Includes bibliographical references (pages 552-563) and index.

Introduction to ecology : historical foundations and developing frontiers. Section I: Natural history and evolution. -- Life on land -- Life in water -- Population genetics and natural selection. Section II: Adaptations to the environment. -- Temperature relations -- Water relations -- Energy and nutrient relations -- Social relations. Section III: Population ecology. -- Population distribution and abundance -- Population dynamics -- Population growth -- Life histories. Section IV: Interactions. -- Species interactions and competition -- Exploitative interactions: predation, herbivory, parasitism, and disease -- Mutualism. Section V: Communities and ecosystems. -- Species abundance and diversity -- Species interactions and community structure -- Primary and secondary production -- Nutrient cycling and retention -- Succession and stability. Section VI: Large-scale ecology. -- Landscape ecology -- Geographic ecology -- Global ecology. Appendix A: Investigating the evidence. Appendix B: Statistical tables.