Elements of ecology/ by Thomas M. Smith

Includes references, glossary and index

Chapter 1. The nature of ecology --2. Climate --3. The aquatic environment --4. The terrestrial environment --5. Ecology genetics: adaptation and natural selection --6. Plant adaptations to the environment --7. Animal adaptations to the environment --8. Properties of populations --9. Population growth --10. Life history --11. Intraspecific population regulation --12. Metapopulations --13. Species interactions, population dynamics, and natural selection --14. Interspecific competition --15. Predation --16. Parasitism and mutualism --17. Community structure --18. Factors influencing the structure of communities --19. Community dynamics --20. Landscape dynamics --21. ecosystem energetics --22. Decomposition and nutrient cycling --23. Biogeochemical cycles --24. Terrestrial ecosystems --25. Aquatic ecosystems --26. Coastal and wetland ecosystems --17. Large-scale patterns of biological diversity --28. Population growth, resource use, and sustainability --29. Habitat lost, biodiversity, and conservation --30. Global climate change.