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Why Ecology Matters de Charles J. Krebs

Why Ecology Matters

Autor Charles J. Krebs
en Limba Engleză Paperback – 25 mai 2016

Suntem de părere că relevanța acestei lucrări pentru studenții la ecologie și profesioniștii din domeniul protecției mediului rezidă în capacitatea sa de a transforma teoria biologică în argumente pragmatice pentru conservare. Why Ecology Matters nu este un simplu manual de introducere, ci un manifest științific care răspunde direct criticilor ecologismului prin date concrete despre creșterea temperaturilor globale și extincția speciilor. Subliniem faptul că Charles J. Krebs a ales o structură narativă curajoasă: fiecare din cele 12 capitole pornește de la o interogație fundamentală — de la limitele distribuției geografice până la ireversibilitatea extincției — și demonstrează de ce aceste fenomene cer atenția noastră imediată. Descoperim aici o integrare organică a impactului antropic; acolo unde alte texte izolează influența umană în tabele secundare, Krebs o plasează în centrul dinamicii ecosistemelor. Comparabil cu A Citizen's Guide to Ecology de Lawrence B. Slobodkin în rigurozitate, volumul de față se distinge prin actualizarea datelor pentru provocările specifice secolului XXI, precum colapsul populațiilor supraexploatate și capacitatea comunităților biologice de a se recupera după perturbări majore. Față de lucrarea sa anterioară, Ecosystem Dynamics of the Boreal Forest, unde analiza era concentrată pe un singur ecosistem specific, Krebs extinde aici perspectiva către principii universale, oferind o sinteză necesară între evoluție, reciclarea materialelor esențiale și fluxul de energie solară care susține biosfera.

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Specificații

ISBN-13: 9780226318158
ISBN-10: 022631815X
Pagini: 208
Ilustrații: 68 halftones, 12 line drawings, 3 tables
Dimensiuni: 152 x 229 x 15 mm
Greutate: 0.29 kg
Ediția:1
Editura: University of Chicago Press
Colecția University of Chicago Press

De ce să citești această carte

Recomandăm această carte oricărui cititor care dorește să înțeleagă mecanismele din spatele crizelor de mediu actuale fără a se pierde în formalism matematic arid. Este o resursă esențială pentru studenți și activiști, oferind argumente științifice solide despre biodiversitate și schimbări climatice. Veți câștiga o perspectivă clară asupra motivelor pentru care echilibrul ecologic este vital pentru supraviețuirea societății umane, totul într-un format concis și ușor de parcurs.

Despre autor

Charles J. Krebs este profesor emerit de zoologie la University of British Columbia și cercetător rezident la Institute for Applied Ecology din cadrul University of Canberra. Este recunoscut la nivel mondial pentru contribuțiile sale în ecologia experimentală, fiind autorul unora dintre cele mai utilizate manuale universitare din domeniu. Cariera sa de decenii s-a concentrat pe analiza distribuției și abundenței organismelor, utilizând metode empirice pentru a testa teoriile ecologice, experiență care fundamentează abordarea sa pragmatică din Why Ecology Matters.

Descriere scurtă

Global temperatures and seawater levels rise; the world’s smallest porpoise species looms at the edge of extinction; and a tiny emerald beetle from Japan flourishes in North America—but why does it matter? Who cares? With this concise, accessible, and up-to-date book, Charles J. Krebs answers critics and enlightens students and environmental advocates alike, revealing not why phenomena like these deserve our attention, but why they demand it.

Highlighting key principles in ecology—from species extinction to the sun’s role in powering ecosystems—each chapter introduces a general question, illustrates that question with real-world examples, and links it to pressing ecological issues in which humans play a central role, such as the spread of invasive species, climate change, overfishing, and biodiversity conservation. While other introductions to ecology are rooted in complex theory, math, or practice and relegate discussions of human environmental impacts and their societal implications to sidebars and appendices, Why Ecology Matters interweaves these important discussions throughout. It is a book rooted in our contemporary world, delving into ecological issues that are perennial, timeless, but could not be more timely.

