Title: Experimental ecology : issues and perspectives /
Authors: Resetarits, William J.; Bernardo, Joseph, 1963-
Publisher: Oxford University Press,
Year: 1998
Subjects: Experimental ecology; Ecology
Abstract: Experimentation is now a dominant approach in ecology, pervading studies at all levels of biological organization and across diverse taxa and habitats. In Experimental Ecology, eminent ecologists synthesize insights from these varied sources into a cogent statement about the role of experiments in ecology. The authors use perspectives derived from experimental approaches ranging from laboratory microcosms to manipulation of entire ecosystems to illustrate the many ways experiments strengthen ecological inferences. They also critique current practices to move ecology forward on all fronts: from better designs, to better links between experiments and theory, to more realism in experiments targeted at specific systems and questions.
Contents: Ecological experiments and a research program in community ecology / Earl E. Werner -- Ecological experiments: scale, phenomenology, mechanism, and the illusion of generality / Arthur E. Dunham and Steven J. Beaupre -- Realism, precision, and generality in experimental ecology / Peter J. Morin -- The desert granivory experiments at Portal / James H. Brown -- Experimental compromise and mechanistic approaches to the evolutionary ecology of interacting Daphnia species / Mathew A. Leibold & Alan J. Tessier -- Experimentation, observation, and interference in river and watershed investigations / Mary E. Power, William E. Dietrich, & Kathleen O. Sullivan -- From cattle tanks to Carolina bays: the utility of model systems for understanding natural communities / William J. Resetarits, Jr. & John E. Fauth -- Have field experiments aided in the understanding of abundance and dynamics of temperate reef fishes? / Sally J. Holbrook & Russell J. Schmitt --^