Abbreviations .................................................. ix
Preface ......................................................... x
Section A - Introduction to ecology ............................. 1
Al. What is ecology? ............................................ 1
A2. Ten rules in ecology ........................................ 3
Section В - Adaptation to the environment ...................... 11
Bl. Adaptation ................................................. 11
B2. Coping with environmental variation ........................ 14
B3. The niche .................................................. 18
Section С - Climate ............................................ 21
C1. Solar radiation and climate ................................ 21
C2. Microclimate ............................................... 27
Section D - Water .............................................. 31
Dl. The properties of water .................................... 31
D2. Plants and water ........................................... 37
D3. Animals and water .......................................... 39
Section E - Temperature ........................................ 43
El. Temperature and metabolism ................................. 43
E2. Responses to temperature ................................... 47
E3. Temperature and species distribution ....................... 50
Section F - Radiation .......................................... 53
Fl. Solar radiation and plants ................................. 53
Section G - Nutrients .......................................... 59
Gl. Sources and cycles ......................................... 59
G2. Plants and consumers ....................................... 65
G3. Soil formation, properties and classification .............. 68
Section H - Population ecology ................................. 73
H1. Populations and population structure ....................... 73
H2. Natality, mortality and population growth .................. 77
H3. Density and density dependence ............................. 86
H4. Population dynamics - fluctuations, cycles ................. 91
Section I - Competition ........................................ 97
I1. The nature of competition .................................. 97
I2. Intraspecific competition ................................. 105
I3. Resource partitioning ..................................... 108
Section J - Predation ......................................... 113
J1. The nature of predation ................................... 113
J2. Predator behavior and prey response ....................... 117
Section К - Parasitism ........................................ 123
Kl. The nature of parasitism .................................. 123
K2. The dynamics of parasitism ................................ 128
Section L - Mutualism ......................................... 135
LI. Mutualism ................................................. 135
Section M - Life history patterns ............................. 141
Ml. Life history .............................................. 141
Section N - Behavioral ecology ................................ 151
N1. Social groups, cooperation and altruism ................... 151
N2. Sex in ecology ............................................ 155
Section О - Population genetics ............................... 163
O1. Genetic variation ......................................... 163
O2. Speciation ................................................ 169
Section P - Ecosystem processes ............................... 175
PI. Components and processes .................................. 175
P2. Primary and secondary production .......................... 180
P3. Food chains ............................................... 185
Section Q - Communities ....................................... 189
Ql. The community, structure and stability .................... 189
Q2. Island communities and colonization ....................... 195
Q3. Community patterns, competition and predation ............. 200
Section R - Community dynamics ................................ 207
Rl. Succession ................................................ 207
R2. Community responses to disturbance ........................ 214
Section S - Biomes ............................................ 219
S1. Ecosystem patterns ........................................ 219
S2. Grasslands ................................................ 224
S3. Tundra .................................................... 229
S4. Forests ................................................... 233
S5. Deserts, semi-deserts and shrubland ....................... 240
S6. Saltwater biomes .......................................... 245
S7. Freshwater biomes ......................................... 251
Section T - Harvesting ........................................ 257
Tl. Harvesting theory ......................................... 257
T2. Fishing and whaling ....................................... 262
Section U - Pest control ...................................... 267
Ul. The pest problem and control strategies ................... 267
U2. Pesticides and problems ................................... 271
U3. Biological control and integrated pest management ......... 277
Section V - Conservation ...................................... 281
V1. Rare species, habitat loss and extinction ................. 281
V2. Conservation strategies ................................... 287
V3. Biological resources and gene banks ....................... 293
Section W - Pollution and global warming ...................... 299
Wl. Air, water and soil pollutants ............................ 299
W2. Greenhouse gases and global warming ....................... 304
W3. Ozone ..................................................... 308
Section X - The ecology of agriculture ........................ 312
X1. Soil erosion and agriculture .............................. 312
X2. Nutrient, water and energy use ............................ 317
Further reading ............................................... 323
Index ......................................................... 333
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