Toward a More Exact Ecology

About this book

Documents how ecology has emerged from being a predominantly descriptive subject to one with a more substantial theoretical framework underpoinned by evidence from experiments. In this advance, improved technology has undoubtedly played a most significant role - few ecologists could operate without a computer to hand and many branches of the subject require very sophisticated instrumentation.

Paperback re-issue, originally pulished by Blackwell in 1989.

Contents

Part I: Introduction: Toward A More Exact Ecology: A Personal View Of The Issues Part II: Physiological Processes In Free-Living Organisms: Gas Exchange Of Plants In The Field Telemetric Recording Of Physiological Data From Free-Living Animals Determination Of Respiration Rates Of Free-Living Animals By The Double-Labelling Technique Part III: Control Of Population Size: Analysis Of Insect Population Dynamics Control Of Population Size In Birds: The Grey Partridge As A Case Study Mechanisms In Plant Population Control Part IV: Evolutionary And Behavioural Ecology: The Reproductive Ecology Of Plants And Eusocial Animals Comparative Studies In Evolutionary Ecology: Using The Data Base An Experimentalist's Approach To The Role Of Costs Of Reproduction In The Evolution Of Life-Histories Part V: Interrelationships Between Organisms: Factors Affecting The Relative Abundances Of Forest Tree Species Insect Herbivory And Plant Defence Theory Butterfly-Ant Mutualisms Part VI: Ecosystem Ecology: Energy Flow And Productivity In The Oceans Soils As Components And Controllers Of Ecosystem Processes Part VII: Applied Ecology: Forest Decline In Central Europe: The Unravelling Of Multiple Causes Water Pollution And The Management Of Ecosystems: A Case Study Of Science And Scientist Toward An Exact Human Ecology

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Biography

Peter Grubb is Professor of Ecology at the University of Cambridge. John Whittaker is Professor at the University of Lancaster.