Ecology: From Individuals to Ecosystems, 4th Edition

by Begon, Michael; Townsend, Colin R.; Harper, John L.

• ISBN13: 9781405111171
• ISBN10: 1405111178
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-07-29
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

Begon, Townsend, and Harper's Ecology has long been regarded as the definitive textbook on all aspects of ecology. This new edition provides a comprehensive treatment of the subject, from the first principles of ecology to the current state of the field, and aims to improve students' preparedness to address the environmental problems of the new millennium. Thoroughly revised and updated, this fourth edition includes: three new chapters on applied ecology, reflecting a rigorous, scientific approach to the ecological problems now facing mankind discussion of over 800 new studies, updating the text throughout an updated, user-friendly design with margin notes and chapter summaries that serve as study aids dedicated website at www.blackwellpublishing.com/begon The resulting textbook is easy to use, lucid and up-to-date, and is the essential reference for all students whose degree program includes ecology and for practicing ecologists.

Author Biography

Born in London in 1951 and a student at the University of Leeds, Mike Begon has spent his whole scientific career at the University of Liverpool, where he is now Professor of Ecology, specializing in the population and community ecology of infectious diseases in wildlife.

Colin Townsend obtained his DPhil at the University of Sussex before taking up teaching positions at Oxford University and the University of East Anglia. In 1989 he moved from the UK to New Zealand to the University of Otago where he was chair of the Zoology Department, and is now Director of the Ecology, Conservation and Biodiversity Research Group. He was elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 1997.

John Harper is an award-winning biologist and a leading figure in plant population biology. He has served as a council member of the fellowship of the Royal Society and received the Darwin Award in 1990. He is also the author of Population Biology of Plants and co-author of Essentials of Ecology.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Introduction: Ecology and its Domain	xi
Part 1: Organisms
Organisms in their Environments: the Evolutionary Backdrop	3	(27)
Conditions	30	(28)
Resources	58	(31)
Life, Death and Life Histories	89	(43)
Intraspecific Competition	132	(31)
Dispersal, Dormancy and Metapopulations	163	(23)
Ecological Applications at the Level of Organisms and Single-Species Populations: Restoration, Biosecurity and Conservation	186	(41)
Part 2: Species Interactions
Interspecific Competition	227	(39)
The Nature of Predation	266	(31)
The Population Dynamics of Predation	297	(29)
Decomposers and Detritivores	326	(21)
Parasitism and Disease	347	(34)
Symbiosis and Mutualism	381	(29)
Abundance	410	(29)
Ecological Applications at the Level of Population Interactions: Pest Control and Harvest Management	439	(30)
Part 3: Communities and Ecosystems
The Nature of the Community: Patterns in Space and Time	469	(30)
The Flux of Energy through Ecosystems	499	(26)
The Flux of Matter through Ecosystems	525	(25)
The Influence of Population Interactions on Community Structure	550	(28)
Food Webs	578	(24)
Patterns in Species Richness	602	(31)
Ecological Applications at the Level of Communities and Ecosystems: Management Based on the Theory of Succession, Food Webs, Ecosystem Functioning and Biodiversity	633	(26)
References	659	(42)
Organism Index	701	(13)
Subject Index	714