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  3. Cambridge Studies in Ecology

Cambridge Studies in Ecology presents balanced, comprehensive, up-to-date, and critical reviews of selected topics within ecology, both botanical and zoological. It is aimed at advanced final-year undergraduates, graduate students, researchers, and university teachers, as well as ecologists in industry and government research.This series encompasses a wide range of approaches and spatial, temporal, and taxonomic scales in ecology, including quantitative, theoretical, population, community, ecosystem, historical, experimental, behavioural and evolutionary studies. The emphasis throughout is on ecology related to the real world of plants and animals in the field rather than on purely theoretical abstractions and mathematical models. Some books in the series attempt to challenge existing ecological paradigms and present new concepts, empirical or theoretical models, and testable hypotheses. Others attempt to explore new approaches and present syntheses on topics of considerable importance ecologically that cut across the conventional yet artificial boundaries of the science of ecology.

  • General Editors: H. J. B. Birks, University of Bergen, J. A. Wiens, Colorado State University
  • Advisory Boards: P. Adam, University of New South Wales, R. T. Paine, University of Washington, R. B. Root, Cornell University, F. I. Woodward, University of Sheffield

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18 results in Cambridge Studies in Ecology

Ecological Experiments
  • Purpose, Design and Execution
  • Nelson G. Hairston
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    24 November 1989
  • Ecological Experiments stresses the importance to ecology of field experiments, where variables are manipulated in order to collect data on specific hypotheses, as opposed to the more passive observational method. The book begins by introducing a series of ecological questions that can be addressed experimentally for example, what is the significance of competition among species? The minimal requirements of experimental design that must be met are then introduced, together with examples of good and poor experiments from the ecological literature and a consideration of the trade-offs that may be forced on the experimenter by field conditions. All ecologists, and especially students beginning their careers in field study, will find in this text a good introduction to the experimental foundation of ecology.

The Background of Ecology
  • Concept and Theory
  • Robert P. McIntosh
  • Published online:
    05 August 2012
    Print publication:
    31 May 1985
  • The Background of Ecology is a critical and up-to-date review of the origins and development of ecology, with emphasis on the major concepts and theories shared in the ecological traditions of plant and animal ecology, limnology, and oceanography. The work traces developments in each of these somewhat isolated areas and identifies, where possible, parallels or convergences among them. Dr McIntosh describes how ecology emerged as a science in the context of nineteenth-century natural histor

The Ecological Implications of Body Size
  • Robert Henry Peters
  • Published online:
    05 August 2012
    Print publication:
    28 October 1983
  • It is generally recognized that larger animals eat more, live longer, have larger offspring, and so on; but it is unusual to see these commonplace observations as a basis for scientific biology. A large number of empirically based relationships describe biological rates as simple functions of body size; and other such relations predict the intrinsic rate of population growth, animal speed, animal density, territory size, prey size, physiology, and morphology. Such equations almost always exist for mammals and birds, often for other vertebrates and invertebrates, sometimes for protozoa, algae, and bacteria, and occasionally even for plants. There are too many organisms to measure all aspects of the biology of every species of population, so scientists must depend on generalizations. Body size relations represent our most extensive and powerful assemblage of generalizations, but they have never been organized for use in ecology. This book represents the largest single compilation of interspecific size relations, and instructs the reader on the use of these relationships; their comparison, combination, and criticism. Both strengths and weaknesses of our current knowledge are discussed in order to indicate the many possible directions for further research. This important volume will therefore provide a point of departure toward a new applied ecology, giving quantitative solutions to real questions. It will interest advanced students of ecology and comparative physiology as well as professional biologists.

Multivariate Analysis in Community Ecology
  • Hugh G. Gauch
  • Published online:
    05 August 2012
    Print publication:
    26 February 1982
  • Ecologists are making increasing use of computer methods in analyzing ecological data on plant and animal communities. Ecological problems naturally involve numerous variables and numerous individuals or samples. Multivariate techniques permit the summary of large, complex sets of data and provide the means to tackle many problems that cannot be investigated experimentally because of practical restraints. Ecologists are thus enabled to group similar species and similar sample sites together, and to generate hypotheses about environmental and historical factors that affect the communities. This timely book presents a full critical description of three methodologies - direct gradient analysis, ordination, and classification - from both theoretical and practical viewpoints. Both traditional and new methods are presented. Using a wide range of illustrative examples, Hugh Gauch provides an up-to-date synthesis of this field, which will be of interest to advanced students and ecologists. These mathematical tools are also used in a wide variety of other areas, from natural resource management and agronomy to the social and political sciences.

