Essentials of Ecology (with CD-ROM and InfoTrac)

by Miller, G. Tyler

• ISBN13: 9780534997755
• ISBN10: 0534997759
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-09-22
• Publisher: Brooks Cole

Summary

ESSENTIALS OF ECOLOGY, Third Edition is the ideal alternative to other ecology texts, which tend to be too difficult for non-majors. It is a succinct 13-chapter introduction, using clear, straightforward language and providing the scientific foundation necessary to understand ecological issues. Tyler Miller is the most successful author in academic writing on environmental science because of his attention to currency, trend setting presentation of content, ability to predict student and instructor needs for new and different supplements, and his ability to retain the hallmarks on which instructors have come to depend. The content in the 3rd edition of ESSENTIALS OF ECOLOGY is everything you have come to expect and more. In this edition, the author has added the "How Would You Vote?" feature, which is an application of environmental science-related topics in the news. Students apply their environmental science knowledge from the book to a Web activity, which helps them investigate environmental science issues in a structured manner. They then cast their votes on the Web. Results are then tallied. Also found at the Miller website is the much used "Updates on Line," updated twice a year with articles from InfoTrac? College Edition service, CNN? Today video clips, and Web links. Instructors can seamlessly incorporate the most current news articles and research findings to support text presentations. This is a time saver for instructors and part-time teachers who can quickly determine what ancillary materials they want to utilize in just minutes. As with the last edition, this text is packaged with a free Student CD-ROM entitled "Interactive Concepts in Environmental Science." Organized by chapter, the CD gives students links to relevant resources, narrated animations, interactive figures, and prompts to review material and test themselves.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Learning Skills	1	(4)
Part I HUMANS AND SUSTAINABILITY: AN OVERVIEW
Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability	5	(15)
Case Study: Living in an Exponential Age	5	(1)
Living More Sustainably	6	(1)
Population Growth, Economic Growth, Economic Development, and Globalization	7	(2)
Resources	9	(2)
Case Study: The Tragedy of the Commons---Degrading Free Renewable Resources	9	(2)
Pollution	11	(1)
Environmental and Resource Problems: Causes and Connections	12	(4)
Is Our Present Course Sustainable?	16	(4)
Environmental History: Learning from the Past	20	(12)
Case Study: Near Extinction of the American Bison	20	(1)
Cultural Changes and the Environment	21	(3)
Environmental History of the United States: The Tribal and Frontier Eras	24	(1)
Environmental History of the United States: The Early Conservation Era (1832--1960)	24	(2)
Environmental History of the United States: The Environmental Era (1960--2004)	26	(4)
Individuals Matter: Rachel Carson	27	(3)
Case Study: Aldo Leopold and His Land Ethic	30	(2)
Part II SCIENCE AND ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES
Science, Systems, Matter, and Energy	32	(23)
Case Study: An Environmental Lesson from Easter Island	32	(1)
The Nature of Science	33	(3)
Connections: What Is Harming the Robins?	35	(1)
Models and Behavior of Systems	36	(2)
Matter	38	(6)
Energy	44	(2)
The Law of Conservation of Matter: A Rule We Cannot Break	46	(2)
Nuclear Changes	48	(3)
Energy Laws: Two Rules We Cannot Break	51	(1)
Matter and Energy Laws and Environmental Problems	52	(3)
Ecosystems: What Are They and How Do They Work?	55	(32)
Case Study: Have You Thanked the Insects Today?	55	(1)
The Nature of Ecology	56	(3)
Case Study: What Species Rule the World? Small Matters!	56	(3)
The Earth's Life-Support Systems	59	(2)
Ecosystem Components	61	(6)
Energy Flow in Ecosystems	67	(3)
Primary Productivity of Ecosystems	70	(2)
Soils	72	(4)
Matter Cycling in Ecosystems	76	(8)
How Do Ecologists Learn about Ecosystems?	84	(3)
Evolution and Biodiversity	87	(14)
Case Study: Earth: The Just-Right, Resilient Planet	87	(1)
Origins of Life	88	(1)
Evolution and Adaptation	88	(3)
Ecological Niches and Adaptation	91	(3)
Spotlight: Cockroaches: Nature's Ultimate Survivors	92	(2)
Speciation, Extinction, and Biodiversity	94	(3)
What Is the Future of Evolution?	97	(4)
Climate and Terrestrial Biodiversity	101	(26)
Case Study: Blowing in the Wind: A Story of Connections	101	(1)
Weather: A Brief Introduction	102	(3)
Climate: A Brief Introduction	105	(5)
Biomes: Climate and Life on Land	110	(3)
Desert Biomes	113	(2)
Grassland, Tundra, and Chaparral Biomes	115	(5)
Forest Biomes	120	(5)
Mountain Biomes	125	(2)
Aquatic Biodiversity	127	(16)
Case Study: Why Should We Care about Coral Reefs?	127	(1)
Aquatic Environments	128	(2)
Saltwater Life Zones	130	(7)
Freshwater Life Zones	137	(6)
Community Ecology	143	(20)
