Essentials of Ecology 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. This new edition has been updated throughout, with new, full-color illustrations, and comes with an accompanying website with downloadable illustrations, multiple-choice questions, and interactive models.

Autorentext

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.

Robert Howarth chairs the International SCOPE Biofuels Project, directs the Agriculture, Energy & the Environment Program (AEEP, formerly AEP) at Cornell University, and represents the State of New York on the science and technical advisory committee of the Chesapeake Bay Program. He is the Founding Editor of the journal "Biogeochemistry" (Editor-in-Chief from 1983 to 2004). He has worked extensively on environmental issues related to human-induced changes in the sulphur, nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon cycles, the impacts of global climate change, and interaction of energy systems and the environment.

Zusammenfassung

• 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.

  Inhalt

  Part I Introduction

  1 Ecology and how to do it

  2 Ecology's evolutionary backdrop

  Part II Conditions and Resources

  3 Physical conditions and the availability of resources

  4 Climate and the world's biomes

  Part III Individuals and Populations, Communities and Ecosystems

  5 Birth, death and movement

  6 Interspecific competition

  7 Predation, grazing and disease

  8 Molecular and evolutionary ecology

  Part IV Communities and Ecosystems

  9 From populations to communities

  10 Patterns in species richness

  11 The flux of energy and matter through ecosystems

  Part V Applied Issues in Ecology

  12 Global biogeochemical cycles and their alteration by humans

  13 Conservation ecology

  14 The ecology of human population growth, disease, and food supply