This textbook covers R data analysis related to environmental science, starting with basic examples and proceeding up to advanced applications of the R programming language. The main objective of the textbook is to serve as a guide for undergraduate students, who have no previous experience with R, but part of the textbook is dedicated to advanced R applications, and will also be useful for Masters and PhD students, and professionals. The textbook deals with solving specific programming tasks in R, and tasks are organized in terms of gradually increasing R proficiency, with examples getting more challenging as the chapters progress. The main competencies students will acquire from this textbook are: manipulating and processing data tables performing statistical tests creating maps in R This textbook will be useful in undergraduate and graduate courses in Advanced Landscape Ecology, Analysis of Ecological and Environmental Data, Ecological Modeling, Analytical Methods for Ecologists, Statistical Inference for Applied Research, Elements of Statistical Methods, Computational Ecology, Landscape Metrics and Spatial Statistics.
Features review questions at the end of each chapter; Includes suggestions for recommended reading; Provides a glossary of ecological terms; Has a wide audience as a textbook for advanced undergraduate students, graduate students and as a reference for practicing scientists from a wide array of disciplines
This textbook covers R data analysis related to environmental science, starting with basic examples and proceeding up to advanced applications of the R programming language. The main objective of the textbook is to serve as a guide for undergraduate students, who have no previous experience with R, but part of the textbook is dedicated to advanced R applications, and will also be useful for Masters and PhD students, and professionals. The textbook deals with solving specific programming tasks in R, and tasks are organized in terms of gradually increasing R proficiency, with examples getting more challenging as the chapters progress. The main competencies students will acquire from this textbook are: manipulating and processing data tables performing statistical tests creating maps in R This textbook will be useful in undergraduate and graduate courses in Advanced Landscape Ecology, Analysis of Ecological and Environmental Data, Ecological Modeling, Analytical Methods for Ecologists, Statistical Inference for Applied Research, Elements of Statistical Methods, Computational Ecology, Landscape Metrics and Spatial Statistics.
This textbook covers R data analysis related to environmental science, starting with basic examples and proceeding up to advanced applications of the R programming language. The main objective of the textbook is to serve as a guide for undergraduate students, who have no previous experience with R, but part of the textbook is dedicated to advanced R applications, and will also be useful for Masters and PhD students, and professionals. The textbook deals with solving specific programming tasks in R, and tasks are organized in terms of gradually increasing R proficiency, with examples getting more challenging as the chapters progress. The main competencies students will acquire from this textbook are: manipulating and processing data tables performing statistical tests creating maps in R This textbook will be useful in undergraduate and graduate courses in Advanced Landscape Ecology, Analysis of Ecological and Environmental Data, Ecological Modeling, Analytical Methods for Ecologists, Statistical Inference for Applied Research, Elements of Statistical Methods, Computational Ecology, Landscape Metrics and Spatial Statistics.
The third edition of this successful textbook looks again at the influence of natural selection on behavior - an animal's struggle to survive by exploiting resources, avoiding predators, and maximizing reproductive success. In this edition, new examples are introduced throughout, many illustrated with full color photographs. In addition, important new topics are added including the latest techniques of comparative analysis, the theory and application of DNA fingerprinting techniques, extensive new discussion on brood parasite/host coevolution, the latest ideas on sexual selection in relation to disease resistance, and a new section on the intentionality of communication. Written in the lucid style for which these two authors are renowned, the text is enhanced by boxed sections illustrating important concepts and new marginal notes that guide the reader through the text. This book will be essential reading for students taking courses in behavioral ecology. The leading introductory text from the two most prominent workers in the field. Second colour in the text. New section of four colour plates. Boxed sections to ilustrate difficult and important points. New larger format with marginal notes to guide the reader through the text. Selected further reading at the end of each chapter.
