Snowbird
Integrative Biology and Evolutionary Diversity in the Junco
At birdfeeders and in backyards across North America, the dark-eyed junco, or snowbird, can be found foraging for its next meal. With an estimated population of at least 630 million, juncos inhabit forests, parks, and even suburban habitats, making them one of the continent's most abundant and easily observable songbirds. But while common and widespread, juncos also exhibit extraordinary diversity in color, shape, size, and behavior across their range, making them ideal study subjects for biologists interested in ecology and evolutionary diversification. Intended for scholars, citizen scientists, and amateur ornithologists, alike, "Snowbird" synthesizes decades of research from the diverse and talented researchers who study the "Junco" genus. Though contributors approach their subject from a variety of perspectives, they share a common goal: elucidating the organismal and evolutionary processes by which animals adapt and diversify in response to environmental change. Placing special emphasis on the important role that underlying physiological, hormonal, and behavioral mechanisms play in these processes, "Snowbird" not only provides a definitive exploration of the junco's evolutionary history and behavioral and physiological diversity but also underscores the junco's continued importance as a model organism in a time of rapid global climate change. By merging often disparate biological fields, "Snowbird" offers biologists across disciplines an integrative framework for further research into adaptation, population divergence, and the formation of new species.
About the Author
Ellen D. Ketterson is distinguished professor of biology and gender studies at Indiana University, Bloomington, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and president of the American Society of Naturalists.
Jonathan W. Atwell is a research scientist and educator at Indiana University, Bloomington; he recently produced an award-winning and widely distributed science film, "Ordinary Extraordinary Junco" (www. juncoproject. org), which serves as a complement to Snowbird.
Reviews
"An interesting, thorough, and timely summary of decades of work on juncos. It will be of interest to not only ornithologists, but also behavioral ecologists, comparative physiologists, and evolutionary biologists" – Zachary Cheviron, University of Montana
"An excellent, very readable, comprehensive, and diverse set of papers. It is clear the authors have made a great effort to integrate two perspectives, with several chapters dealing with this explicitly. The combination of the very strong existing reputation of the Ketterson lab, including substantial, significant contributions to the integration of organismal and evolutionary biology, with the broad appeal of the junco, a common, widely distributed species familiar to many, will make for a popular tome" – Tony D. Williams, Simon Fraser University, author of "Physiological Adaptations for Breeding in Birds"
"I truly enjoyed reading 'Snowbird'! The book is aimed at scientific readers, but it is written very elegantly, providing an easy and pleasant read. Even though it focuses on one species complex, it is amazingly broad in its approach, ranging from historic aspects of junco research to biogeography, taxonomy, endocrinology, behavior, evolution, speciation, sexual selection, and other topics. The authors did an excellent job in explaining the concepts that guided their research, thus appealing to both specialists and a broader audience of readers. The last chapter of the book is devoted entirely to outlining future research areas, again both in specific and broader areas of biology, which will be very useful for everyone aiming at continuing in the spirit of integrative research on major organismal questions. 'Snowbird' will be an important addition to the scientific literature" – Michaela Hau, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology
