J. Anim. Breed. Genet. 112 (1995), 160 0 1995 Blackwell Wissenschafts-Verlag, Berlin ISSN 0931-2668

BIXBY, D. E.; CHRISTMAN, C. J.; EHRMAN, C . J.; SPONENBERG, D. P.: Taking Stock. The North American Livestock Census. Virginia: T h e McDonald and Woodward Publishing Company, 1994. $14.95. ISBN 0-939923-35-1.

Decline and, conversely, maintenance of biodiversity has, in recent years, attracted considerable atten- tion even if this cannot be said of mainstream animal science. In this publication by, the,American Livestock Breeds Conservancy Council, the problem - im ortance o enetlc diversity, its erosion and attempts at conservation - are initially discussed eneralry. Breeds differ in man

towards uniformity and standardization of whole livestock species to suit the modern livestock industry. Purebreds are increasingly replaced by crossbreds in production. Along with this, individual breeders’ skills are replaced by centralized advice, conveyed more and more by computers. The livestock industry is geared to a single system of high input production, regardless of climate and geography. Against this, the authors argue for conservation of diversity, for security in view of uncertainty of future devel- opment, but also because of economic o ortunities, and cite as an example the Finnsheep which, after neglect for decades, was found very usetyin many sTments of tP, sheep industry. As further grounds for conservation, they discuss environmental stewar ship, scientific knowledge, cultural preservation and ethical responsibility.

In section 11, an extensive North American Livestock Census is presented. For each species, the breed rou s, e.g. beef, dairy, and dual-purpose cattle, are given, along with breed registrations up to 1990, t r ee8 association and year of founding, and conservation priorities, including critical or rare breeds that are under threat. Breed characterization is seen as a complement to the enome mapping projects. The role of private effort is underlined alongside public activities, and the neeffor international cooperation emphasized.

In the appendix, interesting case studies of breed extinctien are presented. Even if, in many cases, economic pressure led to extinction this is by no means the only cause since socio-economic factors - trendiness, standardization and uniformity- are just as important. Finally, the state of feral populations is presented and a glossary of breeding terms conclude the book.

It contains a wealth of information and gives points of view which tend to be overlooked by many animal scientists. It should be useful as a reference but also as an example to be pursued by other countries and as a reminder to animal science to consider biodiversity and to slow or better prevent its erosion.

F. PIRCHNER, Weihenstephan

is often recognized. The trend in America, more visibye than in other countries of t l e more ‘first’ ways world, than is

REINHARDT, Ch. A. (ed.): Alternatives to Animal Testing. Weinheim: VCH-Verlag, 1994. ,

Up to the present, a great number of animals have been killed for biomedical research, education and testing. To eliminate unnecessary and repetitive animal experiments, alternative methods must be developed. This book, which contains the main presentations made at the ‘Symposium on Alternatives to Animal Testing’ at the ETH Zurich in 1992, is an excellent documentation of recent developments in this field. National and international efforts regarding replacing, reducing and refining the use of animals are presented. These explanations demonstrate that in vitro studies are becoming increasin ly

alternative methods are shown; they extend from the use of computer models to in vitro testing systems, especially on the basis of cell-culture techniques. This book is not only recommended to scientists working on alternatives to animal testing, but also to those currently using test animals.

J. BAUER, Weihenstephan

180 pp., 37 Figs, 22 Tabs, soft cover, DM 148,--. ISBN 3-527-300043-0.

important to regulatory authorities as well as to the scientific community. In addition, new possi t le