Why Ecology Matters

"Why Ecology? "is a short, accessible, supplemental ecology text suitable for nonmajors course adoption. Divided into twelve chapters, it covers everything from the geographic distribution of organisms and the limits on population increase, to species extinction and the sun s role in powering ecosystems. Each chapter presents a basic ecological topic by introducing a general problem or question, illustrating the problem with current examples, and linking the problem to pressing ecological issues in which humans play a central role, such as the spread of invasive species, climate change, overfishing, and biodiversity conservation. While other ecology texts tend to focus on ecological theory and practice, and relegate discussions of human impacts and their societal implications to separate chapters, "Why Ecology? "weaves these discussions throughout the book, unifying its various topics and highlighting our manifold connections to ongoing, global ecological concerns. "Why Ecology? "ultimately provides an appreciation of ecology rooted not in complex ecological theory or math, but in our contemporary world. "