Ecologists are aware of the importance of natural dynamics in ecosystems. Historically, the focus has been on the development in succession of equilibrium communities, which has generated an understanding of the composition and functioning of ecosystems. Recently, many have focused on the processes of disturbances and the evolutionary significance of such events. This shifted emphasis has inspired studies in diverse systems. The phrase "patch dynamics" (Thompson, 1978) describes their common focus.
The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and Patch Dynamics brings together the findings and ideas of those studying varied systems, presenting a synthesis of diverse individual contributions.

This widely anticipated revision of the groundbreaking book, Ecological Understanding, updates this crucial sourcebook of contemporary philosophical insights for practicing ecologists and graduate students in ecology and environmental studies. The second edition contains new ecological examples, an expanded array of conceptual diagrams and illustrations, new text boxes summarizing important points or defining key terms, and new reference to philosophical issues and controversies. Although the first edition was recognized for its clarity, this revision takes the opportunity to make the exposition of complex topics still clearer to readers without a philosophical background.
Readers will gain an understanding of the goals of science, the structure of theory, the kinds of theory relevant to ecology, the way that theory changes, what constitutes objectivity in contemporary science, and the role of paradigms and frameworks for synthesis within ecology and in integration with other disciplines. Finally, how theory can inform and anchor the public use of ecological knowledge in civic debates is laid out. This new edition refines the understanding of how the structure and change of theory can improve the growth and application of one of the 21st century's key sciences.
-Explains the philosophical basis of ecology in plain English
-Contains chapter overviews and summaries
-Text boxes highlight key points, examples, or controversies
-Diagrams explain structure and development of theory, and integration
-Evaluates and relates paradgims in ecology
-Illustrates philosophical issues with classic and new ecological research

1 Introduction: Scope and Need for an Ecology of Subtle Human Effects and Populated Areas.- Section I The Human Factor: Perception and Processes.- 2 The History and Present Entanglements of Some General Ecological Perspectives.- 3 An Exceptionally Powerful Biotic Factor.- 4 Environmental Change: The Human Factor.- 5 The Iceberg and the Titanic: Human Economic Behavior in Ecological Models.- 6 Ecosystems and Human Actions.- 7 The Human Component of Ecosystems.- Section II Approaches to the Study of Humans as Components of Ecosystems.- 8 Discovery of the Subtle.- 9 Land-use History and Forest Transformations in Central New England.- 10 Variability in Lake Ecosystems: Complex Responses by the Apical Predator.- 11 Humans as a Component of the Lake Titicaca Ecosystem: A Model System for the Study of Environmental Deterioration.- 12 Nitrogen Loading of Rivers as a Human-Driven Process.- 13 Humans: Capstone Strong Actors in the Past and Present Coastal Ecological Play.- 14 Modification of Nitrogen Cycling at the Regional Scale: The Subtle Effects of Atmospheric Deposition.- 15 The Application of the Ecological Gradient Paradigm to the Study of Urban Effects.- 16 The Process of Plant Colonization in Small Settlements and Large Cities.- 17 Ecological Implications of Landscape Fragmentation.- Section III Implications for Ecosystem Management and Construction.- 18 Integration of Social and Ecological Factors: Dynamic Area Models of Subtle Human Influences on Ecosystems.- 19 Human Influences on Ecosystems: Dealing With Biodiversity.- 20 "Natural" or "Healthy" Ecosystems: Are U.S. National Parks Providing Them?.- 21 Restoration as a Technique for Identifying and Characterizing Human Influences on Ecosystems.- 22 Biosphere 2 and the Study of Human/Ecosystem Dynamics.- Section IV Overview.- 23 Part I: A Social Scientist's Perspective.- II: A Human Ecologist's Perspective.- III: A Marine Ecologist's Perspective-Humans as Capstone-Species.- IV: A Theoretical Ecologist's Perspective: Toward a Unified Paradigm for Subtle Human Effects and an Ecology of Populated Areas.- 24 Humans as Components of Ecosystems: A Synthesis.

