Essentials of Ecology

Table of contents

- Front Cover (Page 1)
- Title Page (Page 4)
- Copyright (Page 5)
- Brief Contents (Page 6)
- Contents (Page 8)
- Learning Skills (Page 26)
- HUMANS AND SUSTAINABILITY: AN OVERVIEW (Page 30)
- 1 Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability (Page 30)
- CORE CASE STUDY: Living in an Exponential Age (Page 30)
- KEY QUESTIONS AND CONCEPTS (Page 31)
- 1-1 What Is an Environmentally Sustainable Society? (Page 31)
- 1-2 How Can Environmentally Sustainable Societies Grow Economically? (Page 35)
- 1-3 How Are Our Ecological Footprints Affecting the Earth? (Page 37)
- CASE STUDY: China's New Affluent Consumers (Page 40)
- 1-4 What Is Pollution, and What Can We Do about It? (Page 41)
- 1-5 Why Do We Have Environmental Problems? (Page 42)
- CASE STUDY: The Environmental Transformation of Chattanooga, Tennessee (Page 46)
- INDIVIDUALS MATTER: Aldo Leopold's Environmental Ethics (Page 47)
- 1-6 What Are Four Scientific Principles of Sustainability? (Page 48)
- REVISITING: Exponential Growth and Sustainability (Page 49)
- SCIENCE, ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES, AND SUSTAINABILITY (Page 53)
- 2 Science, Matter, Energy, and Systems (Page 53)
- CORE CASE STUDY: Carrying Out a Controlled Scientific Experiment (Page 53)
- KEY QUESTIONS AND CONCEPTS (Page 54)
- 2-1 What is Science? (Page 54)
- SCIENCE FOCUS: Easter Island: Some Revisions to a Popular Environmental Story (Page 56)
- SCIENCE FOCUS: The Scientific Consensus over Global Warming (Page 58)
- SCIENCE FOCUS: Statistics and Probability (Page 59)
- 2-2 What Is Matter? (Page 60)
- 2-3 How Can Matter Change? (Page 64)
- 2-4 What Is Energy and How Can It Be Changed? (Page 65)
- 2-5 What Are Systems and How Do They Respond to Change? (Page 69)
- SCIENCE FOCUS: The Usefulness of Models (Page 69)
- REVISITING: The Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest and Sustainability (Page 72)
- 3 Ecosystems: What Are They and How Do They Work? (Page 75)
- CORE CASE STUDY: Tropical Rain Forests Are Disappearing (Page 75)
- KEY QUESTIONS AND CONCEPTS (Page 76)
- 3-1 What Is Ecology? (Page 76)
- SCIENCE FOCUS: Have You Thanked the Insects Today? (Page 79)
- 3-2 What Keeps Us and Other Organisms Alive? (Page 79)
- 3-3 What Are the Major Components of an Ecosystem? (Page 82)
- SCIENCE FOCUS: Many of the World's Most Important Species Are Invisible to Us (Page 86)
- 3-4 What Happens to Energy in an Ecosystem? (Page 86)
- 3-5 What Happens to Matter in an Ecosystem? (Page 90)
- SCIENCE FOCUS: Water's Unique Properties (Page 92)
- 3-6 How Do Scientists Study Ecosystems? (Page 97)
- REVISITING: Tropical Rain Forests and Sustainability (Page 99)
- 4 Biodiversity and Evolution (Page 102)
- CORE CASE STUDY: Why Should We Care about the American Alligator? (Page 102)
- KEY QUESTIONS AND CONCEPTS (Page 103)
- 4-1 What Is Biodiversity and Why Is It Important? (Page 103)
- 4-2 Where Do Species Come From? (Page 105)
- CASE STUDY: How Did Humans Become Such a Powerful Species? (Page 108)
- 4-3 How Do Geological Processes and Climate Change Affect Evolution? (Page 109)
- SCIENCE FOCUS: Earth Is Just Right for Life to Thrive (Page 111)
- 4-4 How Do Speciation, Extinction, and Human Activities Affect Biodiversity? (Page 111)
- SCIENCE FOCUS: We Have Developed Two Ways to Change the Genetic Traits of Populations (Page 113)
- 4-5 What Is Species Diversity and Why Is It Important? (Page 114)
- SCIENCE FOCUS: Species Richness on Islands (Page 115)
- 4-6 What Roles Do Species Play in Ecosystems? (Page 116)
- CASE STUDY: Cockroaches: Nature's Ultimate Survivors (Page 117)
- CASE STUDY: Why Are Amphibians Vanishing? (Page 118)
- CASE STUDY: Why Should We Protect Sharks? (Page 121)
- REVISITING: The American Alligator and Sustainability (Page 122)
- 5 Biodiversity, Species Interactions, and Population Control (Page 125)
- CORE CASE STUDY: Southern Sea Otters: Are They Back from the Brink of Extinction? (Page 125)
- KEY QUESTIONS AND CONCEPTS (Page 126)
