Overview
Until recently community ecology—a science devoted to understanding the patterns and processes of species distribution and abundance—focused mainly on specific and often limited scales of a single community. Since the 1970s, for example, metapopulation dynamics—studies of interacting groups of populations connected through movement—concentrated on the processes of population turnover, extinction, and establishment of new populations.
Metacommunities takes the hallmarks of metapopulation theory to the next level by considering a group of communities, each of which may contain numerous populations, connected by species interactions within communities and the movement of individuals between communities. In examining communities open to dispersal, the book unites a broad range of ecological theories, presenting some of the first empirical investigations and revealing the value of the metacommunity approach.
The collection of empirical, theoretical, and synthetic chapters in Metacommunities seeks to understand how communities work in fragmented landscapes. Encouraging community ecologists to rethink some of the leading theories of population and community dynamics, Metacommunities urges ecologists to expand the spatiotemporal scales of their research.
Synopsis
Until recently community ecology—a science devoted to understanding the patterns and processes of species distribution and abundance—focused mainly on specific and often limited scales of a single community. Since the 1970s, for example, metapopulation dynamics—studies of interacting groups of populations connected through movement—concentrated on the processes of population turnover, extinction, and establishment of new populations.
Metacommunities takes the hallmarks of metapopulation theory to the next level by considering a group of communities, each of which may contain numerous populations, connected by species interactions within communities and the movement of individuals between communities. In examining communities open to dispersal, the book unites a broad range of ecological theories, presenting some of the first empirical investigations and revealing the value of the metacommunity approach.
The collection of empirical, theoretical, and synthetic chapters in Metacommunities seeks to understand how communities work in fragmented landscapes. Encouraging community ecologists to rethink some of the leading theories of population and community dynamics, Metacommunities urges ecologists to expand the spatiotemporal scales of their research.
History of Philosophy and Life Science
"[The book] deserves a wide readership among community ecologists, scholars of ecosystem ecology and related disciplines."
— Matthias Gross
Editorials
Conservation Biology
The book presents a compelling case for adding the metacommunity concept to the ecologocial toolbox. I suggest that you add it to your bookshelf. . . . My personal standard for a book is that it changes how I think about a subject. This book met this criterion. Metacommunities makes an excellent case that metacommunity theory is not just metapopulation theory for the 00s. Substantially different dynamics from those predicted in metapopulation models result when dispersal enmeshes the local dynamics of multiple interacting species. I believe the book will encourage readers to understand how regional linkages affect local ecological outcomes in their own systems.— Mark C. Urban
Ecology
The material is clearly presented and the quality of writing is generally high. In its liberal use of tables and diagrams, the book serves as an excellent introduction to the foundational concepts and theoretical lineage of metacommunity theory. It certainly is an excellent choice for a graduate seminar.— Michael M. Fuller
Austral Ecology
This book is a resoundingly thorough exploration of metacommunity concepts to date. . . . An exciting and valuable compilation of ideas that will strengthen this rapidly growing field.— Don A. Driscoll
Ecoscience
This book is timely, scholarly, stimulating, and a major step toward a fully unfied community ecology. It is a must-read for anyone trying to understand diversity and structure of biotic communities.— Hans Henrik Bruun
History of Philosophy and Life Science
[The book] deserves a wide readership among community ecologists, scholars of ecosystem ecology and related disciplines.— Matthias Gross
Conservation Biology -
"The book presents a compelling case for adding the metacommunity concept to the ecologocial toolbox. I suggest that you add it to your bookshelf. . . . My personal standard for a book is that it changes how I think about a subject. This book met this criterion. Metacommunities makes an excellent case that metacommunity theory is not just metapopulation theory for the 00s. Substantially different dynamics from those predicted in metapopulation models result when dispersal enmeshes the local dynamics of multiple interacting species. I believe the book will encourage readers to understand how regional linkages affect local ecological outcomes in their own systems."
Ecology -
"The material is clearly presented and the quality of writing is generally high. In its liberal use of tables and diagrams, the book serves as an excellent introduction to the foundational concepts and theoretical lineage of metacommunity theory. It certainly is an excellent choice for a graduate seminar."
Austral Ecology -
"This book is a resoundingly thorough exploration of metacommunity concepts to date. . . . An exciting and valuable compilation of ideas that will strengthen this rapidly growing field."
Ecoscience -
"This book is timely, scholarly, stimulating, and a major step toward a fully unfied community ecology. It is a must-read for anyone trying to understand diversity and structure of biotic communities."
History of Philosophy and Life Science -
"[The book] deserves a wide readership among community ecologists, scholars of ecosystem ecology and related disciplines."
Ecology
"The material is clearly presented and the quality of writing is generally high. In its liberal use of tables and diagrams, the book serves as an excellent introduction to the foundational concepts and theoretical lineage of metacommunity theory. It certainly is an excellent choice for a graduate seminar."
— Michael M. Fuller
Ecoscience
"This book is timely, scholarly, stimulating, and a major step toward a fully unfied community ecology. It is a must-read for anyone trying to understand diversity and structure of biotic communities."—Hans Henrik Bruun, Ecoscience
— Hans Henrik Bruun
Austral Ecology
"This book is a resoundingly thorough exploration of metacommunity concepts to date. . . . An exciting and valuable compilation of ideas that will strengthen this rapidly growing field."
— Don A. Driscoll
Conservation Biology
"The book presents a compelling case for adding the metacommunity concept to the ecologocial toolbox. I suggest that you add it to your bookshelf. . . . My personal standard for a book is that it changes how I think about a subject. This book met this criterion. Metacommunities makes an excellent case that metacommunity theory is not just metapopulation theory for the 00s. Substantially different dynamics from those predicted in metapopulation models result when dispersal enmeshes the local dynamics of multiple interacting species. I believe the book will encourage readers to understand how regional linkages affect local ecological outcomes in their own systems."—Mark C. Urban, Conservation Biology
— Mark C. Urban
History of Philosophy and Life Science
"[The book] deserves a wide readership among community ecologists, scholars of ecosystem ecology and related disciplines."
— Matthias Gross