The present biodiversity crisis is rife with opportunities to make important conservation decisions; however, the misuse or misapplication of the methods and techniques of animal ecology can have serious consequences for the survival of species. Still, there have been relatively few critical reviews of methodology in the field. This book provides an analysis of some of the most frequently used research techniques in animal ecology, identifying their limitations and misuses, as well as possible solutions to avoid such pitfalls. In the process, contributors to this volume present new perspectives on the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data.
Research Techniques in Animal Ecology is an overarching account of central theoretical and methodological controversies in the field, rather than a handbook on the minutiae of techniques. The editors have forged comprehensive presentations of key topics in animal ecology, such as territory and home range estimates, habitation evaluation, population viability analysis, GIS mapping, and measuring the dynamics of societies. Striking a careful balance, each chapter begins by assessing the shortcomings and misapplications of the techniques in question, followed by a thorough review of the current literature, and concluding with possible solutions and suggested guidelines for more robust investigations.
Table of Content
1. Hypothesis Testing in Ecology, by Charles J. Krebs
2: A Critical Review of the Effects of Marking on the Biology of Vertebrates, by Dennis L. Murray and Mark R. Fuller
3. Animal Home Ranges and Territories and Home Range Estimators, by Roger A. Powell
4. Delusions in Habitat Evaluation: Measuring Use, Selection, and Importance, by David L. Garshelis
5. Investigating Food Habits of Terrestrial Vertebrates, by John A. Litvaitis
6. Detecting Stability and Causes of Change in Population Density, by Joseph S. Elkinton
7. Monitoring Populations, by James P. Gibbs
8. Modeling Predator–Prey Dynamics, by Mark S. Boyce
9. Population Viability Analysis: Data Requirements and Essential Analyses, by Gary C. White
10. Measuring the Dynamics of Mammalian Societies: An Ecologist’s Guide to Ethological Methods, by David W. Macdonald, Paul D. Stewart, Pavel Stopka, and Nobuyuki Yamaguchi
11. Modeling Species Distribution with GIS, by Fabio Corsi, Jan de Leeuw, and Andrew K. Skidmore
About the author
Luigi Boitani is associate professor of vertebrate zoology at the Universita di Roma ‘La Sapienza.’ He is the coauthor, with L. D. Mech, of Biology and Conservation of the Wolf.Todd K. Fuller is professor of wildlife ecology in the Department of Natural Resources Conservation at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
More ebooks from the same author(s) / Editor
1,590 Ebooks in this category
