Readings in Ecology

Description

Readings in Ecology is a unique collection of diverse readings from the primary literature in ecology. An ideal companion to the groundbreaking text Ecology (OUP, 1998, Dodson et al.), it can also be used in conjunction with other introductory ecology texts. It follows the same chapter organization as Ecology, using eight chapters to focus on the various subdivisions of ecology. Each article is relevant to a fundamental topic covered in the corresponding textbook chapter. Carefully selected by the eight authors of Ecology and Kandis Elliot, a biologist who designed and illustrated Ecology, the readings are representative of a wide range of classic, innovative, and insightful research that has greatly contributed to our grasp and exploration of ecological questions. Selections include Michael Pollan's "The Idea of a Garden," Aldo Leopold's "Prairie Birthday," Crawford Holling and Gary Meffe's "Command and Control and the Pathology of Natural Resource Management," John Pastor and colleagues' "Moose, Microbes, and the Boreal Forest," Joel Cohen's "Population Growth and Earth's Human Carrying Capacity," and over two dozen more, each introduced by the author who selected it.
Essential reading for every student in the life sciences, Readings in Ecology serves as a useful and exciting supplement for any college-level ecology, biology, environmental science, or other natural history course. It is also a captivating basic reader for every student, teacher, professional, and serious amateur interested in the study of ecology.

Table of Contents

Preface
1. READINGS FOR WHAT IS ECOLOGY?
Introduction by Stanley I. Dodson
Aldo Leopold
Thinking Like a Mountain
Escudilla
Prairie Birthday
Introduction by Kandis Elliott
Jean Henri Fabre
The Pine Processionary
More Inquiries Into Mason-Bees
2. READINGS FOR PEOPLE AND NATURE
Introductions by Nancy E. Langston
Norman L. Christensen
Landscape History and Ecological Change
Alfred W. Crosby
Ecological Imperialism
Michael Pollan
The Idea of a Garden
Donald Worster
The Ecology of Order and Chaos
3. READINGS FOR LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY
Introductions by Monica G. Turner
Carolyn T. Hunsaker and Daniel A. Levine
Hierarchical Approaches to the Study of Water Quality in Rivers
David J. Mladenoff and Theodore A. Sickley
Assessing Potential Gray Wolf Restoration in the Northeastern United States
Steward T.A. Pickett and Mary L. Cadenasso
Landscape Ecology: Spatial Heterogeneity in Ecological Systems
William H. Romme and Dennis H. Knight
Landscape Diversity: The Concept Applied to Yellowstone Park
John A. Wiens
Spatial Scaling in Ecology
4. READINGS FOR ECOSYSTEM ECOLOGY
Introductions by Stephen R. Carpenter
Stephen R. Carpenter, James F. Kitchell, and James R. Hodgson
Cascading Trophic Interactions and Lake Productivity
Crawford S. Holling and Gary K. Meffe
Command and Control and the Pathology of Natural Resource Management
John Pastor, Robert J. Naiman, Bradley Dewey, and Pamela McInnes
Moose, Microbes, and the Boreal Forest
Peter M. Vitousek, Harold A. Mooney, Jane Lubchenco, and Jerry M. Melillo
Human Domination of Earth's Ecosystems
5. READINGS FOR PHYSIOLOGICAL ECOLOGY
William C. Dennison, Robert J. Orth, Kenneth A. Moore, et al.
Assessing Water Quality with Submersed Aquatic Vegetation
James J. Elser, Dean R. Dobberfuhl, Neil A. MacKay, and John H. Schampel
Organism Size, Life History, and N:P Stoichiometry
Robert J. Olson and Christofer H. Boggs
Apex Predation by Yellowfin Tuna
Michael G. Ryan and Barbara J. Yoder
Hydraulic Limits to Tree Height and Tree Growth
6. READINGS FOR BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
Introductions by Robert L. Jeanne
H. Jane Brockmann, Alan Grafen, and Richard Dawkins
Evolutionarily Stable Nesting Strategy in a Digger Wasp
Ronald L. Mumme
Do Helpers Increase Reproductive Success?
Paul Schmid-Hempel, Alejandro Kacelnik, and Alasdair I. Houston
Honeybees Maximize Efficiency by Not Filling Their Crop
7. READINGS FOR POPULATION ECOLOGY
Introductions by Anthony R. Ives
Joel E. Cohen
Population Growth and Earth's Human Carrying Capacity
Joseph H. Connell
The Influence of Interspecific Competition and Other Factors on the Distribution of the Barnacle Chthamalus stellatus
Charles J. Krebs, Stan Boutin, Rudy Boonstra, et al.
Impact of Food and Predation on the Snowshoe Hare Cycle
8. READINGS FOR COMMUNITY ECOLOGY
Introductions by Timothy F.H. Allen
Timoth F.H. Allen, Robert V. O'Neill, and Thomas W. Hoekstra
Interlevel Relations in Ecological Research and Management
Garry Peterson, Craig R. Allen, and Crawford S. Holling
Ecological Resilience, Biodiversity, and Scale
Eric D. Schneider and James J. Kay
Life as a Manifestation of the Second Law of Thermodynamics