Community Ecology and Salamander Guilds

Community Ecology and Salamander Guilds PDF

Author: Nelson G. Hairston

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1987-11-27

Total Pages: 246

ISBN-13: 0521325781

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This informative book, first published in 1987, presents the theories of community ecology within the context of a natural example. The text describes and examines issues in community ecology and shows how research on salamanders has helped to solve some of the problems surrounding the theories. Salamanders exist in stable populations of the kind assumed in community theory and are more appropriate than most other animals for research on the applications of that theory. The interesting and meaningful results, collected from observation on these excellent subjects posed challenges to beliefs within community ecology. Life histories of salamanders, fieldwork in distinctly differing habitats, competition, predation and evolution are discussed in an easily readable text. Professional ecologists and students of community ecology and herpetology will be interedted in the information synthesised in this book.

Community Ecology

Community Ecology PDF

Author: Peter J. Morin

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2011-06-09

Total Pages: 731

ISBN-13: 1444341944

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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. Figures and tables can be downloaded for free from www.wiley.com/go/morin/communityecology

Long-Term Studies of Vertebrate Communities

Long-Term Studies of Vertebrate Communities PDF

Author: Martin L. Cody

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 1996-10-24

Total Pages: 621

ISBN-13: 0080535623

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This unique book synthesizes the ongoing long-term community ecology studies of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. The studies have been conducted from deserts to rainforests as well as in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine habitats and provide valuable insight that can be obtained only through persistent, diligent, and year-after-year investigation. Long-Term Studies of Vertebrate Communities is ideal for faculty, researchers, graduate students, and undergraduates in vertebrate biology, ecology, and evolutionary biology, including ecology, natural history, and systematics. Provides unique perspectives of community stability and variation Details the influence of natural and other perturbations on community structure Includes synopses by well-known authors Presents results from a broad range of vertebrate taxa Studies were conducted at different latitudes and in different habitats

The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians

The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians PDF

Author: Kentwood D. Wells

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2010-02-15

Total Pages: 1400

ISBN-13: 9780226893341

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Consisting of more than six thousand species, amphibians are more diverse than mammals and are found on every continent save Antarctica. Despite the abundance and diversity of these animals, many aspects of the biology of amphibians remain unstudied or misunderstood. The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians aims to fill this gap in the literature on this remarkable taxon. It is a celebration of the diversity of amphibian life and the ecological and behavioral adaptations that have made it a successful component of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Synthesizing seventy years of research on amphibian biology, Kentwood D. Wells addresses all major areas of inquiry, including phylogeny, classification, and morphology; aspects of physiological ecology such as water and temperature relations, respiration, metabolism, and energetics; movements and orientation; communication and social behavior; reproduction and parental care; ecology and behavior of amphibian larvae and ecological aspects of metamorphosis; ecological impact of predation on amphibian populations and antipredator defenses; and aspects of amphibian community ecology. With an eye towards modern concerns, The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians concludes with a chapter devoted to amphibian conservation. An unprecedented scholarly contribution to amphibian biology, this book is eagerly anticipated among specialists.

Ecological Versatility and Community Ecology

Ecological Versatility and Community Ecology PDF

Author: Ralph C. MacNally

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1995-09-21

Total Pages: 454

ISBN-13: 052140553X

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A comprehensive analysis of ecological specialisation and generalisation in natural communities, first published in 1995.

Ecological Experiments

Ecological Experiments PDF

Author: Nelson G. Hairston

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1989-11-24

Total Pages: 392

ISBN-13: 9780521346924

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Ecological Experiments stresses the importance to ecology of field experiments, where variables are manipulated in order to collect data on specific hypotheses, as opposed to the more passive observational method. The book begins by introducing a series of ecological questions that can be addressed experimentally for example, what is the significance of competition among species? The minimal requirements of experimental design that must be met are then introduced, together with examples of good and poor experiments from the ecological literature and a consideration of the trade-offs that may be forced on the experimenter by field conditions. All ecologists, and especially students beginning their careers in field study, will find in this text a good introduction to the experimental foundation of ecology.

Experimental Ecology

Experimental Ecology PDF

Author: William J. Resetarits

Publisher:

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 492

ISBN-13: 9780195150421

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Experimentation is a dominant approach in contemporary ecological research, pervading studies at all levels of biological organization and across diverse taxa and habitats. Experimental Ecology assembles an eminent group of ecologists who synthesize insights from these varied sources into a cogent statement about experimentalism as an analytical paradigm, placing experimentation within the larger framework of ecological investigation. The book discusses diverse experimental approaches ranging from laboratory microcosms to manipulation of entire ecosystem, illustrating the myriad ways experiments strengthen ecological inference. Experimental ecologists critique their science to move the field forward on all fronts: from better designs, to better links between experiments and theory, to more realism in experiments targeted at specific systems and questions.

The Biology of Plethodontid Salamanders

The Biology of Plethodontid Salamanders PDF

Author: Richard C. Bruce

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 484

ISBN-13: 1461542553

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This volume offers a state-of-the-art overview of plethodontid salamanders. Readers will find the best current understanding of many aspects of the evolution, systematics, development, morphology, life history, ecology, and field methodology of these animals.