Ecology

A definitive guide to the depth and breadth of the ecological sciences, revised and updated

The revised and updated fifth edition of Ecology: From Individuals to Ecosystems – now in full colour – offers students and practitioners a review of the ecological sciences. 

The previous editions of this book earned the authors the prestigious ‘Exceptional Life-time Achievement Award’ of the British Ecological Society – the aim for the fifth edition is not only to maintain standards but indeed to enhance its coverage of Ecology.

In the first edition, 34 years ago, it seemed acceptable for ecologists to hold a comfortable, objective, not to say aloof position, from which the ecological communities around us were simply material for which we sought a scientific understanding. Now, we must accept the immediacy of the many environmental problems that threaten us and the responsibility of ecologists to play their full part in addressing these problems. This fifth edition addresses this challenge, with several chapters devoted entirely to applied topics, and examples of how ecological principles have been applied to problems facing us highlighted throughout the remaining nineteen chapters. 

Nonetheless, the authors remain wedded to the belief that environmental action can only ever be as sound as the ecological principles on which it is based. Hence, while trying harder than ever to help improve preparedness for addressing the environmental problems of the years ahead, the book remains, in its essence, an exposition of the science of ecology. This new edition incorporates the results from more than a thousand recent studies into a fully up-to-date text. 

Written for students of ecology, researchers and practitioners, the fifth edition of Ecology: From Individuals to Ecosystems is anessential reference to all aspects of ecology and addresses environmental problems of the future. 

Michael Begon, PhD, is Professor of Ecology in the Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour at the University of Liverpool. He specialises in the ecology of infectious diseases in wildlife populations, focusing on diseases transmissible to humans. 

Colin R. Townsend, is Professor Emeritus and Founding Director of the Ecology, Conservation and Biodiversity Research Group of Otago University. His research concerns the ecology of invasions and multiple stressors in stream ecosystems. 

Preface

Introduction: Ecology and its Domain

Chapter 1 Organisms in their Environments: the Evolutionary Backdrop

Chapter 2 Conditions

Chapter 3 Resources

Chapter 4 Matters of Life and Death

Chapter 5 Intraspecific Competition

Chapter 6 Movement and Metapopulations

Chapter 7 Life History Ecology and Evolution

Chapter 8 Interspecific Competition

Chapter 9 The Nature of Predation

Chapter 10 The Population Dynamics of Predation

Chapter 11 Decomposers and Detritivores

Chapter 12 Parasitism and Disease

Chapter 13 Facilitation: Mutualism and Commensalism

Chapter 14 Abundance

Chapter 15 Pest Control, Harvesting and Conservation

Chapter 16 Community Modules and the Structure of Ecological Communities

Chapter 17 Food Webs

Chapter 18 Patterns in Species Composition in Space and Time

Chapter 19 Patterns in Biodiversity and their Conservation

Chapter 20 The Flux of Energy through Ecosystems

Chapter 21 The Flux of Matter through Ecosystems

Chapter 22 Ecology in a Changing World

References

Organism Index

Subject Index

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