Pattern and Process in MacroEcology

✍ Scribed by Kevin Gaston, Tim Blackburn

• Publisher: Blackwell Science
• Year: 2000
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 392
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

A textbook aiming to promote an understanding of why macroecology is important to ecological research in general. It addresses the structure of regional ecological communities and the influence they have at the local level, reviewing and synthesizing the important issues in macroecology. Softcover. DLC: Ecology.

✦ Table of Contents

Pattern and Process in Macroecology......Page 5
Contents......Page 7
Preface......Page 11
1.1 Introduction......Page 15
1.2 Scale and avian ecology......Page 23
1.3 A wider perspective......Page 25
1.4 The macroecological approach......Page 29
1.5 Testing macroecological hypotheses......Page 31
1.6 The avifauna of Britain and this book......Page 36
1.7 Organization of the book......Page 46
2.1 Introduction......Page 49
2.1.1 Species richness at the smallest scales......Page 50
2.1.2 Species richness at larger scales......Page 55
2.1.3 Making sense of the numbers......Page 60
2.2 Size of area......Page 61
2.2.1 Why do larger areas contain more species?......Page 66
2.3 Isolation......Page 78
2.4 Local–regional richness relationships......Page 83
2.5 Latitude......Page 89
2.5.1 Why oh why?......Page 94
2.5.2 Area again......Page 95
2.5.3 Energy......Page 96
2.5.4 Time hypotheses......Page 100
2.5.5 A 'primary cause'–holy grail or wild goose?......Page 102
2.6 Longitude......Page 103
2.7 Altitude......Page 107
2.8 Summary......Page 109
3.1 Introduction......Page 111
3.2.1 Range size measures......Page 113
3.2.2 Patterns in the distribution of range sizes......Page 114
3.3.1 Random sampling......Page 122
3.3.2 Range position......Page 123
3.3.3 Metapopulation dynamics......Page 124
3.3.4 Vagrancy......Page 127
3.3.5 Niches......Page 128
3.3.6 Speciation, extinction and temporal dynamics......Page 133
3.3.7 Synthesis......Page 135
3.4 Patterns of range overlap......Page 136
3.4.1 Nestedness......Page 137
3.4.2 Turnover......Page 144
3.4.3 Rapoport's rule......Page 150
3.4.4 Implications of patterns in range overlap for Eastern Wood......Page 158
3.5 Summary......Page 159
4.1 Introduction......Page 162
4.2 Abundance–range size relationships......Page 165
4.2.1 The structure of abundance–range size relationships......Page 167
4.2.2 What generates abundance–range size relationships?......Page 173
4.2.3 Synthesis......Page 187
4.3.1 Data......Page 191
4.3.2 Descriptive models......Page 197
4.3.3 Mechanistic models based on niche partitioning......Page 201
4.3.4 Other mechanistic approaches......Page 206
4.3.5 Synthesis: abundance, range size and their distributions......Page 211
4.4 Summary......Page 212
5.1 Introduction......Page 215
5.2.1 Body size measures......Page 219
5.2.2 Scale and the body mass distribution......Page 221
5.2.3 Discontinuities......Page 232
5.3 What determines the shape of species–body size distributions?......Page 233
5.3.1 The ultimate explanation—speciation and extinction rates......Page 234
5.3.2 Why is small body size favoured?......Page 240
5.3.3 Why do small- and large-scale body size distributions differ?......Page 250
5.4 Spatial variation in body mass......Page 252
5.4.1 What determines spatial variation in species body sizes?......Page 255
5.4.2 Bergmann's rule, species–body size distributions and abundance......Page 258
5.5 Abundance–body size relationships......Page 260
5.5.1 What is the relationship between abundance and body size?......Page 261
5.5.2 Why do abundance–body size relationships show different forms?......Page 265
5.5.3 What generates abundance–body size relationships?......Page 272
5.5.4 Synthesis......Page 283
5.6 Summary......Page 284
6.1 Introduction......Page 286
6.2.1 Energy and biomass......Page 288
6.2.2 Population size and body mass......Page 289
6.2.3 Range size......Page 294
6.2.4 Density......Page 297
6.2.5 Species richness......Page 298
6.2.6 From macro to micro......Page 299
6.3 Eastern Wood revisited......Page 301
6.4 Human interference......Page 309
6.5 Final words......Page 314
References......Page 315
I List of Common and Scientific Bird Names......Page 363
II Eastern Wood Breeding Bird Data......Page 369
III British Bird Assemblage Data......Page 372
IV Berkshire Breeding Bird Data......Page 380
Index......Page 385