Methods in Comparative Plant Population Ecology
Price:
$114.99 (04)Description
This new book is intended to assist senior undergraduates and post-graduate students design their own experiments and establish a research program in plant population ecology. Practical advice is provided on how to set up a research program, how to ask pertinent questions and use science process skills in conducting research. Individual chapters cover facets of experimental design, statistics, experimental variables and treatments, measurements of plants and their environment, spatial pattern analysis, life tables, and modelling. Numerous citations to the current research literature are provided, and four case studies are referred to throughout the book to illustrate the use of methodology. The book provides guidance for researchers so that they can critically evaluate the problem that they are addressing, and determine the most suitable approach. The book will be of value to teachers who are developing field and laboratory modules in population ecology.Features
- A book that discusses the methodology of research, perfect for anyone just beginning to experiment with project or field course work
- The use of case studies throughout the text allows the reader to see the methodology in use in a familiar context
- Follow-up exercises allow the reader to review their understanding
- Reference to detailed descriptions of the methodology allow the reader to find the best source of detailed methodology when necessary
- Numerous illustrations and photographs illustrate key concepts and species
Reviews
"I was pleasantly surprised upon receiving this new book on ecological methods. I expected a short and simple, general lab-style manual with exercises that might be appropriate for the beginning student. Instead, I found a richly detailed, wide-ranging, professional overview of all stages important to the process of performing plant ecological research plus information on the methods required. . .The text serves well as a user-friendly guide for the graduate student, and the professional ecologist in need of quick information on a methodological problem. . . Gibson's text finds a niche because he brings together so much of the information required to successfully plan, design, and conduct ecological experiments. The text is affordable, well written and relatively free of errors. It should have a major, positive influence on the next generation of plant ecologists."--Journal of Biogeography
About the Author(s)
David J. Gibson, Department of Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
