' This is a valuable book for ecologists in all stages of their careers. This volume should be a very valuable addition to the shelf of an ecologist. ' Phytomorphology, 43:1-2

• Theoretical vegetation science on the way.- Structure of theory in vegetation science.- Explanation and prediction in vegetation science.- A new model for the continuum concept.- A theory of the spatial and temporal dynamics of plant communities.- Fuzzy systems vegetation theory.- Ecological Field Theory: the concept and field tests.- Montane vegetation of the Mt. Field massif, Tasmania: a test of some hypotheses about properties of community patterns.- Comparison of ordinations and classifications of vegetation data.- Effects of detrending and rescaling on correspondence analysis: solution stability and accuracy.- Finding a common ordination for several data sets by individual differences scaling.- Relationship between horizontal pattern and vertical structure in a chalk grassland.- A new dissimilarity measure and a new optimality criterion in phytosociological classification.- Optimum-transformation of plant species cover-abundance values.- Analysis of the disintegrating group and gradient structure in Swiss riparian forests.- Computerized matching of relevés and association tables, with an application to the British National Vegetation Classification.- On sampling procedures in population and community ecology.- Spatial autocorrelation and sampling design in plant ecology.- On community structure in high alpine grasslands.- The effect of spatial pattern on community dynamics; a comparison of simulated and field data.- Plant community structure, connectance, niche limitation and species guilds within a dune slack grassland.- Species-area curve, life history strategies, and succession: a field test of relationships.- Algal species diversity and dominance along gradients of stress and disturbance in marine environments.- Modelling Mediterranean pasture dynamics.