Ecology
Theories and Applications
4th Edition
Published on 23. August 2001
Book
Hardback
403 pages
978-0-13-091102-5 (ISBN)
Description
For courses in ecology.
Presenting a comprehensive, yet concise and clear, overview of ecology-
evolutionary, behavioral, population, community, and applied-this innovative text covers all of the essentials required by students taking a sophomore or junior level course in ecology. The Fourth Edition retains a broad scope and is the first ecology text to completely integrate the applied sections into the theories of ecology.
Presenting a comprehensive, yet concise and clear, overview of ecology-
evolutionary, behavioral, population, community, and applied-this innovative text covers all of the essentials required by students taking a sophomore or junior level course in ecology. The Fourth Edition retains a broad scope and is the first ecology text to completely integrate the applied sections into the theories of ecology.
More details
Edition
4th edition
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Pearson Education (US)
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 282 mm
Width: 221 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
1120 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-13-091102-5 (9780130911025)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Previous edition
Book
08/1998
3rd Edition
Pearson
€39.60
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Person
Peter Stiling is a professor of biology at the University of South Florida at Tampa. He has taught classes in ecology, environmental science, and community ecology, and in 1995 he received a teaching award in recognition of classroom excellence in these areas. Dr. Soling obtained his Ph.D. from University College, Cardiff, Wales, and completed postdoctoral research at Florida State University. It was while he was teaching ecology at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad that the idea for this book was conceived. Dr. Stiling's research interests include plant-insect relationships, parasite-host relationships, biological control, restoration ecology, and the effects of elevated CO2 levels on native communities. He has published many scientific papers in journals such as Ecology, Oikos, and Oecologia and was an editor for Oecologia. His field research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Nature Conservancy.
Content
Most chapters end with Applied Ecology, Summary and Discussion Questions.I. INTRODUCTION.
1. Why and How to Study Ecology.
What Is Ecology? Ecological Methods. Spatial Scale.
II. EVOLUTION AND BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY.
2. Genetics and Ecology.
Evolutionary History. Genetic Mutation. Measuring Genetic Variation. Genetic Variation and Population Size.
3. Extinction.
The Extinction Crisis. Patterns of Extinction. Endangered Species. Species Characteristics and Extinction.
4. Group Selection and Individual Selection.
Group and Individual Selection. Altruism. Group Living.
5. Life History Strategies.
Reproductive Strategies. Age Structure. Mating Systems.
III. POPULATION ECOLOGY.
6. Population Growth.
Life Tables. Reproductive Rate. Deterministic Models: Geometric Growth. Stochastic Models.
7. Physical Environment.
Physical Variables. Physical Factors and Species. Physical Factors and Numbers of Species.
8. Competition and Coexistence.
Species Interaction. Intraspecific Competition. Interspecific Competition: Laboratory Experiments. The Frequency of Competition. Modeling Competition. Coexistence of Species.
9. Mutualism
Plant-Pollinator Mutualism. Seed Dispersal. A Variety of Mutualisms. Modeling Mutualism. Mutualisms and Community Process. Commensalism.
10. Predation.
Antipredator Adaptations. Predator-Prey Models. Field Studies of Predator-Prey. Introduced Predators. Field Experiments with Natural Systems.
11. Herbivory.
Plant Defenses. Modeling Herbivory. Effects of Herbivores on Plants. Effects of Plants on Herbivores. Herbivory Affects Community Structure.
12. Parasitism.
Defining Parasites. Defense against Parasites. Modeling Parasitism. Parasites Affect Host Populations. Parasites Affect Communities. Parasites and Biological Control.
13. Evaluating the Controls on Population Size.
Comparing the Strengths of Mortality Factors. Density Dependence. Metapopulations. Conceptual Models of Population Control.
IV. COMMUNITY ECOLOGY.
14. The Main Types of Communities.
Are Communities More than the Organisms They Comprise? Climate and Community Structure. Classification of Communities. Terrestrial Communities. Aquatic Communities.
15. Global Patterns in Species Richness.
Explanations of Species Richness Gradients. Community Similarity. Global Species Richness. Preserving Species Richness. Species Richness and Community Function.
16. Species Diversity.
Diversity Indices. Rank Abundance Diagrams. Community Similarity. Cluster Analysis.
