Population and Community Biology Series – serie

In the summer of 1993, twenty-six graduate and postdoctoral stu­ dents and fourteen lecturers converged on Cornell University for a summer school devoted to structured-population models. This school was one of a series to address concepts cutting across the traditional boundaries separating terrestrial, marine, and freshwa­ ter ecology. Earlier schools resulted in the books Patch Dynamics (S. A. Levin, T. M. Powell & J. H. Steele, eds., Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1993) and Ecological Time Series (T. M. Powell & J. H. Steele, eds., Chapman and Hall, New York, 1995); a book on food webs is in preparation. Models of population structure (differences among individuals due to age, size, developmental stage, spatial location, or genotype) have an important place in studies of all three kinds of ecosystem. In choosing the participants and lecturers for the school, we se­ lected for diversity-biologists who knew some mathematics and mathematicians who knew some biology, field biologists sobered by encounters with messy data and theoreticians intoxicated by the elegance of the underlying mathematics, people concerned with long-term evolutionary problems and people concerned with the acute crises of conservation biology. For four weeks, these perspec­ tives swirled in discussions that started in the lecture hall and carried on into the sweltering Ithaca night. Diversity mayor may not increase stability, but it surely makes things interesting.

Since the beginning of this century there has been a growing interest in the study of the epidemiology and population dynamics of infectious disease agents. Mathematical and statistical methods have played an important role in the development of this field and a large, and sophisticated, literature exists which is concerned with the theory of epidemiological processes in popu­ lations and the dynamics of epidemie and endemie disease phenomena. Much ofthis literature is, however, rather formal and abstract in character, and the field has tended to become rather detached from its empirical base. Relatively little of the literature, for example, deals with the practical issues which are of major concern to public health workers. Encouragingly, in recent years there are signs of an increased awareness amongst theoreticians of the need to confront predictions with observed epidemiological trends, and to pay elose attention to the biological details of the interaction between host and disease agent. This trend has in part been stimulated by the early work of Ross and Macdonald, on the transmission dynamics of tropical parasitic infections, but a further impetus has been the recent advances made by ecologists in blending theory and observation in the study of plant and animal populations.

This text brings together many techniques of multivariate analysis appropriate for ecological data. The techniques include the familiar, and some less familiar, methods for ordination and classification, and also some special techniques (for example, methods for analyzing asymmetric association matrices and for comparing several different ordinations). A key is provided to assist in choice of methods. A particular strength of the book lies in the numerous illustrative examples. The book should be of interest to statistical courses for biologists, ecologists and general scientists.

'Succession' is the term used to describe the phenomenon of changes in vegetational types in both time and space. The subject of the colonization and exploitation of 'new' areas by plants is a key one in ecology and this book summarizes the theoretical arguments currently raging about the topic.

In all fields of science today, data are collected and theories are developed and published faster than scientists can keep up with, let alone thoroughly digest. In ecology the fact that practitioners tend to be divided between such subdisciplines as aquatic and terrestrial ecology, as well as between popula­ tion, community, and ecosystem ecology, makes it even harder for them to keep up with all relevant research. Ecologists specializing in one sub­ discipline are not always aware of progress in another subdiscipline that relates to their own. Syntheses are frequently needed that pull together large bodies of information and organize them in ways that makes them more coherent, and thus more understandable. I have tried to perform this task of integration for the subject area that encompasses the interrelationships between the dynamics of ecological food webs and the cycling of nutrients. I believe this area cuts across many of the subdisciplines of ecology and is pivotal to our progress in understanding ecosystems and in dealing with human impacts on the environment. Many current ecological problems involve human disturbances of both food webs and the nutrients that cycle through them. Little progress can be made towards elucidating the complex feedback relations inherent in the study of nutrient cycles in ecological systems without the tools of mathematics and computer modelling. These tools are therefore liberally used throughout the book.

Written by a world-respected scientist on the subject of the book, this is an advanced text for students of ecology, population biology and evolution, as well as professional ecologists, conservationists and naturalists. Knowledge of the invasive species and the problems they cause, a subject that has grown substantially in recent years, is succinctly summarized in this topical book. It draws on much of the SCOPE programme on the ecology of biological invasions, in which the author has been intimately involved for some years. It also draws on the author's many years of experience teaching in the subject. Several superb colour plates of key invasive species are included and the book discusses the vital questions raised by biological control and the release of genetically modified organisms. `Biological Invasions is a lively, stimulating and authoritative review of a subject of concern to many conservationists.' Plant Talk `...this is a gem of a book, provocative yet scientific, that synthesizes and makes intelligible a large and complex field. One can only envy the third year undergraduates who took the course on which the book's structure is based.' Journal of Applied Ecology `...I highly recommend this delightful book to anyone interested in ecology and conservation.' Israel Journal of Plant Science `This book is based on sound analyses, with many illustrative examples, of the causes of success and failure in invasions, and of the consequences of those that succeed.' Ethology, Ecology & Evolution `This is an interesting and extremely valuable book for anyone interested in ecological geography, community dynamics or ecosystem assembly.' Journal of Animal Ecology

The role of competition within communities, in shaping the structure and composition of the community matrix itself and in influencing day to day functioning of the system is particularly contraversial. This book offers a synthesis of these arguments and provides an overview of existing knowledge about competition and organising that knowledge in such a way that new research paths are suggested. The author presents an original and at times contraversial view of competition and its role in ecological communities, not only summarising what is known but stressing the unknowns, describing unresolved problems and suggesting avenues for further research.