- 5-1 How Do Species Interact? (Page 126)
- SCIENCE FOCUS: Why Should We Care About Kelp Forests? (Page 129)
- 5-2 How Can Natural Selection Reduce Competition between Species? (Page 132)
- 5-3 What Limits the Growth of Populations? (Page 133)
- SCIENCE FOCUS: Why Are Protected Sea Otters Making a Slow Comeback? (Page 135)
- CASE STUDY: Exploding White-Tailed Deer Populations in the United States (Page 139)
- 5-4 How Do Communities and Ecosystems Respond to Changing Environmental Conditions? (Page 140)
- SCIENCE FOCUS: How Do Species Replace One Another in Ecological Succession? (Page 143)
- REVISITING: Southern Sea Otters and Sustainability (Page 144)
- 6 The Human Population and Its Impact (Page 147)
- CORE CASE STUDY: Are There Too Many of Us? (Page 147)
- KEY QUESTIONS AND CONCEPTS (Page 148)
- 6-1 How Many People Can the Earth Support? (Page 148)
- SCIENCE FOCUS: How Long Can the Human Population Keep Growing? (Page 149)
- 6-2 What Factors Influence the Size of the Human Population? (Page 150)
- CASE STUDY: The U.S. Population Is Growing Rapidly (Page 151)
- CASE STUDY: The United States: A Nation of Immigrants (Page 154)
- 6-3 How Does a Population's Age Structure Affect Its Growth or Decline? (Page 155)
- 6-4 How Can We Slow Human Population Growth? (Page 158)
- CASE STUDY: Slowing Population Growth in China: The One-Child Policy (Page 160)
- CASE STUDY: Slowing Population Growth in India (Page 161)
- REVISITING: Population Growth and Sustainability (Page 162)
- 7 Climate and Terrestrial Biodiversity (Page 165)
- CORE CASE STUDY: Blowing in the Wind: Connections Between Wind, Climate, and Biomes (Page 165)
- KEY QUESTIONS AND CONCEPTS (Page 166)
- 7-1 What Factors Influence Climate? (Page 166)
- 7-2 How Does Climate Affect the Nature and Locations of Biomes? (Page 170)
- SCIENCE FOCUS: Staying Alive in the Desert (Page 173)
- 7-3 How Have We Affected the World's Terrestrial Ecosystems? (Page 183)
- REVISITING: Winds and Sustainability (Page 184)
- 8 Aquatic Biodiversity (Page 187)
- CORE CASE STUDY: Why Should We Care about Coral Reefs? (Page 187)
- KEY QUESTIONS AND CONCEPTS (Page 188)
- 8-1 What Is the General Nature of Aquatic Systems? (Page 188)
- 8-2 Why Are Marine Aquatic Systems Important? (Page 190)
- 8-3 How Have Human Activities Affected Marine Ecosystems? (Page 196)
- CASE STUDY: The Chesapeake Bay—An Estuary in Trouble (Page 197)
- 8-4 Why Are Freshwater Ecosystems Important? (Page 199)
- CASE STUDY: Dams, Deltas, Wetlands, Hurricanes, and New Orleans (Page 202)
- 8-5 How Have Human Activities Affected Freshwater Ecosystems? (Page 204)
- CASE STUDY: Inland Wetland Losses in the United States (Page 204)
- REVISITING Coral Reefs and Sustainability (Page 205)
- SUSTAINING BIODIVERSITY (Page 208)
- 9 Sustaining Biodiversity: The Species Approach (Page 208)
- CORE CASE STUDY: The Passenger Pigeon: Gone Forever (Page 208)
- KEY QUESTIONS AND CONCEPTS (Page 209)
- 9-1 What Role Do Humans Play in the Premature Extinction of Species? (Page 209)
- SCIENCE FOCUS: Estimating Extinction Rates Is Not Easy (Page 213)
- 9-2 Why Should We Care about Preventing Premature Species Extinction? (Page 214)
- SCIENCE FOCUS: Using DNA to Reduce Illegal Killing of Elephants for Their Ivory (Page 216)
- SCIENCE FOCUS: Why Should We Care about Bats? (Page 217)
- 9-3 How Do Humans Accelerate Species Extinction? (Page 218)
- SCIENCE FOCUS: Studying the Effects of Forest Fragmentation on Old-Growth Trees (Page 220)
- CASE STUDY: A Disturbing Message from the Birds (Page 220)
- SCIENCE FOCUS Vultures, Wild Dogs, and Rabies: Some Unexpected Scientific Connections (Page 222)
- CASE STUDY: The Kudzu Vine (Page 223)
- CASE STUDY: Where Have All the Honeybees Gone? (Page 227)
- CASE STUDY: Polar Bears and Global Warming (Page 228)
- INDIVIDUALS MATTER: Jane Goodall (Page 230)
- 9-4 How Can We Protect Wild Species from Extinction Resulting from our Activities? (Page 231)
- CASE STUDY: The U.S. Endangered Species Act (Page 232)
