Geographical Ecology: Patterns in the Distribution of SpeciesFirst published in 1972 and now available for the first time in paperback, this book is the summation of the life work of one of the most influential scientists of our time. Of permanent interest in the history and philosophy of science, it is also frequently cited in the current ecological literature and is still up-to-date in many categories. |
Contents
The Background | 3 |
Climates on a Rotating Earth | 5 |
Atmospheric Global Circulation | 9 |
Coriolis Force | 11 |
World Rainfall Patterns | 14 |
Appendix Derivation of Adiabatic Lapse Rate | 19 |
The Machinery of Competition and Predation | 21 |
Behavior and Competition | 25 |
The Role of Habitat | 142 |
The Fluctuating Boundaries of Species Distributions | 144 |
The Structure of a Species Population | 149 |
Communities of Species | 154 |
Environmental Control of Community Structure | 155 |
Distribution of Vegetation Types | 159 |
Appendix Delayed Germination of Desert Annuals | 165 |
Patterns of Species Diversity | 169 |
Results of Theory of Competition | 29 |
Experiments on Predation in Simple and Complex Environments | 30 |
Results of Theory of Predation | 31 |
Appendix Theory of Competition and Predation | 33 |
Mathematical Treatment of Competition Theory | 34 |
Graphical Treatment of Competition Theory | 46 |
The Equilibria of PredatorPrey Interactions | 56 |
The Economics of Consumer Choice | 59 |
Optimal Feeding Place and Diet | 61 |
Applications | 62 |
The Geography of Species Classification | 71 |
The Patterns | 77 |
Island Patterns | 79 |
The Nature of Island Colonization | 84 |
Summary of Colonization Theory | 89 |
The Nature of Extinction | 92 |
Island Equilibrium | 97 |
Habitat Islands on the Mainland | 105 |
Land Bridge and Oceanic Islands | 107 |
Island Evidence for Competition | 111 |
The Krebs Effect | 118 |
The Island View of Competition | 119 |
Appendix Extinction Probability | 121 |
Species Distributions | 127 |
Adaptation to Unpredictable Climate | 130 |
The Failure of Climate Alone to Account for Distributions | 132 |
Theory of Species Diversity | 170 |
The Principle of Equal Opportunity | 173 |
Habitats Differing Only in Structure | 177 |
Habitats Differing in Climatic Stability | 179 |
Habitats Differing in Productivity | 183 |
Habitats Differing in Structure Stability and Productivity | 185 |
Matters of Environmental Scale | 186 |
The Effect of Predators | 191 |
Appendix 1 Derivation of Eq 2 | 195 |
Appendix 2 Measures of Diversity | 197 |
Comparisons of Temperate and Tropics | 199 |
The Spectrum of Resources in the Tropics | 205 |
Patchy Distributions in the Tropics | 207 |
Tropical Richness of Species | 210 |
Tropical Clutch Sizes | 219 |
Global Equilibrium of Species | 222 |
Tropical and Temperate Islands | 223 |
Patterns of Plant Morphology and Energetics | 224 |
r and K Selection | 226 |
Appendix 1 Theory of Patchy Distributions Under Competition | 231 |
Appendix 2 Species Packing and Crystal Packing | 237 |
The Role of History | 239 |
Alternate Stable Equilibria | 247 |
| 253 | |
| 261 | |
Other editions - View all
Geographical Ecology: Patterns in the Distribution of Species Robert H. MacArthur Limited preview - 1984 |
Geographical Ecology: Patterns in the Distribution of Species Robert H. MacArthur No preview available - 1984 |
Common terms and phrases
abundance adiabatic adiabatic lapse rate altitudinal ranges annual plant areas barred antshrike biogeography bird species birds breeding chapter climate clutches coexist colonization Competition and Predation competitors consumer continents cools deserts Diamond Distributions dX₁ E. O. Wilson ecologists environment equal equations equilibrium expect extinction rate fauna feeding Figure flycatcher foliage foraging forest Formicariidae go extinct Guinea habitats height Hence immigration rate increase individuals insects K₁ K₂ land bridge islands latitude less MacArthur mainland species migration mountains number of species occupy oceanic islands overlap Panama patches patterns Pearl Islands plants population density predators prey probability production Puercos R₁ R₂ rain reduced ringed kingfisher Robert Gillmor saguaro Sanders Schoener seasonal seeds shows similar southern speciation species diversity species present T₁ T₂ Temperate and Tropics temperature theory tion vector vegetation w₂ Wilson winter X₁ dt yellow-green vireo zero zone