The Economy of Nature

by Ricklefs, Robert E.; Relyea, Rick

• ISBN13: 9781429249959
• ISBN10: 1429249951
• Edition: 7th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-12-16
• Publisher: W. H. Freeman

Summary

This landmark text helped to define introductory ecology courses for over four decades. With a dramatic transformation, Ecology: The Economy of Nature, Seventh Edition becomes the first textbook to fully embrace the challenges and opportunities of teaching ecology today. The text　maintains its signature evolutionary perspective and emphasis on the quantitative aspects of the field, but it has been completely rewritten for today’s undergraduates—with extensive new pedagogy, fresh examples (including more aquatic coverage), and fully integrated media resources. See what's in the LaunchPad

Author Biography

ROBERT E. RICKLEFS is Curators' Professor of Biology at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, where he has been a member of the faculty since 1995. His teaching at Missouri, and previously at the University of Pennsylvania, has included courses in introductory and advanced ecology, biogeography, evolution, and biological statistics. Bob’s research has addressed a broad range of topics in ecology and evolutionary biology, from the adaptive significance of life-history traits of birds, to island biogeography and the community relationships of birds, herbivorous insects, and forest trees. In particular, he has championed the importance of recognizing the impact of large-scale processes on local ecological assemblages of species. Bob has published in numerous journals including Science, Nature, PNAS, Evolution, Ecology, Ecology Letters, and the American Naturalist. His contributions have been recognized by honorary doctorates from the Université Catholique de Louvain (Belgium), Aarhus University (Denmark), and the University of Burgundy (France). He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences of the United States. Bob published the first edition of The Economy of Nature in 1976 and is joined by a coauthor for the first time with this seventh edition.

RICK RELYEA is Professor of Biology at the University of Pittsburgh, where he has been on the faculty since 1999. In 2005, he was named the Chancellor’s Distinguished Researcher at the University of Pittsburgh. Professor Rick Relyea is a recipient of the University of Pittsburgh’s 2014 Tina and David Bellet Teaching Excellence. Since 2007, he has also served as the director of the University of Pittsburgh's field station, the Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology, where he oversees a diverse set of ecological field courses and facilitates researchers from around the world. Rick has taught thousands of undergraduate students in introductory ecology, behavioral ecology, and evolution. His research is recognized throughout the world and has been published in the leading eco¬logical journals including Ecology, Ecology Letters, American Naturalist, and PNAS. The research spans a wide range of ecological and evolutionary topics including animal behavior, sexual selection, ecotoxicology, disease ecology, phenotypic plasticity, community ecology, ecosystem ecology, and landscape ecology. Rick's research focuses on aquatic habitats and the diversity of species that live in these ecosystems. He strives to integrate different areas of ecology in ways that provide new discoveries and applications

 

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction: Ecology, Evolution, and the Scientific Method

PART I LIFE AND THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
Chapter 2 Adaptations to Aquatic Environments
Chapter 3 Adaptations to Terrestrial Environments
Chapter 4 Adaptations to Variable Environments
Chapter 5 Climates and Soils
Chapter 6 Terrestrial and Aquatic Biomes

Part II ORGANISMS
Chapter 7 Evolution and Adaptation
Chapter 8 Life Histories
Chapter 9 Reproductive Strategies
Chapter 10 Social Behaviors

PART III POPULATIONS
Chapter 11 Population Distributions
Chapter 12 Population Growth and Regulation
Chapter 13 Population Dynamics over Space and Time

PART IV SPECIES INTERACTIONS
Chapter 14 Predation and Herbivory
Chapter 15 Parasitism and Infectious Diseases
Chapter 16 Competition
Chapter 17 Mutualism

PART V COMMUNITIES AND ECOSYSTEMS
Chapter 18 Community Structure
Chapter 19 Community Succession
Chapter 20 Movement of Energy in Ecosystems
Chapter 21 Movement of Elements in Ecosystems

PART VI GLOBAL ECOLOGY
Chapter 22 Landscape Ecology, Biogeography, and Global Biodiversity
Chapter 23 Global Conservation of Biodiversity