Megaherbivores
  • The Influence of Very Large Body Size on Ecology
  • R. Norman Owen-Smith
  • Published online:
    01 June 2011
    Print publication:
    08 December 1988
  • The largest land mammals are constrained in their activities by their large body size, a theme that is emphasized in this account of their general ecology. The book begins by raising the question as to why these once abundant and widely distributed 'megaherbivores' - elephants, rhinos, hippos and giraffes - have all but gone extinct, and ends by considering the implications of the answer for the conservation of the remaining populations. Existing megaherbivores are placed in the context of the more numerous species which occurred worldwide until the end of the last Ice Age, and knowledge of the ecology of surviving species is used to analyse the cause of the extinctions. The information and ideas contained in this book are of crucial importance to all concerned with halting the rapidly worsening conservation status of remaining elephant and rhinoceros species, and carries a wider message for those concerned with the ramifying effects of man on ecosystem processes. Graduate students and research scientists in ecology, conservation biology and wildlife management will find this book of value.

Saltmarsh Ecology
  • Paul Adam
  • Published online:
    04 April 2011
    Print publication:
    18 October 1990
  • This book provides a broad introduction to saltmarsh ecology, concentrating on plants, although much of the information should also be of interest to zoologists. Particular attention is given to the geographical diversity of saltmarsh vegetation and to the ecophysiological mechanisms which permit tolerance to the major challenges of high, but variable, soil salinities and of frequently waterlogged soils. The importance of saltmarshes as functioning ecosystems is discussed and issues relevant to the long-term conservation and management of saltmarshes are considered. Saltmarsh Ecology will be useful to upper level undergraduates and wetland scientists.

Adaptive Herbivore Ecology
  • From Resources to Populations in Variable Environments
  • R. Norman Owen-Smith
  • Published online:
    04 February 2011
    Print publication:
    27 June 2002
  • The adaptation of herbivore behaviour to seasonal and locational variations in vegetation quantity and quality is inadequately modelled by conventional methods. Norman Owen-Smith innovatively links the principles of adaptive behaviour to their consequences for population dynamics and community ecology, through the application of a metaphysiological modelling approach. The main focus is on large mammalian herbivores occupying seasonally variable environments such as those characterised by African savannahs, but applications to temperate zone ungulates are also included. Issues of habitat suitability, species coexistence, and population stability or instability are similarly investigated. The modelling approach accommodates various sources of environmental variability, in space and time, in a simple conceptual way and has the potential to be applied to other consumer-resource systems. This text highlights the crucial importance of adaptive consumer responses to environmental variability and is aimed particularly at academic researchers and graduate students in the field of ecology.

The Trophic Cascade in Lakes
  • Edited by Stephen R. Carpenter, James F. Kitchell
  • Published online:
    06 August 2010
    Print publication:
    19 August 1993
  • Fluctuations in fish populations in lakes can cascade through food webs to alter nutrient cycling, algal biomass and primary production. Trophic cascades may interact with nutrients and physical factors to explain most of the variance in lake ecosystem process rates. In this 1993 book, a multidisciplinary research team tests this idea by manipulating whole lakes experimentally, and coordinating this with palaeolimnological studies, simulation modelling, and small-scale enclosure experiments. Consequences of predator-prey interactions, behavioural responses of fishes, diel vertical migration of zooplankton, plankton community change, primary production, nutrient cycling and microbial processes are described. Palaeolimnological techniques enable the reconstruction of trophic interactions from past decades. Prospects for analysing the interaction of food web structure and nutrient input in lakes are explored.

