Textbook
By: P Cotgreave and I Forseth
278 pages, Col photos, bw photyos, illus, figs, tabs, maps
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Contents
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About this book
Introductory text to basic principles of ecology, including patterns in biodiversity, population biology, the ecology of assemblages and the interpretation of ecological data. Whilst stressing the links between different aspects and different levels, it emphasises the overall intellectual coherence of the subject. It gives a balanced treatment to both plant and animal ecology and has a strong applied and evolutionary bias.
Contents
1. The diversity of life 2. Global patterns of biodiversity and productivity: biomes 3. Interpreting ecological information 4. Climate and life on Earth 5. Interactions between individuals and the physical environment 6. Introducing biotic interactions and population models 7. Population demography and life history patterns 8. Interspecific competition 9. Predation, herbivory, parasitism and other interactions between populations 10. Similarities and differences in ecological interactions 11. Ecological communities 12. Ecosystems: the flux of energy and matter 13. The structure and composition of ecological communities 14. Species richness, abundance and diversity
Customer Reviews
Textbook
By: P Cotgreave and I Forseth
278 pages, Col photos, bw photyos, illus, figs, tabs, maps
'I appreciated the refreshing narrative style of presentation. The reader is engaged in the material, which is well organized and clearly presented. There is a nice assortment of examples provided to illustrate and reinforce each point. The authors appear to have succeeded in reaching their intended audience.' "Good introductory ecology texts are rare. They should stimulate further inquiry and should be topical, clear and exciting. They should be comprehensive enough to include the major principles without requiring further resources, yet should be well referenced. Examples should be relevant to the student's local environment, while reflecting biogeographical regions and world ecosystem types. Introductory Ecology comes close to satisfying all these requirements...Ecology texts often fail to travel across the Atlantic, but this volume includes authors from the US and UK - and a breadth of relevant examples given in an American textbook style - and is in my view the best to be found outside Open University texts...Overall, this is a good introduction to what is acknowleged to be a complex subject." Tony Andrew, University of Ulster, Coleraine, Times Higher Education Supplement, May 2003