Temporal Dynamics and Ecological Process

Colleen K. Kelly is a Senior Research Associate in the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford. Her research interests focus on temporal dynamics, community assembly and ecosystem function. She has published widely on these topics and has been a principal investigator or co-PI on various funded projects in the US, the UK and Mexico. Michael G. Bowler has worked at the Department of Physics at the University of Oxford for over 40 years. His research interest is focused on particle physics. He has taken part in several major collaborations in this field, most recently the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory. He has authored or co-authored 150 papers and written five books. Gordon A. Fox is Associate Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of South Florida. His main area of research is plant ecology and theoretical population biology. His recent work has focused on demographic heterogeneity and its causes and consequences including both theoretical studies and research with populations of pines, lilies and Florida scrub-jays.

'It is generally believed, and indeed is often true, that species which are very similar will tend to compete, with the more effective competitor excluding the weaker. This important and interesting book shows that - to the contrary - the co-existence of similar species can greatly enrich the diversity of communities, and also can help in responding to, or recovering from, environmental disturbance. The book uses studies of plant communities to document these general principles, placing particular emphasis on reproductive scheduling and its role in the stable coexistence of similar species. The book deserves a wide audience.' Robert M. May, University of Oxford

• 1. Introduction Colleen K. Kelly, Michael G. Bowler and Gordon A. Fox; Part I. Observing Temporal Processes in Nature: 2. The storage effect: definition and tests in two plant communities Peter Chesson, Nancy J. Huntly, Stephen H. Roxburgh, Marissa Pantastico-Caldas and José M. Facelli; 3. What temporal processes in trees tell us about competition, community structure and speciation Colleen K. Kelly, Michael G. Bowler, Gordon A. Fox, J. Arturo Solís-Magallanes, J. Marcela Ramos-Tapia, Pilar Lopera Blair, Susan Schwinning, John N. Williams and Jeffrey B. Joy; 4. Testing the storage effect with long-term, observational data Peter B. Adler; 5. Seedling herbivory and the temporal niche Mick E. Hanley and Rebecca J. Sykes; 6. Temporal variation in density dependence in an herbaceous community Norma L. Fowler and Craig M. Pease; 7. Population and community dynamics in variable environments: the desert annual system D. Lawrence Venable and Sarah Kimball; 8. Temporal niches, ecosystem function, and climate change Susanne Schwinning, Gordon A. Fox and Colleen K. Kelly; Part II. Application to Specific Questions: 9. Evolution of synchronized and intermittent reproduction (masting) of trees: key role of regeneration dynamics Yoh Iwasa, Akiko Satake and Yuuya Tachiki; 10. Spatiotemporal variation can promote coexistence more strongly than temporal variation Robin E. Snyder; 11. Roles of pollinator attraction and environmental fluctuation in inducing flowering synchrony Akiko Satake, Yuuya Tachiki and Yoh Iwasa; 12. Temporal dynamics and the spread of insect resistance transgenes Michael G. Bowler, Felix Breden and Colleen K. Kelly; 13. Concluding remarks Gordon A. Fox, Michael G. Bowler and Colleen K. Kelly; Index.