The Evolutionary Ecology of Ant–Plant Mutualisms
  • Andrew James Beattie
  • Published online:
    07 May 2010
    Print publication:
    29 November 1985
  • Mutualistic interactions between ants and plants involve rewards offered by plants and services performed by ants in a mutually advantageous relationship. The rewards are principally food and/or nest sites, and ants in turn perform a number of services for plants: they disperse and plant seeds; they protect foliage, buds, and reproductive structures from enemies such as herbivores and seed predators; they fertilize plants with essential nutrients; and they may sometimes function as pollinators. In this book, initially published in 1985, Professor Beattie reviews the fascinating natural history of ant–plant interactions, discusses the scientific evidence for the mutualistic nature of these relationships, and reaches some conclusions about the ecological and evolutionary processes that mold them. This important work explores the natural history, experimental approach, and integration with contemporary evolutionary and ecological literature of the time will appeal to a wide variety of biologists.

Ecological Versatility and Community Ecology
  • Ralph C. MacNally
  • Published online:
    19 January 2010
    Print publication:
    21 September 1995
  • This book was first published in 1995, a time when, like today, there were mounting concerns that the management of our natural global heritage was failing to arrest the rapid loss of biodiversity. The problem may be traced to the extinction of enormous numbers of 'specialised' species, especially in the tropics. Tropical species either have highly particular resource requirements, such as food or nesting hollows, or specific needs for certain types of habitat, such as wetlands, making them vulnerable to changing global conditions. This book is about specialisation and generalisation in the use of resources and habitats. The author uses a broad ecological perspective to address three main questions. How do ecologists study variation in resource and habitat use, and what do we know from these studies? How well does theory account for observations, and what are the common threads between disciplines? Finally, what is the relationship between resource and habitat use? This book provides a comprehensive analysis of ecological versatility.

Fire and Vegetation Dynamics
  • Studies from the North American Boreal Forest
  • Edward A. Johnson
  • Published online:
    14 January 2010
    Print publication:
    27 August 1992
  • It is almost dogma that the boreal forest in North America is a fire-dependent forest, yet ecologists often do not consider in any technical detail how forest fires produce effects on individual plants and on plant populations. Consequently, the causal connection between the behaviour of fire and its ecological consequences is poorly understood. This book sets out to correct this deficiency by assembling the relevant studies of fire intensity, rate of spread, fuel consumption, fire frequency and fire weather in the North American boreal forest. The central thesis is that the North American boreal forest has at least four wildfire characteristics that are important in understanding the dynamics of its plant populations: the large size of the burns with respect to dispersal distances, the short recurrence time of fire with respect to tree lifespans, the high mortality of plants due to the predominance of crown fires, and a good germination surface due to the large area of the forest floor which is covered by ash.

Spiders in Ecological Webs
  • David H. Wise
  • Published online:
    08 January 2010
    Print publication:
    04 February 1993
  • As experimental organisms, spiders offer ecologists a unique opportunity to examine the concept of the ecological community and the role which field experimentation can play in evaluating theories of population and community ecology. In this book, David Wise provides a balanced critique of field experiments designed to uncover details of spider ecology, with the dual aim of clarifying the ecology of these fascinating organisms and providing insight into the advantages and challenges of performing field experiments with a predator ubiquitous in terrestrial ecosystems. This book will be an essential reference for all ecologists wishing to learn more about the ecology of a major terrestrial predator and the use of field experimentation as a powerful technique to test ecological hypotheses.

The Ecology of Bird Communities
  • Volume 2, Processes and Variations
  • John A. Wiens
  • Published online:
    18 December 2009
    Print publication:
    14 September 1989
  • The two volumes of John Wiens' Ecology of Bird Communities have applications and importance to the whole field of ecology. The books contain a detailed synthesis of our current understanding of the patterns of organisation of bird communities and of the factors that may determine them, drawing from studies from all over the world. By emphasizing how proper logic and methods have or have not been followed and how different viewpoints have developed historically and have led to controversy, the scope of these books are extended far beyond the study of birds. Processes and Variations discusses the way in which bird community patterns have been interpreted. This second volume examines how the complexity and variability of natural environments may influence efforts to discern and understand the nature of these communities. Graduate students and professionals in avian biology and ecology will find these volumes a valuable stimulus and guide to future field studies and theory development.

