Aubry, K. B., W. J. Zielinski, M. G. Raphael, G. Proulx, and S. W. Buskirk.2012. Biology and Conservation of Martens, Sables, and Fishers: A New Synthesis. Cornell University Press, New York, New York. 580 pp. ISBN-978-0-8014-5088-4 (hardbound), $75.00

K. B. Aubry, W. J. Zielinski, M. G. Raphael, G. Proulx, S. W. Buskirk. 2012. Biology and Conservation of Martens, Sables, and Fishers: A New Synthesis. Cornell University Press, New York, New York. 580 pp. ISBN-978-0-8014-5088-4 (hardbound), $75.00. In recent decades, Martes species (martens, fishers, and sables) have garnered the attention of conservation biologists and policy makers over concerns regarding population declines and their important ecological and economic roles. These concerns prompted the establishment of the Martes Working Group and publication of a synthesis on Martes species (Buskirk et al. 1994). Since the 1994 synthesis, field and laboratory studies have filled key information gaps, new avenues of research have evolved (i.e., genetic analyses, pathogen-host ecology, multiscale habitat analyses), and potential impacts of global climate change have been raised. Accordingly, this new volume incorporates research developments of the last 2 decades into our understanding of Martes species. Providing a synthesis of the peer-reviewed literature into a single book, particularly involving multiple taxa, is a daunting task. We commend the editors for their efforts to produce a volume that goes beyond mere proceedings and that focuses on conservation of Martes species through hypothesis-driven research from across broad disciplines and emerging technologies. The book is divided into 5 topic areas that provide the foundation for the included chapters. The editors made a concerted effort to incorporate important advances in the 8 formally recognized species of the genus Martes , inviting 62 scientists from 12 countries to produce the 20 syntheses presented. The editors acknowledge that the treatment of individual species is uneven, with little known about the yellow-throated marten ( Martes flavigula ), the Japanese marten ( M. melampus ), and the Nilgiri marten ( M. gwatkinsii ). The opening section of the book, Evolution and biogeography of the genus Martes , addresses processes that affect Martes species at large spatial or temporal scales. The 1st chapter, Synthesis of Martes evolutionary history , presents the geographic and evolutionary history of the genus with a review of the fossil record and integrates this information with recent genetic …