An attractive, promising, and frustrating feature of ecology is its complex ity, both conceptual and observational. Increasing acknowledgment of the importance of scale testifies to the shifting focus in large areas of ecology. In the rush to explore problems of scale, another general aspect of ecolog ical systems has been given less attention. This aspect, equally important, is heterogeneity. Its importance lies in the ubiquity of heterogeneity as a feature of ecological systems and in the number of questions it raises questions to which answers are not readily available. What is heterogeneity? Does it differ from complexity? What dimensions need be considered to evaluate heterogeneity ade quately? Can heterogeneity be measured at various scales? Is heterogeneity apart of organization of ecological systems? How does it change in time and space? What are the causes of heterogeneity and causes of its change? This volume attempts to answer these questions. It is devoted to iden tification of the meaning, range of applications, problems, and methodol ogy associated with the study of heterogeneity. The coverage is thus broad and rich, and the contributing authors have been encouraged to range widely in discussions and reflections. vi Preface The chapters are grouped into themes. The first group focuses on the conceptual foundations (Chapters 1-5). These papers exarnine the meaning of the term, historical developments, and relations to scale. The second theme is modeling population and interspecific interactions in hetero geneous environments (Chapters 6 and 7)."

Highlighting the importance to ecological studies of incorporating humans and their effects on ecosystems, leading experts from a variety of disciplines address a number of important issues, including:
* the prominent role of humans in the function of ecosystems on Earth
* why humans have been ignored in ecological studies
* approaches taken by social scientists, historians, geographers, economists, and anthropologists in the study of human activities
* the emergence of a new ecological paradigm accommodating human activities
* methods for studying subtle human effects, and human- populated ecosystems
* future research and training required to include humans effectively as components of ecological systems.
Of interest to students and researchers in ecology, and to policy-makers and environmental managers. In addition, it makes social scientists aware of new opportunties for integrating their ideas with those of ecologists.

In this field guide to the future, esteemed Harvard University botanist Peter Del Tredici unveils the plants that will become even more dominant in urban environments under projected future environmental conditions. These plants are the most important and most common plants in cities. Learning what they are and the role they play, he writes, will help us all make cities more livable and enjoyable. With more than 1000 photos, readers can easily identify these powerful plants. Learn about the fascinating cultural history of each plant.

Much of what is considered conventional wisdom about succession is not as clear cut as it is generally believed. Yet, the importance of succession in ecology is undisputed since it offers a real insight into the dynamics and structure of all plant communities. Part monograph and part conceptual treatise, An Integrative Approach to Successional Dynamics presents a unifying conceptual framework for dynamic plant communities and uses a unique long-term data set to explore the utility of that framework. The fourteen chapters, each written in a nontechnical style and accompanied by numerous illustrations and examples, cover diverse aspects of succession, including community, population and disturbance dynamics, diversity, community assembly, heterogeneity, functional ecology and biological invasion. This unique text will be a great source of reference for researchers and graduate students in ecology and plant biology, as well as others with an interest in the subject.

A presentation of key findings and insights from over two decades of research, education, and community engagement in the acclaimed Baltimore Ecosystem Study In a world of more than seven billion people-who mostly reside in cities and towns-the Baltimore Ecosystem Study is recognized as a pioneer in modern urban social-ecological science. After two decades of research, education, and community engagement, there are insights to share, generalizations to examine, and research needs to highlight. This timely volume synthesizes the key findings, melds the perspectives of different disciplines, and celebrates the benefits of interacting with diverse communities and institutions in improving Baltimore's ecology. These widely applicable insights from Baltimore contribute to our understanding the ecology of other cities, provide a comparison for the global process of urbanization, and inform establishment of urban ecological research elsewhere. Comprehensive, interdisciplinary, and highly original, it gives voice to the wide array of specialists who have contributed to this living urban laboratory.