The Economy of Nature

Front Cover
Macmillan, Dec 11, 2008 - Science - 620 pages

This classic introductory text is best known for its vivid examples fromnatural history, comprehensive coverage of evolution, and quantitative approach. The Sixth Edition builds on the book’s hallmark features: its strong evolutionary focus, its breadth and diverse set of examples, its extensive coverage of behavioral ecology, and a thorough presentation of population ecology.

 

Contents

Introduction
1
Plants animals and microorganisms play different
7
Ecological systems are governed by basic physical
13
Human impacts on the natural world have increasingly
19
Water and Nutrients
23
Light Energy and Heat
38
Each organism functions best under a restricted range
50
17
59
Acacias house and feed the ants that protect them from
298
Dynamics of ConsumerResource Interactions
302
Many predator and prey populations increase
307
Pathogenhost dynamics can be described by the SIR
315
A number of factors can reduce oscillations
321
Competition
328
ECOLOGISTS IN THE FIELD
329
ECOLOGISTS IN THE FIELD
342

Climate Water and Soil
61
ECOLOGISTS IN THE FIELD
83
The Biome Concept in Ecology
87
Walter climate diagrams distinguish the major terrestrial
93
PART II
95
Boreal and polar climate zones have average
100
Marine aquatic systems are classified principally
108
Evolution and Adaptation
113
The phenotype is the outward expression of
115
Evolutionary changes in allele
121
262
130
Life Histories and Evolutionary Fitness
132
Data Analysis Modules available on the Companion Web Site
136
Spatially Partitioned Foraging by Oceanic Seabirds
156
Sex and Evolution
159
Sexual reproduction is costly
162
Temporal and Spatial Dynamics
170
Mating systems describe the pattern of pairing of males
172
Family Society and Evolution
177
Semelparous organisms breed once and then
180
Parents and offspring may come into conflict over
181
ECOLOGISTS IN THE FIELD
188
Cooperation among individuals in extended families
189
Energy in the Ecosystem
192
The Distribution and Spatial Structure of Populations
198
Ecological niche modeling predicts the distributions
204
Three types of models describe the spatial structure
212
Population Growth
222
Population size is regulated by densitydependent
239
ANALYSIS
246
Temporal and Spatial Dynamics of Populations
248
Temporal variation affects the
252
Chance events may cause small populations to
260
Population Genetics
267
Inbreeding reduces the frequency of heterozygotes in
273
Population growth and decline leave different genetic
279
Species Interactions
287
ECOLOGISTS IN THE FIELD
291
Evolution of Species Interactions
346
Antagonists evolve in response to each other
351
Coevolution involves mutual evolutionary responses
360
COMMUNITIES
369
Measures of community structure include numbers
376
Communities can switch between alternative stable
383
A trophic cascade from fish to flowers
386
Ecological Succession
392
ECOLOGISTS IN THE FIELD
397
Succession ensues as colonists alter environmental
400
ECOLOGISTS IN THE FIELD
406
Ecological Succession and Community Development
411
The number of species increases with the area
414
Diversity can be understood in terms of niche
423
Explanations for high tree species richness in the tropics
429
MDATA ANALYSIS MODULE 5
435
History Biogeography and Biodiversity
440
Life has unfolded over millions of years of geologic
442
Energy in the Ecosystem
463
Ecosystem energetics summarizes the movement
478
Pathways of Elements in Ecosystems
482
Water provides a physical model of element cycling
486
GLOBAL CHANGE
492
Nutrient Regeneration in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems
505
Nutrient regeneration can follow many paths
511
Stratification hinders nutrient cycling in aquatic
518
Does iron limit marine productivity?
524
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
528
Biodiversity Extinction and Conservation
545
Extinction is natural but its present rate is
553
Reserve designs for individual species must guarantee
562
ECOLOGISTS IN THE FIELD
569
Economic Development and Global Ecology
570
Toxins impose local and global environmental
579
Human ecology is the ultimate challenge
585
Index
605
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