This textbook presents introductory ecology in an accessible, state-of-the-art format designed to cultivate the novice student's understanding of, and fascination with, the natural world. In a concise, engaging style, this text outlines the essential principles of ecology from the theoretical fundamentals to their practical applications. Full color artwork, simple pedagogical features, and a wide range of carefully-chosen examples make this book an ideal introduction to ecology for students at all levels. The third edition of this successful text is much more than a simple update, reflecting the vibrancy of the field. With hundreds of new examples, it contains for the first time a separate chapter on evolutionary ecology, with all other chapters, especially those on applied aspects, having been extensively revised and re-written. The new edition also features new artwork and an enhanced design, making this book as attractive as it is up-to-date and relevant. Outstanding features of the third edition of Essentials of Ecology include: a dedicated website featuring study resources and web research questions; key Concepts - summarized at the beginning of each chapter; history boxes outlining key landmarks in the development of ecology; quantitative boxes - allowingmathematical aspects of ecology to be explained clearly without interrupting the flow of the text; topical ECOncerns boxes - highlighting ethical, social and political questions in ecology; and review questions - included at the end of each chapter. Colin R. Townsend is the Director of the Ecology, Conservation and Biodiversity Research Group at the University of Otago. He has published over 150 ecology papers and books, including the best-selling and award-winning Ecology, 4th Edition, with co-authors Michael Begon and John L. Harper. He is also co-editor of the international journal Freshwater Biology. Michael Begon is Professor of Ecology in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Liverpool. He has authored several books in addition to Ecology and around 150 research articles. His current research interests are focused on the population ecology of pathogens in wildlife populations. John L. Harper is an award-winning biologist and a leading figure in plant population biology. He has served as acouncil member of the Fellowship of the Royal Society and received the DarwinArward in 1990. He is also the author of Population Biology of Plants and a co-author of Ecology. INDICE: Preface. Acknowledgments. Part I: Introduction: 1. Ecology and howto do it. 1.1 Introduction. 1.2 Scales, diversity and rigor. 1.3 Ecology in practice. 2. Ecology’s evolutionary backdrop. 2.1 Introduction. 2.2 Evolution by natural selection. 2.3 Evolution within species. 2.4 The ecology of speciation. 2.5 Effects of climatic change on the evolution and distribution of species. 2.6 Effects of continental drift on the ecology of evolution. 2.7 Interpreting the results of evolution: convergents and parallels. Part II: Conditions and Resources: 3. Physical conditions and the availability of resources. 3.1 Introduction. 3.2 Environmental conditions. 3.3 Plant resources. 3.4 Animals andtheir resources. 3.5 Effects of intraspecific competition for resources. 3.6 Conditions, resources and the ecological niche. 4. Conditions, resources and the world’s communities. 4.1 Introduction. 4.2 Geographic patterns at large andsmall scales. 4.3 Temporal patterns in conditions and resources. 4.4 Terrestrial biomes. 4.5 Aquatic environments. Part III: Individuals, Populations, Communities and Ecosystems: 5. Birth, death and movement. 5.1 Introduction. 5.2 Life cycles. 5.3 Monitoring birth and death: life tables and fecundity schedules. 5.4 Dispersal and migration. 5.5 The impact of intraspecific competition on populations. 5.6 Life history patterns. 6. Interspecific competition. 6.1 Introduction. 6.2 Ecological effects of interspecific competition. 6.3 Evolutionary effects of interspecific competition. 6.4 Interspecific competition and community structure. 6.5 How significant is interspecific competition in practice?. 7. Predation, grazing and disease. 7.1 Introduction. 7.2 Prey fitness and abundance. 7.3 The subtleties of predation. 7.4 Predator behaviour: foraging andtransmission. 7.5 Population dynamics of predation. 7.6 Predation and community structure. 8. Evolutionary ecology. 8.1 Introduction. 8.2 Molecular ecology: differentiation within and between species. 8.3 Coevolutionary arms races. 8.4 Mutualistic interactions. 9. From populations to communities. 9.1 Introduction. 9.2 Multiple determinants of the dynamics of populations. 9.3 Dispersal, patches and metapopulation dynamics. 9.4 Temporal patterns in community composition. 9.5 Food webs. 10. Patterns in species richness. 10.1 Introduction. 10.2 A simple model of species richness. 10.3 Spatially varying factors that influence species richness. 10.4 Temporally varying factors that influence speciesrichness. 10.5 Gradients of species richness. 10.6 Patterns in taxon richnessin the fossil record. 10.7 Appraisal of patterns in species richness. 11. Theflux of energy and matter through ecosystems. 11.1 Introduction. 11.2 Primaryproductivity. 11.3 The fate of primary productivity. 11.4 The process of decomposition. 11.5 The flux of matter through ecosystems. 11.6 Global biogeochemical cycles. Part IV: Applied Issues in Ecology: 12. Sustainability. 12.1 Introduction. 12.2 The population ‘problem’. 12.3 Harvesting living resources from the wild. 12.4 The farming of monocultures. 12.5 Pest control. 12.6 Integratedfarming systems. 12.7 Forecasting agriculturally driven global environmental change. 13. Habitat degradation. 13.1 Introduction. 13.2 Degradation via cultivation. 13.3 Power generation and its diverse effects. 13.4 Degradation in urban and industrial landscapes. 13.5 Maintenance and restoration of ecosystem services. 14. Conservation. 14.1 Introduction. 14.2 Threats to biodiversity. 14.3 Conservation in practice. 14.4 Conservation in a changing world. 14.5 Finale. References. Index
- ISBN: 978-1-405-15658-5
- Editorial: Wiley-Blackwell
- Encuadernacion: Rústica
- Páginas: 532
- Fecha Publicación: 01/02/2008
- Nº Volúmenes: 1
- Idioma: Inglés