Ecology Concepts And Applications

This introductory general ecology text features a strong emphasis or helping students grasp the main concepts of ecology while keeping the presentation more applied than theoetical. An evolutionary perspective forms the foundation of the entire discussion. Evolution is brought to center stage throughout the book, as it is needed to support understanding of major concepts. The discussion begins with a brief introduction to the nature and history of the discipline of ecology, followed by section I, which includes two chapters on natural history--life on land and life in water. The intent is to establish a common foundation of natural history upon which to base the later discussions of ecological concepts. The introduction and natural history chapters can stand on their own and should be readily accessible to most students. They may be assigned as background reading, leaving 17 chapters to cover in a one-semester course. Sections II through VI build a hierarchical perspective: section II concerns the ecology of individuals: section III focuses on population ecology; section IV presents the ecology of interactions; section V summarizes community and ecosystem ecology; and finally, section VI discusses large-scale ecology and includes chapters on landscape, geographic, and global ecology. These topics were first introduced in section I within a natural history context. In summary, the book begins with the natural history of the planet, considers portions of the whole in the middle chapters, and ends with another perspective of the entire planet in the concluding chapter.

This introductory general ecology text features a strong emphasis on helping students grasp the main concepts of ecology while keeping the presentation more applied than theoretical. An evolutionary perspective forms the foundation of the entire discussion. The book begins with the natural history of the planet, considers portions of the whole in the middle chapters, and ends with another perspective of the entire planet in the concluding chapter. Its unique organization of focusing only on several key concepts in each chapter sets it apart from the competition.

This introductory general text helps students grasp the main concepts of ecology while keeping the presentation more applied than theoretical. Evolution is brought to centre stage throughout the book, as it is needed to support understanding of major concepts. The discussion begins with a brief introduction to the nature and history of the discipline of ecology, followed by section I, which includes two chapters on natural history: life on land and life in water. The intent is to establish a common foundation of natural history upon which to base the later discussions of ecological concepts. The book begins with the natural history of the planet, considers portions of the whole in the middle chapters, and ends with another perspective of the entire planet in the concluding chapter.

Freshwater Ecology, Second Edition, is a broad, up-to-date treatment of everything from the basic chemical and physical properties of water to advanced unifying concepts of the community ecology and ecosystem relationships as found in continental waters. With 40% new and expanded coverage, this text covers applied and basic aspects of limnology, now with more emphasis on wetlands and reservoirs than in the previous edition. It features 80 new and updated figures, including a section of color plates, and 500 new and updated references. The authors take a synthetic approach to ecological problems, teaching students how to handle the challenges faced by contemporary aquatic scientists. This text is designed for undergraduate students taking courses in Freshwater Ecology and Limnology; and introductory graduate students taking courses in Freshwater Ecology and Limnology. Expanded revision of Dodds' successful text. New boxed sections provide more advanced material within the introductory, modular format of the first edition. Basic scientific concepts and environmental applications featured throughout. Added coverage of climate change, ecosystem function, hypertrophic habitats and secondary production. Expanded coverage of physical limnology, groundwater and wetland habitats. Expanded coverage of the toxic effects of pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupters as freshwater pollutants More on aquatic invertebrates, with more images and pictures of a broader range of organisms Expanded coverage of the functional roles of filterer feeding, scraping, and shredding organisms, and a new section on omnivores. Expanded appendix on standard statistical techniques. Supporting website with figures and tables - http://www.elsevierdirect.com/companion.jsp?ISBN=9780123747242

Theoretical Ecology: concepts and applications continues the authoritative and established sequence of theoretical ecology books initiated by Robert M. May which helped pave the way for ecology to become a more robust theoretical science, encouraging the modern biologist to better understand the mathematics behind their theories. This latest instalment builds on the legacy of its predecessors with a completely new set of contributions. Rather than placing emphasis on the historical ideas in theoretical ecology, the Editors have encouraged each contribution to: synthesize historical theoretical ideas within modern frameworks that have emerged in the last 10-20 years (e.g. bridging population interactions to whole food webs); describe novel theory that has emerged in the last 20 years from historical empirical areas (e.g. macro-ecology); and finally to cover the rapidly expanding area of theoretical ecological applications (e.g. disease theory and global change theory). The result is a forward-looking synthesis that will help guide the field through a further decade of discovery and development. It is written for upper level undergraduate students, graduate students, and researchers seeking synthesis and the state of the art in growing areas of interest in theoretical ecology, genetics, evolutionary ecology, and mathematical biology.

Part I: Introduction: Definition of a Discipline: Emergence of Landscape Ecology in the History of Ecology; Recognition of Heterogeneity in Ecological Systems; Taking Human Activities into Account in Ecological Systems; Explicit Accounting for Space and Time; Landscape Ecology is based on Scientific Theories Linked to Ecology and Related DisciplinesLandscpe Ecology: Definition of a Multidisciplinary Approach: Landscape as Understood by the Ecologist; Landscape Ecology: An Interdisciplinary Approach; Landscape Ecology: Application of Results of Fundamental Research to Conservation Biology and Land ManagementPart II: Landscape Structure and Dynamics Analysis of Spatial Structures: Categories of Landscape Elements; From Sample Plots in a Wood to Woods in a Landscape; Typology of Patches and Corridors; Basic Concepts for Quantitative Approaches; Measurement of Heterogeneity; Fragmentation; Connectedness o Return to Scale Dependence: Contribution of Fractal Geometry o Elements of Geostatistics; Typologies of Landscape Structures; General ConclusionDynamics of Landscapes: Questions on Organization and Dynamics of Landscapes Stemming from Observation; Changes in Land use on the Global Scale; Regional Approaches to Changes in Land Use: Variations Depending on Modes of Measurement; Local Approaches to Changes in Land Cover: Importance of Spatialization; Dynamics of Valley Landscapes: The Water Course and its Corridors; Dynamics of Non-Anthropogenic Landscapes; Land cover and Evolving Landscapes, a General PhenomenonOrganization of Landscapes: Categories of Models; The Concept of Organization; Ecological Organization of Landscapes; From Farming Systems to Landscape Diversity; General Approach of Dynamics and Organization of Agrarian Landscapes; Landscape Dynamics and (Re) Organization: Multi-scale and Multidisciplinary ApproachPart III: Ecological Processes within Landscapes: The Functioning of Populations at the Landscape Level: Patch Theory and Functioning of Metapopulations; Multi-habitat Species; Movement in Landscapes; Landscape Dynamics and the Functioning of Populations; Population Models used in Landscape EcologyInterspecific Relationships and Biodiversity in Landscapes: Interspecific Relationships; BiodiversityGeochemical Flows in Landscapes: Buffer Zones; Erosive Phenomena and Landscape Structure; Transfers in Watersheds; ConclusionPart IV: Applications to Landscape Management: Application of Landscape Ecology Concepts to Landscape Management and Design: Corridor Concept Applied to Development; Considering Landscape Ecology Concepts in Establishing Transportation Infrastructures; The Development of Rural Landscapes