A definitive guide to the depth and breadth of the ecological sciences, revised and updatedThe revised and updated fifth edition of Ecology: From Individuals to Ecosystems - now in full colour - offers students and practitioners a review of the ecological sciences.The previous editions of this book earned the authors the prestigious 'Exceptional Life-time Achievement Award' of the British Ecological Society - the aim for the fifth edition is not only to maintain standards but indeed to enhance its coverage of Ecology.In the first edition, 34 years ago, it seemed acceptable for ecologists to hold a comfortable, objective, not to say aloof position, from which the ecological communities around us were simply material for which we sought a scientific understanding. Now, we must accept the immediacy of the many environmental problems that threaten us and the responsibility of ecologists to play their full part in addressing these problems. This fifth edition addresses this challenge, with several chapters devoted entirely to applied topics, and examples of how ecological principles have been applied to problems facing us highlighted throughout the remaining nineteen chapters.Nonetheless, the authors remain wedded to the belief that environmental action can only ever be as sound as the ecological principles on which it is based. Hence, while trying harder than ever to help improve preparedness for addressing the environmental problems of the years ahead, the book remains, in its essence, an exposition of the science of ecology. This new edition incorporates the results from more than a thousand recent studies into a fully up-to-date text.Written for students of ecology, researchers and practitioners, the fifth edition of Ecology: From Individuals to Ecosystems is anessential reference to all aspects of ecology and addresses environmental problems of the future.

1. Organisms in their Environment2. Conditions3. Resources4. Life, Death and Life Histories5. Intraspecific Competition6. Dispersal, Dormancy and Metapopulations7. Interspecific Competition8. The Population Dynamics of Predation9. Parasitism and Disease10. Symbiosis, Mutualism and Facilitation11. Decomposers and Detritivores12. Abundance13. Managing populations - Conservation, Pest Control and Harvest Management14. The Nature of the Community: Patterns in Space and Time15. The Flux of Energy through Ecosystems16. The Flux of Matter through Ecosystems17. The Influence of Population Interactions on Community Structure18. Food Webs19. Patterns in Species Richness20. Ecology in a changing world