Ecology of a Changing Planet

This is the first introductory volume to outline the fundamental ecological principles, which provide the foundation for understanding environmental issues. A strong framework of applied ecology is used to explore specifics such as habitat fragmentation, acid deposition, and the emergence of new human diseases.

The volume addresses all aspects of biodiversity and physical setting, population and community ecology, ecology and society, environmental legislation and peering into the future.

For those interested in pursuing knowledge in ecology and biodiversity.

This book provides readers with a relevant, easy-to-use, interesting learning experience on fundamental ecological principles—that, in turn, serves as a foundation for understanding environmental issues. It uses a strong framework of applied ecology to explore specifics, such as habitat fragmentation, acid deposition, wetland science, fishery management, and the emergence of new human diseases. For anyone concerned with the environment, who wants to become more informed on ecological issues and their impact on the world around us.

Booknews

This introductory textbook focuses on bio-diversity, population, community ecology, and social implications. Scientific principles are articulated without an abundance of mathematics. The causes and impacts of well-understood environmental issues are emphasized, with attention to their relation to issues like hunger, energy use, human diseases, economics, and policy. A glossary is provided. Bush teaches conservation biology at the Florida Institute of Technology. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Mark B. Bush is an Associate Professor of conservation biology at the Florida Institute of Technology. His B.S. and Ph.D. degrees were earned at the University of Hull in England. Between undergraduate and graduate school, Bush spent several years working for the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers as a specialist in conservation education.

Professor Bush has spent more than 20 years in ecological research and has worked in some of the world's most remote locations. He runs an active research laboratory investigating climate change in Central and South America through the analysis of fossil pollen and charcoal. His field sites include Amazonia, the Andes, Panama, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and the islands of Krakatau, Indonesia. He is an authority on the history of South and Central American tropical ecosystems, and on island biogeography. He has lived in the United States since 1987, spending four years as a researcher at the Ohio State University, a year as a Mellon Fellow at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, and four yeas teaching ecology and environmental science at Duke University, prior to moving to the Florida Institute of Technology in 1996.

Professor Bush is actively involved in local conservation, serving on two boards determining conservation policy at the county level. He is also a member of an advisory board to Conservation International helping to establish appropriate conservation responses to climate change.

Professor Bush is a member of Sigma Xi, the Ecological Society of America, the Society of Wetland Scientists, and numerous environmental organizations. His hobbies include butterfly breeding, scuba diving, kayaking, and hiking.