All life on earth occurs in natural assemblages called
communities. Community ecology is the study of patterns and
processes involving these collections of two or more species.
Communities are typically studied using a diversity of techniques,
including observations of natural history, statistical descriptions
of natural patterns, laboratory and field experiments, and
mathematical modelling. Community patterns arise from a complex
assortment of processes including competition, predation,
mutualism, indirect effects, habitat selection, which result in the
most complex biological entities on earth – including iconic
systems such as rain forests and coral reefs.
This book introduces the reader to a balanced coverage of
concepts and theories central to community ecology, using examples
drawn from terrestrial, freshwater, and marine systems, and
focusing on animal, plant, and microbial species. The historical
development of key concepts is described using descriptions of
classic studies, while examples of exciting new developments in
recent studies are used to point toward future advances in our
understanding of community organization. Throughout, there is an
emphasis on the crucial interplay between observations,
experiments, and mathematical models.
This second updated edition is a valuable resource for advanced
undergraduates, graduate students, and established scientists who
seek a broad overview of community ecology. The book has developed
from a course in community ecology that has been taught by the
author since 1983.
關於作者:
Peter Morin is a leading experimental community ecologist. He
is interested in many aspects of community ecology, including
predator-prey interactions, food webs, and the causes and
consequences of biological diversity.
目錄:
Preface.
Preface to the First Edition.
Part I: Communities: Basic Patterns and Elementary Processes.
1. Communities.
2. Competition: Mechanisms, Models, and Niches.
3. Competition: Experiments, Observations, and Null Models.
4. Predation and Communities. Empirical patterns.
5. Models of predation in simple communities.
6. Food Webs.
7. Mutualisms.
8.Indirect Effects.
Part II: Factors Influencing Interactions Among Species.
9. Temporal Patterns: Seasonal Dynamics, Priority Effects, and
Assembly Rules.
10. Habitat Selection.
11. Spatial Dynamics.
Part III: Large-scale, Integrative Community Phenomena.
12. Causes and Consequences of Diversity.
13. Succession.
14. Applied Community Ecology.
Appendix: Stability Analysis.
Bibliography.
Index.