Table of Contents

1. Introduction: The Web of Life UNIT 1: ORGANISMS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT 2. The Physical Environment 3. The Biosphere 4. Coping with Environmental Variation: Temperature and Water 5. Coping with Environmental Variation: Energy UNIT 2: EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY 6. Evolution and Ecology 7. Life History 8. Behavioral Ecology UNIT 3: POPULATIONS 9. Population Distribution and Abundance 10. Population Growth and Regulation 11. Population Dynamics UNIT 4: INTERACTIONS AMONG ORGANISMS 12. Competition 13. Predation and Herbivory 14. Parasitism 15. Mutualism and Commensalism UNIT 5: COMMUNITIES 16. The Nature of Communities 17. Change in Communities 18. Biogeography 19. Species Diversity in Communities UNIT 6: ECOSYSTEMS 20. Production 21. Energy Flow and Food Webs 22. Nutrient Supply and Cycling UNIT 7: APPLIED AND LARGE-SCALE ECOLOGY 23. Conservation Biology 24. Landscape Ecology and Ecosystem Management 25. Global Ecology

About the Author

Michael L. Cain, having opted to change careers and focus full-time on writing, is currently affiliated with Bowdoin College, USA. He has instructed students across a wide range of subjects, including introductory biology, ecology, field ecology, evolution, botany, mathematical biology, and biostatistics. His research interests include: plant ecology; long-distance dispersal; ecological and evolutionary dynamics in hybrid zones; and search behavior in plants and animals. William D. Bowman is Professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, USA, affiliated with the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Mountain Research Station, and the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research. Dr. Bowman has taught courses in introductory ecology, plant ecology, plant-soil interactions, and ecosystems ecology, and for over two decades he has directed undergraduate summer field courses and research programs. His research focuses on the intersections of physiological ecology, community dynamics, and ecosystem function, particularly in the context of environmental change. Sally D. Hacker is Professor at Oregon State University, Corvallis, USA where she has been a faculty member since 2004. As a community ecologist interested in natural and managed coastal, dune, and estuarine communities, Dr. Hacker's research explores the structures, functions, and services of communities under varying contexts of species interactions and global change. Her work has most recently focused on the protective role of ecosystems in mitigating coastal vulnerability due to climate change. She is author or co-author on numerous articles and book chapters exploring species interactions, marine invasions, and ecosystem services important to marine spatial planning and ecosystem-based management.