Illustrated Guide to Theoretical Ecology

About this book

Uses a combination of visual presentations and the symbolic logic of algebra and calculus to give the most accessible introduction to ecological theory available, providing students with the basic tools they need to understand the complexities of ecological systems and to analyze simple quantitative ecological problems.

Contents

PART I: POPULATION ECOLOGY; 1. Exponential and Geometric Population Growth; 2. Spatial, Temporal, and Individual Variation in Birth and Death Rates; 3. Population Growth and Age Structure; 4. Demographic Relationships; 5. Density Dependent Population Growth; 6. Population Regulation, Limiting Factors, and Temporal Variability; 7. Life History Trade-offs; 8. Reproductive Value and the Evolutionary Theory of Ageing; 9. Density Dependent Selection on Life History Traits; PART II: SPECIES INTERACTIONS AND COMMUNITY ECOLOGY; 10. Predator-Prey Systems: The Dynamics of Exploited Prey; 11. The Mechanics of Predation; 12. Predator-Prey Systems: Predator Dynamics and Effects on Prey; 13. Stability of Predator-Prey Systems: Analytical Methods; 14. Competitors; 15. Multi-species Dynamics; 16. Space, Islands, and Metapopulations (with Mike Gilpin); PART III: APPENDICES; Appendix 1: Preparation, Part 1: Visualizing Equations; Preparation, Part 2: Terms and Methods of Model Building in Population Dynamics; Appendix 2: Some Matrix Operations; Appendix 3: Solving for Equilibrium Points in Dynamical Systems and Finding the Inverse of a Square Matrix; Appendix 4: Some Useful Mathematical Identities; Appendix 5: Some Stochastic Distributions and Their Properties

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