The major subdisciplines of ecology--population ecology,
community ecology, ecosystem ecology, and evolutionary
ecology--have diverged increasingly in recent decades. What is
critically needed today is an integrated, real-world approach to
ecology that reflects the interdependency of biodiversity and
ecosystem functioning. "From Populations to Ecosystems" proposes an
innovative theoretical synthesis that will enable us to advance our
fundamental understanding of ecological systems and help us to
respond to today's emerging global ecological crisis.
Michel Loreau begins by explaining how the principles of
population dynamics and ecosystem functioning can be merged. He
then addresses key issues in the study of biodiversity and
ecosystems, such as functional complementarity, food webs,
stability and complexity, material cycling, and metacommunities.
Loreau describes the most recent theoretical advances that link the
properties of individual populations to the aggregate properties of
communities, and the properties of functional groups or trophic
levels to the functioning of whole ecosystems, placing special
emphasis on the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem
functioning. Finally, he turns his attention to the controversial
issue of the evolution of entire ecosystems and their properties,
laying the theoretical foundations for a genuine evolutionary
ecosystem ecology.
"From Populations to Ecosystems" points the way to a much-needed
synthesis in ecology, one that offers a fuller understanding of
ecosystem processes in the natural world.
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