The field of plant population ecology has advanced considerably in the last decade since the first edition was published. ln particular there have been substantial and ongoing advances in statistics and modelling applications in population ecology, as well as an explosion of new techniques reflecting the availability of new technologies (e.g. affordable and accurate Global Positioning Systems) and advances in molecular biology. This new edition has been updated and revised with more recent examples replacing older ones where appropriate. Methods in Comparative Plant Population Ecology's trademark question-driven approach has been maintained and some important topics such as the metapopulation concept which are missing entirely from the current edition are now included throughout the text.
New to this edition:
- Provides expanded coverage of key topics such as interspecific competition, pollination, and seed predation
- Improved illustration quality with colour plates, and more accessible format designed to facilitate use and tuition
Part 1 What is plant population ecology?
1: Scope of plant population ecology
Part 2 Planning the study
2: The question and approach
3: Basic considerations in experimental design
Part 3 Doing the study
4: Experimental treatments
5: Measuring individual and population parameters
6: Abiotic and biotic measurements of a plant's environment
7: Planning, choosing, and using statistics
8: Advanced statistical techniques: Spatial patterns, life tables, modelling and population viability analysis
David Gibson, PhD, is a Fellow of the Society of Biology, and Professor of Plant Biology and University Distinguished Scholar at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.
"Overall, this volume covers a huge amount of ground from planning and undertaking population research through to analysis and modeling. The text has been brought right up to date and continues to provide students (and more established researchers) with an essential reference on the doing of plant population ecology research."
– Quarterly Review of Biology