Practical Methods in Ecology

ISBN-13: 9781405102445 / Angielski / Miękka / 2003 / 172 str.

Peter A Henderson

Opis

There are few books available that provide a good introduction to the methods and techniques for ecological research. This book will be invaluable to lecturers teaching field courses and students undertaking project work in ecology. Each chapter will focus on an ecological technique. It will have an introductory section that describes the ecological principles and theory. This will then be followed by example applications. These will focus on three most common habitats where teachers take students for fieldwork; the seashore, ponds and lakes, fields and woodland.

• Gives specific worked examples from the main ecosystems used for undergraduate study - seashore, lakes/ponds, field and woodland.
  
• Only introductory text specifically focused on field techniques.
  
• Great 'how-to' guide that will show student exactly how to carry out each method.
  
• Only text to emphasise the principles behind the techniques - taking a methods based approach rather than a taxonomic approach (eg chapters split into population measures, biodiversity measures, species richness measures rather than methods for invertebrates, methods for mammals, methods for birds etc).
  
• Greater emphasis on the equipment involved - how to make it, where to buy it.
  
• Good references to further reading and advanced techniques.

Recenzje

"A valuable manual for field workers in ecology. It is well thought out, identifying common pitfalls facing novice researchers." J Burger, Rutgers, CHOICE, October 2003 <!––end––>

"This is an excellent book...There can be few teachers and practically no students who would not benefit from consulting Henderson′s book." Journal of Biological Education, Winter 2005

Spis treści

1. Estimating absolute population number by sampling a unit of habitat.

2. Estimating absolute population size – Mark–recapture estimates.

3. Distance sampling methods for absolute population estimation.

4. Removal sampling to estimate absolute population size.

5. Comparing the magnitude of populations – relative methods.

6. Population indices.

7. Alpha diversity and spcies richness

O autorze

Peter Henderson is an ecologist with more than 25 years experience working on population dynamics of fish and invertebrates in Europe, North America, and Amazonia. His wide–ranging interests include community dynamics, evolutionary theory, and the taxonomy of ostracods. He is a director of the ecological consultancy Pisces Conservation Ltd and lectures at the University of Oxford.

Blurb

Practical Methods in Ecology isan introductory manual of methods used by ecologists to collect and analyze data. Aimed at students with little practical or computational experience, it is an ideal text for university and senior high school students on field trips or taking courses in field ecology.

Based on the classic textbook by Southwood, Ecological Methods, it begins with a discussion on planning of field work, followed by a brief overview of the statistical tests that can be used to analyze the data. The book then divides into two main sections, the first covering techniques used to sample communities and estimate population size from pitfall trapping to mark recapture methods, the second looking at techniques for population and community analysis including diversity indices, life–tables, and multivariate techniques.

Each chapter provides a summary of the theoretical principles, followed by specific examples and ideas for project work. Examples are selected for use in ponds and streams, the sea shore, fields, and woodland, and carefully chosen so at least one of these widely available habitats should be accessible to students almost anywhere in the world.