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.

Preface ixIntroduction: Ecology and its Domain xii1 Organisms in their Environments: the Evolutionary Backdrop 12 Conditions 323 Resources 654 Matters of Life and Death 1025 Intraspecific Competition 1326 Movement and Metapopulations 1697 Life History Ecology and Evolution 2068 Interspecific Competition 2409 The Nature of Predation 28410 The Population Dynamics of Predation 32011 Decomposers and Detritivores 35712 Parasitism and Disease 37813 Facilitation: Mutualism and Commensalism 41614 Abundance 45315 Pest Control Harvesting and Conservation 47716 Community Modules and the Structure of Ecological Communities 52217 Food Webs 54418 Patterns in Community Composition in Space and Time 57219 Patterns in Biodiversity and their Conservation 60320 The Flux of Energy through Ecosystems 64721 The Flux of Matter through Ecosystems 67822 Ecology in a Changing World 708References 743Organism Index 798Subject Index 812