List of Figures xi List of Tables xvii Preface xix CHAPTER 1: Elementary Population Dynamics 1 Density Independence: The Exponential Equation 3 Density Dependence: Intraspecific Competition 10 The Logistic Equation 14 The Yield-Density Relationship 21 Density Dependence and Mortality: Thinning Laws 26 CHAPTER 2: Life History Analysis 35 Investment in Survivorship versus Reproduction: The r, K Continuum 37 Cost of Reproduction 41 Optimal Reproductive Schedules 44 CHAPTER 3: Projection Matrices: Structured Models 51 Elementary Population Projection Matrices 52 Non-age Structure: Stage Projection Matrices 62 Eigenvectors, Reproductive Value, Sensitivity, and Elasticity 69 Applications of Population Projection Matrices 73 The Dall's Mountain Sheep: A Static Life Table 74 Palo de Mayo: A Dynamic Life Table 75 The American Beech: Testing Hypotheses with Dynamic Life Tables 77 Density Dependence in Structured Populations 80 Density Dependence in a Simple Age-Structured Model 81 Density Dependence in Size-Distributed Populations 84 Density Dependence in a Stage-Structured Model 92 Appendix A. Basic Matrix Manipulations 94 CHAPTER 4: A Closer Look at the "Dynamics" in Population Dynamics 101 Intuitive Ideas of Equilibrium and Stability 103 Eigenvalues: A Key Concept in Dynamic Analysis 114 Basic Concepts of Equilibrium and Stability in One-Dimensional Maps 120 The One-Dimensional Map 121 Stability and Equilibrium in the Logistic Map 130 Basins of Attraction in the Logistic Map 133 Structural Stability 135 Bifurcation Diagrams 142 Concluding Remarks 149 CHAPTER 5: Patterns in Space and Metapopulations 155 The Poisson Distribution 158 The Question of Scale 163 Metapopulations 167 Assumptions of Metapopulation Models 171 The Rescue Effect and Propagule Rain 173 CHAPTER 6: Predator-Prey (Consumer-Resource) Interactions 177 Predator-Prey Interactions: First Principles 179 Density Dependence 185 Functional Response 186 Functional Response and Density Dependence Together 193 Paradoxes in Applications of Predator-Prey Theory 195 Predator-Prey Dynamics: A Graphical Approach 198 Predator-Prey Interactions in Discrete Time 205 CHAPTER 7: Epidemiology 209 Direct Disease Transmission 210 Indirect Disease Transmission 217 CHAPTER 8: Competition and a Little Bit of Mutualism 221 Competition: First Principles 222 The Competitive Production Principle: Applications of Competition Theory to Agriculture 234 Mutualism 235 Competition: The Details 240 CHAPTER 9: What This Book Was About 255 Glossary 261 References 265 Index 273
Population ecology is rapidly maturing as a theoretical science. One sign of this maturity is the ongoing synthesis between sophisticated mathematical theory and innovative experimental approaches. Yet the traditional education in biology does not equip students with the tools they need to fully appreciate these new theoretical developments. Here is where this admirable book by Vandermeer and Goldberg comes in. A particularly enjoyable aspect of Population Ecology: First Principles is the ability of the authors to relate the complex tapestry of ecological theory to a few fundamental quantitative principles. -- Peter Turchin, University of Connecticut Vandermeer and Goldberg have written an outstanding book that synthesizes and summarizes the fundamental concepts and principles of population ecology. Its highly approachable treatment of models should give students deep and intuitive insights into population ecology. Because the mathematical techniques presented in the book represent the core toolbox of the discipline, this book is essential reading for anyone going into population and community ecology. -- David Tilman, University of Minnesota This is an excellent book that I look forward to using in the classroom. It is one of the most understandable in the field. The authors present, in more tractable fashion than do some similar books, fundamental material that all ecologists need. Anyone in the life sciences should immediately recognize the importance of the material. Scholars in economics and the social sciences should also see that the book is very relevant to their disciplines. -- David J. Moriarty, California State Polytechnic University One of this book's greatest strengths is the way it emphasizes the processes underlying standard ecological models. Rather than relying on plausibility arguments, the authors start from simple mechanistic models--for instance, deriving the Lotka-Volterra competition equations from a model of resource competition. They also present a nice range of practical examples. -- Ben Bolker, University of Florida
John H. Vandermeer is Margaret Davis Collegiate Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan. He is the author of several books, including "Breakfast of Biodiversity" and "Reconstructing Biology". Deborah E. Goldberg is Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan. She has published widely in journals such as "Ecology, American Naturalist", and the "Journal of Ecology" and is currently interim director of the University of Michigan Herbarium.
Amidst the recent plethora of undergraduate books on population ecology emerges this superbly crafted volume... What distinguishes this from most of its predecessors is an uncommon breadth of subject matter ... a fine balance between patronizing the knowledgeable reader and overwhelming the interested novice, and a highly commendable means by which the information is communicated. Following an impressive range of topics in the opening chapter is one of the best-written introductions to the life history theory that this reviewer has encountered in 20 years of research on the topic. Choice What distinguishes this book from others in the field is the diverse array of topics covered that are rarely or only cursorily treated in other books... What I enjoyed most about this book were the frequent discussions on the ecological interpretation of the mathematical results and the corresponding caveats... Vandermeer and Goldberg do an admirable job of explaining the ecological meaning and assumptions behind all of the mathematical results presented. They include many figures that illustrate their points clearly and these are accompanied with detailed verbal explanations. -- Helen M. Regan Ecology
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