17. Stability, Equilibrium, and Nonequilibrium.
Community Stability. Is There a Link between Diversity and Stability? Experimental Tests of the Diversity-Stability Hypothesis. The Intermediate-Disturbance Hypothesis.
18. Succession.
Development of Communities. Facilitation. Inhibition. Tolerance and Other Patterns of Succession. Patterns in Species Richness during Succession. Biotic Interactions and Succession.
19. Island Biogeography.
Theory of Island Biogeography. Species-Area Effects. The Effect of Distance on Island Immigration. Species Turnover.
20. Trophic Structure.
Food Web Complexity. Food Web Patterns. Problems with Food Web Patterns. Guilds. Keystone Species.
21. Energy Flow.
Measuring Production. Limits to Primary Production. Patterns in Primary Production. Secondary Production. The Limits to Secondary Production.
22. Nutrients.
Soils. Nutrient Availability. Light. Organismal Effects on Nutrient Availability.
Glossary.
Literature Cited.
Photo Credits.
Index.
1. Why and How to Study Ecology.
What Is Ecology? Ecological Methods. Spatial Scale.
II. EVOLUTION AND BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY.
2. Genetics and Ecology.
Evolutionary History. Genetic Mutation. Measuring Genetic Variation. Genetic Variation and Population Size.
3. Extinction.
The Extinction Crisis. Patterns of Extinction. Endangered Species. Species Characteristics and Extinction.
4. Group Selection and Individual Selection.
Group and Individual Selection. Altruism. Group Living.
5. Life History Strategies.
Reproductive Strategies. Age Structure. Mating Systems.
III. POPULATION ECOLOGY.
6. Population Growth.
Life Tables. Reproductive Rate. Deterministic Models: Geometric Growth. Stochastic Models.
7. Physical Environment.
Physical Variables. Physical Factors and Species. Physical Factors and Numbers of Species.
8. Competition and Coexistence.
Species Interaction. Intraspecific Competition. Interspecific Competition: Laboratory Experiments. The Frequency of Competition. Modeling Competition. Coexistence of Species.
9. Mutualism
Plant-Pollinator Mutualism. Seed Dispersal. A Variety of Mutualisms. Modeling Mutualism. Mutualisms and Community Process. Commensalism.
10. Predation.
Antipredator Adaptations. Predator-Prey Models. Field Studies of Predator-Prey. Introduced Predators. Field Experiments with Natural Systems.
11. Herbivory.
Plant Defenses. Modeling Herbivory. Effects of Herbivores on Plants. Effects of Plants on Herbivores. Herbivory Affects Community Structure.
12. Parasitism.
Defining Parasites. Defense against Parasites. Modeling Parasitism. Parasites Affect Host Populations. Parasites Affect Communities. Parasites and Biological Control.
13. Evaluating the Controls on Population Size.
Comparing the Strengths of Mortality Factors. Density Dependence. Metapopulations. Conceptual Models of Population Control.
IV. COMMUNITY ECOLOGY.
14. The Main Types of Communities.
Are Communities More than the Organisms They Comprise? Climate and Community Structure. Classification of Communities. Terrestrial Communities. Aquatic Communities.
15. Global Patterns in Species Richness.
Explanations of Species Richness Gradients. Community Similarity. Global Species Richness. Preserving Species Richness. Species Richness and Community Function.
16. Species Diversity.
Diversity Indices. Rank Abundance Diagrams. Community Similarity. Cluster Analysis.
17. Stability, Equilibrium, and Nonequilibrium.
Community Stability. Is There a Link between Diversity and Stability? Experimental Tests of the Diversity-Stability Hypothesis. The Intermediate-Disturbance Hypothesis.
18. Succession.
Development of Communities. Facilitation. Inhibition. Tolerance and Other Patterns of Succession. Patterns in Species Richness during Succession. Biotic Interactions and Succession.
19. Island Biogeography.
Theory of Island Biogeography. Species-Area Effects. The Effect of Distance on Island Immigration. Species Turnover.
20. Trophic Structure.
Food Web Complexity. Food Web Patterns. Problems with Food Web Patterns. Guilds. Keystone Species.
21. Energy Flow.
Measuring Production. Limits to Primary Production. Patterns in Primary Production. Secondary Production. The Limits to Secondary Production.
22. Nutrients.
Soils. Nutrient Availability. Light. Organismal Effects on Nutrient Availability.
Glossary.
Literature Cited.
Photo Credits.
Index.