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Prepublication Book NoticeEcology - An Introduction for Beginnersby Dennis
J. Gemmell, Ph.D.
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Ecology - An Introduction for Beginners is a richly illustrated book for nonscientists! It assumes absolutely no background
knowledge of science since it is written for the general public! The first section - Ecological Concepts - takes the
reader through the field of ecology step-by-step with clear explanations and examples. Concepts are linked together in a
way that ultimately enables the reader to gain a panoramic view of the field of ecology so as to understand how nature works.
A second section - How to Conduct Good Ecological Research - is designed to help individuals, who are nonscientists,
learn how to do ecological studies.
Ecology is a branch of biology that studies how all living things in nature are connected to one another and to the nonliving
environment around them. By learning ecology we learn how nature works. We also learn from our studies of ecology that nature
is providing many services to us that sustain our existence. Understanding ecological principles equips us to better understand
and appreciate the consequences that human-induced environmental problems (e.g., global warming, acid rain, pollution) have
on disrupting ecological processes and, thus the valuable services nature provides.
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Book highlightes:- Coverage of major ecological themes such as ecosystems, biodiversity, food chains and food webs, nutrient recycling,
population growth and distribution, abiotic interactions, predation, competition, mutualism, commensalism, parasitism, natural
and human-induced ecosystem changes. All themes include extensive examples and illustrations.
- Case studies - american beavers, african elephants,
emperor penguins, green sea turtles, koala bears, monarch butterflies, prairie dogs, salmon, humpback whales and timber wolves.
- An extensive section on how to conduct a good ecological
investigation - designing a research question, formulating a hypothesis, determining if the study will be experimental or
observational, setting up a credible research plan, collecting and analyzing data.
- Examples of ecological investigations - barn owl feeding study, zoo/aquarium
investigation, aquatic and soil macroinvertebrate studies, ecosystem study, population study of canada geese, backyard bird
study, forest and field studies, experiments on topics such as pollution, habitat and feeding preferences, transpiration and
photosynthesis.
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15% Discount on Book!
Sign up for an e-mail alert upon publication and receive a 15% discount on the price of the book if you decide to purchase it. Anticipated publication date is early 2009.
Click image to sign up!
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