Spatial Pattern Analysis in Plant Ecology
  • Mark R. T. Dale
  • Published online:
    04 December 2009
    Print publication:
    04 March 1999
  • The predictability of the physical arrangement of plants, at whatever scale it is viewed, is referred to as their spatial pattern. Spatial pattern is a crucial aspect of vegetation which has important implications not only for the plants themselves, but also for other organisms which interact with plants, such as herbivores and pollinators, or those animals for which plants provide a habitat. This book describes and evaluates methods for detecting and quantifying a variety of characteristics of spatial pattern. As well as discussing the concepts on which these techniques are based, examples from real field studies and worked examples are included, which, together with numerous line figures, help guide the reader through the text. The result is a book that will be of value to graduate students and research workers in the fields of vegetation science, conservation biology and applied ecology.

Evolution and Ecology
  • The Pace of Life
  • K. D. Bennett
  • Published online:
    31 October 2009
    Print publication:
    28 December 1996
  • The mechanisms of macroevolutionary change have long been a contentious issue. Palaeoecological evidence, presented in this book, shows that evolutionary processes visible in ecological time do not build up into macroevolutionary trends, contrary to Darwin's original thesis. The author discusses how climatic oscillations on ice-age time-scales are paced by variations in the Earth's orbit, and have thus been a permanent feature of Earth history. There is, however, little evidence for macroevolutionary change in response to these climatic changes, suggesting that over geological time macroevolution does not occur as a result of accumulated short term processes. These conclusions are used to construct a post-modern evolutionary synthesis in which evolution and ecology play an equal role. Written by a leading palaeoecologist, this book will be of interest to researchers in both ecology and evolutionary biology.

Riparian Landscapes
  • George P. Malanson
  • Published online:
    06 October 2009
    Print publication:
    27 May 1993
  • Riparian Landscapes examines the ecological systems of streamside and floodplain areas from the perspective of landscape ecology. The specific spatial pattern of riparian vegetation is seen as a result of, and a control on, the ecological, geomorphological, and hydrological processes that operate along rivers. Riparian structures are controlled by the spatial dynamics of channels, flooding and soil moisture. These dynamics are part of integrated cascades of water, sediment, nutrients and carbon, to which animal and plant species respond in ways that illuminate community structure and competition. The role of the riparian zone in controlling species distribution and abundance is discussed. Intelligent management of these valuable ecological resources is highlighted. The potential for linking hydrological, geomorphological and ecological simulation models is also explored.

Cliff Ecology
  • Pattern and Process in Cliff Ecosystems
  • Douglas W. Larson, Uta Matthes, Peter E. Kelly
  • Published online:
    16 September 2009
    Print publication:
    06 January 2000
  • Cliffs are present in virtually every country on earth. The lack of scientific interest in cliffs to date is in striking contrast to the commonness of cliffs around the world and to the attraction cliffs have had for humans throughout history. Cliffs provide a unique habitat, rarely investigated from an ecological viewpoint. This book aims to destroy the impression of cliffs as geological structures devoid of life, by reviewing information about the geology, geomorphology, microclimate, flora and fauna of both sea and inland cliffs. For the first time, evidence is presented to suggest that cliffs worldwide may represent an invaluable type of ecosystem, consisting of some of the least disturbed habitats on earth and contributing more to the biodiversity of a region than their surface coverage would indicate.

Forest Dynamics and Disturbance Regimes
  • Studies from Temperate Evergreen-Deciduous Forests
  • Lee E. Frelich
  • Published online:
    11 August 2009
    Print publication:
    10 January 2002
  • Temperate-zone forests have been shaped by fire, wind and grazing over thousands of years. This book provides a major contribution to the study of their dynamics by considering three important themes:The combined influence of wind, fire and herbivory on the successional trajectories and structural characteristics of forestsThe interaction of deciduous and evergreen tree species to form mosaics which, in turn, influence the environment and disturbance regimeThe significance of temporal and spatial scale with regard to the overall impact of disturbancesThese themes are explored via case studies from the forests in the Lake States of the USA (Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan) where the presence of large primary forest remnants provides a unique opportunity to study the long-term dynamics of near-boreal, pine and hardwood-hemlock forests. The comparability of these forests to forests in other temperate zones allows generalizations to be made that may apply more widely.