Population Ecology

This text, which has been adopted as an Open University course textbook, examines the ecological processes that determine the size and structure of a population, and demonstrates that there are many fundamental principles that apply to populations of both animals and plants. Detailed discussions of the evidence from field and laboratory studies predominate but, while complex mathematics are avoided, stress is laid on the essential role of mathematical models in aiding the understanding of field data. The second edition pays particular attention to recent advances in the appreciation of the importance of the modular nature of plants for an understanding of their ecology. The book is designed to be readily understood by undergraduates with little or no previous knowledge of the subject.