Synopses & Reviews
The core message of this study is that key insights emerge from understanding what determines population growth rate, and that application of the approach will make ecology a more predictive science. What determines where a species lives? And what determines its abundance? Despite great progress in the twentieth century, much more remains to be done before we can provide full answers to these classic questions in ecology. This book takes an original approach by describing and deploying progressive research methods.
Review
"This volume would make a wonderful text for a graduate seminar in population dynamics; and can serve as a launching pad for further readings on the subject." Écoscience
Synopsis
This book takes a fresh approach to some of the classic questions in ecology. What determines where a species lives? And what determines its abundance? Topics covered include population regulation, density-dependence, the ecological niche, resource and interference competition, habitat fragmentation and the ecological effects of environmental stress.
Synopsis
A fresh approach to some of the classic questions in ecology.
Table of Contents
Introduction R. M. Sibly, J. Hone and T. H. Clutton-Brock; 1. Population growth rate and its determinants: an overview R. M. Sibly and J. Hone; 2. Demographic, mechanistic and density-dependent determinants of population growth rate: a case study in an avian predator J. Hone and R. Sibly; 3. Estimating density dependence in time series of age-structured populations R. Lande, S. Engen and B.-E. Sæther; 4. Pattern of variation in avian population growth B.-E. Sæther and S. Engen; 5. Determinants of human population growth W. Lutz and R. Quaing; 6. Two complementary paradigms for analyzing population dynamics C. J. Krebs; 7. Complex numerical responses to top-down and bottom-up processes in vertebrate populations A. R. E. Sinclair and C. J. Krebs; 8. The numerical response: rate of increase and food limitation in herbivores and predators P. Bayliss and D. Choquenot; 9. Populations in variable environments: the effect of variability in a species' primary resource S. A. Davis, R. P. Pech and E. A. Catchpole; 10. Trophic interactions and population growth rates: describing patterns and identifying mechanisms P. J. Hudson, A. P. Dobson, I. M. Cattadori, D. Newborn, D. T. Haydon, D. J. Shaw, T. Benton and B. Grenfell; 11. Behavioural models of population growth rates: implications for conservation and prediction W. J. Sutherland and K. Norris; 12. Comparative ungulate dynamics: the devil is in the detail T. H. Cluttton-Brock and T. Coulson; 13. Population growth rate as a basis for ecological risk assessment of toxic chemicals V. Forbes and P. Calow;14. Population growth rates: issues and an application H. C. J. Godfray and M. Rees; Index.