In this age of increasing human domination of the Earth's biological and physical resources, a basic understanding of ecology is more important than ever. Students need a textbook that introduces them to the basic principles of ecological science, one that is relevant to today's world, and one that does not overwhelm them with detail and jargon. Peter Cotgreave and Irwin Forseth have designed this book to meet the needs of these students, by providing a basic synthesis of how individual organisms interact with their physical environment, and with each other, to generate the complex ecosystems we see around us. The unifying theme of the book is biodiversity-its patterns, causes, and the growing worldwide threats to it. Basic ecological principles are illustrated using clearly described examples from the current ecological literature. This approach makes the book valuable to all students studying ecology. Examples have been chosen carefully to represent as wide a range of ecosystems (terrestrial and aquatic, northern and southern hemisphere) and life forms (animal, plant and microbe) as possible. Particular attention is paid to consequences of global change on organisms, populations, ecological communities and ecosystems. The end result is a text that presents a readable and persuasive picture of how the Earth's natural systems function, and how that functioning may change over the coming century. Features include: · strong coverage of applied and evolutionary ecology · applications of ecology to the real world · a question-orientated approach · the only comprehensive treatment of ecology written for the introductory student · an emphasis on definitions of key words and phrases · an integration of experimental, observational and theoretical material · examples drawn from all over the world and a wide variety of organisms · a logical structure, building from the response of individual organisms to physical factors, through population growth and population interactions, to community structure and ecosystem function · suggested further reading lists for each chapter · boxes to explain key concepts in more depth · dedicated textsite featuring additional information and teaching aids www.blackwellpublishing.com/cotgreave Peter Cotgreave is an animal ecologist who has worked for the University of Oxford and the Zoological Society of London. His research interests centre on abundance and rarity within animal communities. Irwin Forseth is a plant physiological ecologist who has taught introductory ecology and plant ecology at the University of Maryland since 1982. His research focuses on plant responses to the environment. The authors have studied organisms as diverse as green plants, insects and mammals in habitats from deserts to tropical rainforests. They have worked in ecological research and education in Africa, Asia, North and South America, Europe and the Caribbean.
A comprehensive and invaluable resource, Methods for Ecological Research on Terrestrial Small Mammals is a must-have for any ecologist working on small mammals.
An introductory level text covering linear, generalized linear, linear mixed-effects, and generalized mixed models implemented in R and set within a contemporary framework.
Assembled here for the first time in one volume are forty classic papers that have laid the foundations of modern ecology. Whether by posing new problems, demonstrating important effects, or stimulating new research, these papers have made substantial contributions to an understanding of ecological processes, and they continue to influence the field today. The papers span nearly nine decades of ecological research, from 1887 on, and are organized in six sections: foundational papers, theoretical advances, synthetic statements, methodological developments, field studies, and ecological experiments. Selections range from Connell's elegant account of experiments with barnacles to Watt's encyclopedic natural history, from a visionary exposition by Grinnell of the concept of niche to a seminal essay by Hutchinson on diversity. Six original essays by contemporary ecologists and a historian of ecology place the selections in context and discuss their continued relevance to current research. This combination of classic papers and fresh commentaries makes Foundations of Ecology both a convenient reference to papers often cited today and an essential guide to the intellectual and conceptual roots of the field. Published with the Ecological Society of America.
A definitive guide to the depth and breadth of the ecological sciences, revised and updated The revised and updated fifth edition of Ecology: From Individuals to Ecosystems – now in full colour – offers students and practitioners a review of the ecological sciences. The previous editions of this book earned the authors the prestigious ‘Exceptional Life-time Achievement Award’ of the British Ecological Society – the aim for the fifth edition is not only to maintain standards but indeed to enhance its coverage of Ecology. In the first edition, 34 years ago, it seemed acceptable for ecologists to hold a comfortable, objective, not to say aloof position, from which the ecological communities around us were simply material for which we sought a scientific understanding. Now, we must accept the immediacy of the many environmental problems that threaten us and the responsibility of ecologists to play their full part in addressing these problems. This fifth edition addresses this challenge, with several chapters devoted entirely to applied topics, and examples of how ecological principles have been applied to problems facing us highlighted throughout the remaining nineteen chapters. Nonetheless, the authors remain wedded to the belief that environmental action can only ever be as sound as the ecological principles on which it is based. Hence, while trying harder than ever to help improve preparedness for addressing the environmental problems of the years ahead, the book remains, in its essence, an exposition of the science of ecology. This new edition incorporates the results from more than a thousand recent studies into a fully up-to-date text. Written for students of ecology, researchers and practitioners, the fifth edition of Ecology: From Individuals to Ecosystems is anessential reference to all aspects of ecology and addresses environmental problems of the future.
