Gilbert, L. E.: "Food Web Organization and the Conservation of Neotropical Diversity," in M. E. Soule and B. A. Wilcox (eds.), Conservation Biology: An Evolutionary-Ecological Perspective, Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, MA, 1980, pages 11-34. A fine discussion of why species interactions must be considered in efforts to preserve biodiversity, by a researcher deeply involved in studying diversity in the field.

McPeek, M.: "The Consequences of Changing the Top Predator in a Food Web: A Comparative Experimental Approach," Ecological Monograph, 1998, vol. 68, pages 1-23. An excellent example of how experiments can enlighten us about the key role certain species play in the stability of biological communities.

Morell, V.: "Biodiversity: The Fragile Web," National Geographic, February 1999, vol. 195, pages 6-88. Five articles in an issue devoted to front-line efforts to save Earth's biological treasures.

Ruggiero, L. F., G. D. Hayward, and J. R. Squires: "Viability Analysis in Biological Evaluations: Concepts of Population Viability Analysis, Biological Population, and Ecological Scale," Conservation Biology, June 1994, vol. 8, pages 364-372. A good introduction to how conservation biologists employ PVA analysis in practice.

Saunders, D. A., R. J. Hobbs, and C. R. Margules: "Biological Consequences of Ecosystem Fragmentation: a Review," Conservation Biology, March 1991, vol. 5, pages 18-32. One of the most important threats to biodiversity is habitat fragmentation.

Soule, M. E.: "What Is Conservation Biology?," Bioscience, December 1985, vol. 35, pages 727-34. A classic short article describing the new discipline of conservation biology, by one of its key founders.

Stiassny, L. J., and A. Meyer: "Cichlids of the Rift Lakes," Scientific American, February 1999, pages 64-69. The problems experienced by fishes in Lake Victoria are mirrored in the other great African lakes.