The aim of this book is to re-evaluate the true pest status of many common species traditionally regarded as pests. It is based on a revised selection of papers presented at a symposium organized by the Mammal Society in London, November 1987. Many of the pests described are introduced, non-native species, which in the absence of natural predators have multiplied in numbers to become pests. In other cases, it is man's creation of an artificial concentrated environment, such as a single-crop agricultural field, a grain store or a timber plantation, that has generated the conditons for large population increases of pest species. Data are presented from a number of British and European studies on various mammalian pests, including deer, badgers, squirrels, rabbits and others. Some pests are shown to cause direct damage, for example by eating man's food products, while others cause indirect damage, by allowing secondary infections into plants or by being vectors for disease. Strategies of pest management are also considered.

The New Forest in southern England is an area of mixed vegetation set aside as a Royal Hunting Forest in the eleventh century and since that time subjected to heavy grazing pressure from large herbivores. The entire structure of the Forest and its various communities has been developed under this continued history ofheavy grazing, with the estab lishment of a series of vegetational systems unique within the whole of Europe. The effects of large herbivores in the structuring of this eco system in the past, and the pressure of grazing continuing to this day, have in turn a profound influence, indeed the dominating influence, on the whole ecological functioning of the Forest system. Because of its assemblage of unique vegetation types, the area is clearly of tremendous ecological interest in its own right. In addition, its long history of heavy grazing ani the continued intense herbivore pressure make the New Forest an ideal study-site for evaluation of both short-term and long term effects of grazing upon temperate ecosystems. The N ew Forest (some 37,500 ha in total area) currently supports a population of approximately 2,500 wild deer (red, roe, sika and fallow); in addition 3,500 ponies and 2,000 domestic cattle are pastured on the Forest under Common Rights."

Rory Putman addresses the question of how, in many temporate ecosystems, diverse and species-rich assemblies of ungulates manage to co-exist despite often quite extensive overlap in ecological requirements. Putman explores the potential for competition, competition tolerance and even positive facilitation amongst the members of such guilds of ungulates. As a central worked example, the author employs data resulting from over 20 years of personal research into the ecology and population dynamics of various large herbivores of the New Forest in Southern England. With these, he applies formal protocols in resource use, evidence for resource limitation and evidence for interaction between species in changing population size over the years.

This book is aimed at advanced level undergraduates and offers them an overview of the major issues and developments in community ecology over the past few years. The text assumes throughout some familiarity with general concepts in ecology as might be provided by the majority of first and second year undergraduate courses or more general textbooks. Each section in the book is self-contained and where prior knowledge is assumed, a brief recapitulation is offered of necessary background.