Experimental Ecology: Issues and PerspectivesWilliam J. Resetarits, Joseph Bernardo Experimentation is a dominant approach in contemporary ecological research, pervading studies at all levels of biological organization and across diverse taxa and habitats. Experimental Ecology assembles an eminent group of ecologists who synthesize insights from these varied sources into a cogent statement about experimentalism as an analytical paradigm, placing experimentation within the larger framework of ecological investigation. The book discusses diverse experimental approaches ranging from laboratory microcosms to manipulation of entire ecosystem, illustrating the myriad ways experiments strengthen ecological inference. Experimental ecologists critique their science to move the field forward on all fronts: from better designs, to better links between experiments and theory, to more realism in experiments targeted at specific systems and questions. |
Contents
Ecological Experiments and a Research Program in Community Ecology | 3 |
Scale Phenomenology Mechanism and the Illusion | 27 |
Realism Precision and Generality in Experimental Ecology | 50 |
The Desert Granivory Experiments at Portal | 71 |
Experimental Compromise and Mechanistic Approaches to the Evolutionary | 96 |
Experimentation Observation and Inference in River and Watershed | 113 |
The Utility of Model Systems | 133 |
Have Field Experiments Aided in the Understanding of Abundance and Dynamics | 152 |
The Interplay between Natural History and Field Experimentation | 254 |
Using Models to Enhance the Value of Information from Observations | 281 |
Experimental Approaches to Studying the Population Dynamics and Evolution | 298 |
The Dual Role of Experiments in Complex and Dynamic Natural Systems | 311 |
Design Implementation and Analysis of Ecological and Environmental | 325 |
The Motivation for and Context of Experiments in Ecology | 350 |
an Essential | 370 |
Investigating Geographic Variation in Interactions Using Common Garden | 394 |
The Ecotron Facility | 170 |
How Can We Compare the Importance of Ecological Processes If We Never Ask | 183 |
Insights and Application of LargeScale LongTerm Ecological Observations | 202 |
Using Microcosms to Test Theory | 236 |
Other editions - View all
Experimental Ecology: Issues and Perspectives William J. Resetarits,Joseph Bernardo No preview available - 1998 |
Common terms and phrases
abundance algae American Naturalist analysis anuran approach Aquatic Sciences assemblages behavior benthic biomass Canadian Journal community ecology complex Daphnia density diversity ecological experiments ecologists ecosystem effects environment environmental estimate Evolution example experimental design expts factors Fauth field experiments fish Fisheries and Aquatic food chains food web food webs foraging Freshwater Biology genetic habitat Hairston herbivores Hydrobiologia impact important increase interactions interspecific competition Journal of Fisheries kangaroo rats laboratory lakes larval Leibold Limnology Limnology and Oceanography limpets manipulations mechanisms mechanistic mesocosms microcosms Morin natural history null hypothesis nutrient observations Oecologia Oikos organisms palustris patterns periments phenotypic phytoplankton plants plots ponds population dynamics predators predictions prey processes protists regression relative removed replicates Resetarits resource response rodents role sampling spatial scale statistical stoneflies stream studies surfperch tadpoles temporal theory treatment levels trophic trophic cascades Underwood University Press variables variance variation Werner Wilbur zebra mussel