- SCIENCE FOCUS: Accomplishments of the Endangered Species Act (Page 234)
- CASE STUDY: Trying to Save the California Condor (Page 235)
- REVISITING: Passenger Pigeons and Sustainability (Page 236)
- 10 Sustaining Terrestrial Biodiversity: The Ecosystem Approach (Page 239)
- CORE CASE STUDY: Reintroducing Gray Wolves to Yellowstone (Page 239)
- KEY QUESTIONS AND CONCEPTS (Page 240)
- 10-1 What Are the Major Threats to Forest Ecosystems? (Page 240)
- SCIENCE FOCUS: Putting a Price Tag on Nature's Ecological Services (Page 243)
- CASE STUDY: Many Cleared Forests in the United States Have Grown Back (Page 248)
- 10-2 How Should We Manage and Sustain Forests? (Page 252)
- SCIENCE FOCUS: Certifying Sustainably Grown Timber (Page 253)
- CASE STUDY: Deforestation and the Fuelwood Crisis (Page 254)
- INDIVIDUALS MATTER: Wangari Maathai and Kenya's Green Belt Movement (Page 255)
- 10-3 How Should We Manage and Sustain Grasslands? (Page 256)
- CASE STUDY: Grazing and Urban Development in the American West—Cows or Condos? (Page 258)
- 10-4 How Should We Manage and Sustain Parks and Nature Reserves? (Page 259)
- CASE STUDY: Stresses on U.S. Public Parks (Page 259)
- SCIENCE FOCUS: Effects of Reintroducing the Gray Wolf to Yellowstone National Park (Page 260)
- CASE STUDY: Costa Rica—A Global Conservation Leader (Page 262)
- CASE STUDY: Controversy over Wilderness Protection in the United States (Page 263)
- 10-5 What Is the Ecosystem Approach to Sustaining Biodiversity? (Page 264)
- CASE STUDY: A Biodiversity Hotspot in East Africa (Page 265)
- SCIENCE FOCUS: Ecological Restoration of a Tropical Dry Forest in Costa Rica (Page 267)
- CASE STUDY: The Blackfoot Challenge—Reconciliation Ecology in Action (Page 269)
- REVISITING: Yellowstone Wolves and Sustainability (Page 270)
- 11 Sustaining Aquatic Biodiversity (Page 274)
- CORE CASE STUDY: A Biological Roller Coaster Ride in Lake Victoria (Page 274)
- KEY QUESTIONS AND CONCEPTS (Page 275)
- 11-1 What Are the Major Threats to Aquatic Biodiversity? (Page 275)
- SCIENCE FOCUS: How Carp Have Muddied Some Waters (Page 278)
- SCIENCE FOCUS: Sustaining Ecosystem Services by Protecting and Restoring Mangroves (Page 280)
- CASE STUDY: Industrial Fish Harvesting Methods (Page 281)
- 11-2 How Can We Protect and Sustain Marine Biodiversity? (Page 282)
- CASE STUDY: Protecting Whales: A Success Story . . . So Far (Page 282)
- CASE STUDY: Holding Out Hope for Marine Turtles (Page 284)
- INDIVIDUALS MATTER: Creating an Artificial Coral Reef in Israel (Page 286)
- 11-3 How Should We Manage and Sustain Marine Fisheries? (Page 288)
- 11-4 How Should We Protect and Sustain Wetlands? (Page 290)
- INDIVIDUALS MATTER: Restoring a Wetland (Page 291)
- CASE STUDY: Can We Restore the Florida Everglades? (Page 292)
- 11-5 How Can We Protect and Sustain Freshwater Lakes, Rivers, and Fisheries? (Page 294)
- CASE STUDY: Can the Great Lakes Survive Repeated Invasions by Alien Species? (Page 294)
- 11-6 What Should Be Our Priorities for Sustaining Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services? (Page 296)
- REVISITING: Lake Victoria and Sustainability (Page 297)
- SUPPLEMENTS (Page 300)
- 1 Measurement Units, Precision, and Accuracy Chapter 2 (Page 301)
- 2 Reading Graphs and Maps All chapters (Page 303)
- 3 Economic, Population, Hunger, Health, and Waste Production Data and Maps Chapters 1, 6 (Page 309)
- 4 Biodiversity, Ecological Footprints, and Environmental Performance Maps Chapters 1, 3–10 (Page 319)
- 5 Environmental History Chapters 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 10 (Page 330)
- 6 Some Basic Chemistry Chapters 1–5 (Page 338)
- 7 Classifying and Naming Species Chapters 3, 4, 8 (Page 345)
- 8 Weather Basics: El Niño, Tornadoes, and Tropical Cyclones Chapters 4, 7, 11 (Page 346)
- 9 Components and Interactions in Major Biomes Chapters 8, 9, 10 (Page 352)
- 10 Chapter Projects Chapters 3–11 (Page 358)
- 11 Key Concepts By Chapter (Page 360)
- Glossary (Page 364)
- Index (Page 376)