Case Study: Flying Foxes: Keystone Species in Tropical Forests	143	(1)
Community Structure and Species Diversity	144	(2)
Types of Species	146	(4)
Case Study: Why Are Amphibians Vanishing? Warnings from Frogs	147	(2)
Connections: Why Should We Care about Alligators?	149	(1)
Species Interactions: Competition and Predation	150	(4)
Case Study: Why Are Sharks Important Species? Culling the Oceans and Helping Improve Human Health	151	(3)
Species Interactions: Parasitism, Mutualism, and Commensalism	154	(2)
Ecological Succession: Communities in Transition	156	(4)
Ecological Stability, Complexity, and Sustainability	160	(3)
Population Ecology	163	(13)
Case Study: Sea Others: Are They Back from the Brink of Extinction?	163	(1)
Population Dynamics and Carrying Capacity	164	(4)
Reproductive Patterns and Survival	168	(3)
Effects of Genetic Variations on Population Size	171	(1)
Human Impacts on Natural Systems: Learning from Nature	171	(5)
Connections: Ecological Surprises	173	(3)
Applying Population Ecology: The Human Population	176	(18)
Case Study: Slowing Population Growth in Thailand: A Success Story	176	(1)
Factors Affecting Human Population Size	177	(7)
Case Study: Should the United States Encourage or Discourage Immigration?	183	(1)
Population Age Structure	184	(3)
Solutions: Influencing Population Size	187	(4)
Case Study: Family Planning in Iran: A Success Story	190	(1)
Case Studies: India and China	191	(1)
Cutting Global Population Growth	192	(2)
Part III SUSTAINING BIODIVERSITY
Sustaining Terrestrial Biodiversity: Managing and Protecting Ecosystems	194	(30)
Case Study: Reintroducing Wolves to Yellowstone	194	(1)
Human Impacts on Terrestrial Biodiversity	195	(2)
Conservation Biology	197	(1)
Public Lands in the United States	197	(2)
Managing and Sustaining Forests	199	(6)
Forest Resources and Management in the United States	205	(5)
Individuals Matter: Butterfly in a Redwood Tree	206	(3)
Solutions: Goals to the Rescue	209	(1)
Case Study: How Should U.S. National Forests Be Managed? An Ongoing Controversy	209	(1)
Tropical Deforestation	210	(4)
Individuals Matter: Kenya's Green Belt Movement	214	(1)
National Parks	214	(1)
Case Study: National Parks in the United States	214	(1)
Nature Reserves	215	(5)
Case Study: What Has Costa Rica Done to Protect Some of Its Land from Degradation? A Global Conservation Leader	216	(3)
Case Study: How Much Wilderness Has Been Protected in the United States? Fighting for Crumbs and Losing	219	(1)
Ecological Restoration	220	(1)
Case Study: Ecological Restoration of a Tropical Dry Forest in Costa Rica	221	(1)
What Can We Do?	221	(3)
Sustaining Biodiversity: The Species Approach	224	(27)
Case Study: The Passenger Pigeon: Gone Forever	224	(1)
Species Extinction	225	(4)
Importance of Wild Species	229	(2)
Case Study: Why Should We Care about Bats? Ecological Allies	230	(1)
Connections: Biophilia	231	(1)
Extinction Threats from Habitat Loss and Degradation	231	(3)
Case Study: How Do Human Activities Affect Bird Species? A Disturbing Message from the Birds	233	(1)
Extinction Threats from Nonnative Species	234	(4)
Case Study: Deliberate Introduction of the Kudzu Vine: Unintended Consequences	234	(3)
Case Study: The Termite from Hell	237	(1)
Case Study: Exploding Deer Populations in the United States: Should We Put Bambi on Birth Control?	238	(1)
Extinction Threats from Poaching and Hunting	238	(1)
Case Study: The Rising Demand for Bushmeat in Africa: Hungry People Trying to Survive	239	(1)
Other Extinction Threats	239	(1)
Protecting Wild Species: The Research and Legal Appoach	240	(5)
Case Study: What Has the Endangered Species Act Accomplished?	244	(1)
Protecting Wild Species: The Sanctuary Approach	245	(2)
Reconciliation Ecology	247	(4)
Case Study: Using Reconciliation Ecology to Protect Bluebirds?	248	(3)
Sustaining Aquatic Biodiversity	251
Case Study: A Biological Roller Coaster Ride in Lake Victoria	251	(1)
An Overview of Aquatic Biodiversity	252	(1)
Human Impacts on Aquatic Biodiversity	253	(4)
Protecting and Sustaining Marine Biodiversity	257	(6)
Individuals Matter: Killing Invader Species and Saving Shipping Companies Money	257	(2)
Case Study: Should Commercial Whaling Be Resumed? An Ongoing Controversy	259	(1)
Case Study: Near Extinction of the Blue Whale: Big Species are Easy to Kill	260	(3)
Managing and Sustaining the World's Marine Fisheries	263	(2)
Protecting, Sustaining, and Restoring a Wetland	265	(2)
Individuals Matter: Restoring a Wetland	266	(1)
Case Study: Restoring the Florida Everglades: Will It Work?	266	(1)
Protecting, Sustaining, and Restoring Lakes and Rivers	267
Case Study: Can the Great Lakes Survive Repeated Invasions by Alien Species? They Keep Coming	267	(1)
Case Study: Managing the Columbia River Basin for People and Salmon: A Difficult Balancing Act	268	(2)
Individuals Matter: The Man Who Planted Trees to Restore a Stream	270
Appendices
1 Units of Measurement	1	(1)
2 Major Events in U.S. Environmental History	2	(6)
3 Some Basic Chemistry	8	(3)
4 Classifying and Naming Species	11
Glossary	1	(1)
Index	1