined influences of biology and the ecology play in the life of these mollusks of which many species are on the verge of biological extinction. Strayer does a brilliant job of using statistical analysis as well as his field experience to guide us to the understanding of the factors that influence the success or failure of survival in this often studied family of shells. Non-scientifically inclined readers (and I am in the forefront of that group) may be put off by skimming through the book and seeing the great number of charts of statistical analysis that have gone into the making of this book but putting them aside will allow you to see the great common sense that underlies these figures which the author guides us through.
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