Biological Diversity: The Coexistence of Species

Biological Diversity: The Coexistence of Species

by Michael A . Huston (Author)

Synopsis

The key to preserving and managing biodiversity is understanding which processes are important at different scales, and how changes affect different components of biodiversity. In this book, existing theories on diversity are synthesised into a logical framework. Global and landscape-scale patterns of biodiversity are described in the first section. In the second, the spatial and temporal dynamics of diversity are emphasised. The third section develops an integrated set of mechanistic explanations for diversity patterns at the levels of population, community, ecosystem and landscape. Finally, case studies examine diversity patterns in marine and terrestrial ecosystems and the effects of biological invasions. The book concludes with a discussion of the economics of preserving biological diversity. This book will interest research workers and students of ecology, biology and conservation.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 704
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 15 Sep 1994

ISBN 10: 0521369304
ISBN 13: 9780521369305
Book Overview: This book discusses the factors and processes affecting biodiversity and its preservation.

Media Reviews
'... one of the most satisfactory and certainly one of the most readable books to emerge on the scene.' Peter Moore, New Scientist
'I would whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone with an interest in biological diversity and commend the author and the publisher on a major contribution to a developing and important topic.' Paddy Coker, Progress in Physical Geography
...should be read by anyone interested in learning more about patterns of diversity of organisms that share the Earth with humans, and by everyone concerned with their rapid disappearance...Huston begins a discussion that could lead to informed policies for balancing preservation of diversity with human needs. Aaron Ellison, Plant Science Bulletin
...one of the most satisfactory and certainly one of the most readable books to emerge on the scene...it is a single-author work, so it has a higher degree of internal consistency and structure. This makes it far more effective as an undergraduate text... Peter Moore, New Scientist
...a bold attempt to find a common link, a grand unifying theory, underpinning many of the major patterns in the way in which organisms assemble themselves into communities on the face of the planet...a feature and strength of the text is the huge amount of literature, much of it published decades ago, synthesized and summarized within 25 chapters...full of interesting, untested ideas... John H. Lawton, Nature
...a book of remarkable scope...actually a massive review of factor and processes that might conceivably impact upon the species that occur in any given area...Huston has produced something more akin to a text of ecology, with diversity as a leitmotif. In fact, it might be interesting to organize an introductory ecology course around exactly that theme, and use this book as the text...There is lots of food for thought here...and it's a bargain. David Currie, Ecoscience
...should be required reading for graduate-level courses in ecology and would greatly enhance the knowledge of those working in the conservation of biodiversity. An essential acquisition for academic libraries. Choice