Ecological methods (3rd ed.)

This book provides a unique synthesis of the methods and techniques that are available for the study of populations and ecosystems. Techniques used to obtain both absolute and relative population estimates are described and approaches to the direct measurement of births, deaths, migration and the construction and interpretation of life tables reviewed.

Prefaces.

1. Introduction to the Study of Animal Populations.

2. The Sampling Programme and the Measurement and Description of Dispersion.

3. Absolute Population Estimates Using Capture Recapture Experiments.

4. Absolute Population Estimates by Sampling a Unit of Habitat: Air, Plants, Plant Products and Vertebrate Hosts.

5. Absolute Population Estimates by Sampling a Unit of Aquatic Habitat.

6. Absolute Population Estimates by Sampling a Unit of Soil or Litter Habitat: Extraction Techniques.

7. Relative Methods of Population Measurement and the Derivation of Absolute Estimates.

8. Estimates of Species Richness and Population Size Based on Signs, Products and Effects.

9. Wildlife Population Estimates by Census and Distance Measuring Techniques.

10. Observational and Experimental Methods for the Estimation of Natality, Mortality and Dispersal.

11. The Construction, Description and Analysis of Age Specific Life Tables.

12. Age grouping, Time Specific Life Tables and Predictive Population Models.

13. Species Richness, Diversity and Packing.

14. The Estimation of Productivity and the Construction of energy Budgets.

15. Studies at large Spatial and Temporal Scales and the Classification of Habitats.

References.

Index