Notă biografică

Charles J. Krebs is professor emeritus of zoology at the University of British Columbia and thinker in residence in the Institute for Applied Ecology at the University of Canberra. He is the author of Population Fluctuations in Rodents, also published by the University of Chicago Press.

Cuprins

Preface
1 What Limits the Geographic Distribution of Organisms?
2 Populations Cannot Increase without Limit
3 Favorable and Unfavorable Habitats Exist for Every Species
4 Overexploited Populations Will Collapse
5 Plant and Animal Communities Can Recover from Disturbances
6 Communities Can Exist in Several Configurations
7 Keystone Species May Be Essential to the Functioning of Biological Communities
8 Natural Systems Are Products of Evolution
9 Natural Systems Recycle Essential Materials
10 Solar Energy Powers Natural Ecosystems
11 Climates Change, Communities and Ecosystems Change
12 Extinction Is Forever and Species Losses Caused by Humans Are Avoidable
References
Index

Recenzii

"Concise and easy-to-read. . . . The book would be a good option for use in an undergraduate ecology course to motivate and supplement the theory from a standard text, and it could be used as a main text if the teacher were prepared to use it as a hopping-off point for more in-depth theoretical instruction. I plan to use it in my introductory undergraduate environmental-science course because it covers a wide range of issues and gives more than enough context to motivate investigations of other disciplines. The book is also a good choice for nonstudents who want to learn more about environmental issues and the field of ecology. . . . Excellent.”

"Intended to engage a broad audience, this basic ecology textbook presents major ecological concepts as they operate in human-dominated ecosystems. Krebs, a master ecologist, very effectively uses a non-traditional approach to provide students from all disciplines with insights into how ecology can help us address human environmental impacts such as climate change, invasive species spread, overfishing, and extinction."

"I . . . try to find topics and case studies that resonate with as many of my students as possible. This book provides a wealth of ideas and examples that do exactly that. And the presentation is perfect for a nonspecialist audience. . . . The result is a presentation that is lucid, concise . . . and effective."

“The book is an essential text for any student of ecology or early career researcher wanting to brush up on an unfamiliar subject area—in fact, I wished that I had this text during my undergraduate years. It is also an essential text for politicians, business managers, medical professionals or farmers—anyone whose profession or business relies on understanding natural and biological systems. . . . Understanding ecological principles is vitally important for any human to understand their place in the world. We all need to think like ecologists to tackle the environmental and biological challenges we face every day and Why Ecology Matters is an excellent reference volume to have at hand.”

“University of Chicago Press should be applauded for producing this book. It deserves wide marketing, well beyond the classroom. Every person in the world today needs a basic understanding of ecology, especially decision makers. . . . The book is also a great example of clear and effective writing and an example for all in science who need to communicate with non-experts. . . . The book makes an excellent undergraduate text and also an excellent general scientific book—a rare combination. It's also extraordinarily useful for the ecologist who wishes to improve their communications skills.”

"The topics selected by Krebs make it clear why ecology matters; all topics are relevant because doing better is within our capabilities. We are reaching a point where it is no longer enough for ecologists to be the only ones who know ecology."

"Krebs employs engaging examples in support of the twelve ecological themes that he uses to structure the chapters. Each chapter begins with a list of key points and concludes with a summary, which reconnects the reader to the critical human factors associated with the chapter theme. . . . The writing style and interwoven contemporary anecdotes help connect the general reader to a deep appreciation for why ecology should matter to all. The book is replete with references and is fully indexed. Recommended."

“Why Ecology Matters is quite different from traditional ecology texts. Krebs does not attempt to cover classic studies or the authors of many of our main theories. To many ecologists, this will be a blasphemous approach to teaching ecology, but engaging a nonspecialist audience necessitates focusing on the major ideas and how they affect people, rather than on science per se. Rather than trying to cover all the core principles and concepts in ecology, Krebs covers twelve main messages, explicitly tying these messages to human-caused changes and impacts, as well as potential society feedback. In this way, he explores the full gamut of ecology for a range of readers.”