Conservation biologists and wildlife managers are constantly involved in the complex assessment of conservation problems such as the likely impact of a management action plan on rare species or those threatened with extinction. This book is a cohesive guide to the available mathematical modelling methods that can be used in population viability analysis. It is therefore extremely valuable to both the practitioner of conservation biology and the theoretical population biologist. Starting from first principles, the authors clearly explain the rationale behind the models and point out the relevant research, most of it recent, using a variety of examples from all different parts of the biosphere. The models used are stochastic models for demographic risk assessment particularly those dealing with unstructured population models, area-based models and structured, projection-matrix models. This new and growing area has been brought together by three expert conservation biologists so that conservation scientists can make and adapt their own models to aid the development of strategies to conserve species threatened with extinction.

To say you are writing about rarity is to invite two kinds of response. Either one provokes a discussion of what rarity is, or some comment on the complex­ ity of the subject. The objective of this book is to explore the nature of rarity, its complexity if you like, from one particular perspective on what rarity is. Primarily, it is an opportunity to review, to synthesize, and to question. The book is an attempt to draw together a vast body of literature, to extract from it some general principles, and to raise question marks over areas the founda­ tions of which appear to be either absent or crumbling. A perusal of prefaces suggests that they often dwell as long upon what a book is not about, as upon what it does concern. True to such a tradition, I should state that this is specifically not a book about conservation, although in some quarters anything about rarity is viewed as something about conser­ vation. Nor does it contain more than a passing reference to the undoubtedly important issues of the role of genetics in rarity. Examples have been drawn from a wide variety of taxa. They are, nonethe­ less, somewhat depauperate in cases from marine systems. In part this bias results from the unevenness of my familiarity with the literature, in part it perhaps also reflects differences in the questions asked and approaches to the study of communities and assemblages in terrestrial and marine systems.

Large regions of the world are regularly burnt either deliberately or naturally. However, despite the widespread occurrence of such fire-prone ecosystems, and considerable body of research on plant population biology in relation to fire, until now there have only been limited attempts at a coherent conceptual synthesis of the field for use by students or researchers.

The book is a reflection on patterns of thought, theoretical positions, and research methods in population ecology. It advocates an approach which refrains from attempts at general mechanistic theory building, but which instead tries to explain population phenomena by life history characteristics, physiological and behavioural processes of organisms and to combine these facts in explanatory models. As far as possible the difference between individuals in morphology, physiology and behaviour should be taken into account, so that the connection of population ecology with the science of Neo-Darwinian evolution can be redressed again.

This book presents a comprehensive typology and a comprehensible description of spatiotemporal models used in population dynamics. The main types included are: reaction-diffusion systems, patch models, matapopulation approaches, host parasitoid models, cellular automata (interacting particle systems), tessellations and distance models. The models are introduced through examples and with informative verbal explanations to help understanding. Some of the cellular automation examples are models not yet published elsewhere. Possible extensions of certain model types are suggested.

Written by a world-respected scientist on the subject of the book, this is an advanced text for students of ecology, population biology and evolution, as well as professional ecologists, conservationists and naturalists. Knowledge of the invasive species and the problems they cause, a subject that has grown substantially in recent years, is succinctly summarized in this topical book. It draws on much of the SCOPE programme on the ecology of biological invasions, in which the author has been intimately involved for some years. It also draws on the author's many years of experience teaching in the subject. Several superb colour plates of key invasive species are included and the book discusses the vital questions raised by biological control and the release of genetically modified organisms.

This book began life as a review article. That article spawned a symposium which was, in turn, greatly expanded to form the present volume. As the project moved through these developmental stages (hopefully, towards attainment of its full maturity), a number of people have provided invaluable assistance to us, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them. Gordon Orians must certainly take a high place in that list. He has been both a friend and mentor to W.E.K., and many of the topics explored in this book have emerged from the resultant dialogue. His thought processes, ideas and perhaps even some of his turns of phrase emerge throughout much ofthe book. Gordon also played a pivotal role in inviting in motion, and so he has served as a catalyst the article that set this project to the book as well as one of its reagents. While he has not served as an editor of this book, he is one of its authors in more than just the literal sense.

As one of the most quantitative of ecological subdisciplines, resource competition is an important, central area of ecology. Recently research into this area has increased dramatically and resource competition models have become more complex. The characterisation of this phenomenon is therefore the aim of this book. Resource Competition seeks to identify the unifying principles emerging from experimental and theoretical approaches as well as the differences between organisms, illustrating that greater knowledge of resource competition will benefit human and environmental welfare. This book will serve as an indispensable guide to ecologists, evolutionary biologists and environmental managers, and all those interested in resource competition as an emerging discipline.

Coral communities are among the most fascinating of all biotic assemblages on earth. It is their rich diversity and the strong biological interactions which characterize these communities that provides the focus for this book. Here I describe patterns of diversity, species interactions, and community organization as well as the processes which influence these structural attributes. Although this treatment of the subject will to some degree blend evolutionary and ecological phenomena, I am primarily interested in the dynamic properties of living coral communities. Hence, such processes as succession, competition, predation, herbivory, and disturbances will be emphasized in ecological terms, but not to the exclusion of evolutionary considerations. The former influence the maintenance of diversity in coral communities and local distribution and abundance patterns. The latter deal primarily with the origins of diversity, adaptations to the local environment, biogeographic distributions, and longevity in the fossil record. With the recent resurgence of interest in historical and large-scale geographical effects on the local diversity of ecological communities, ecological and evolutionary perspectives are beginning to be integrated into our understanding of community organization and dynamics. Hence, a synthesis of these perspectives is attempted in the final chapter of this book. This effort emerges as a consequence of academic experiences, research interests, and the strong influence of several individuals. My first exposure to ecology occurred at Pomona College where three faculty members guided my early explorations into this subject.

Chaos in Real Data studies the range of data analytic techniques available to study nonlinear population dynamics for ecological time series. Several case studies are studied using typically short and noisy population data from field and laboratory. A range of modern approaches, such as response surface methodology and mechanistic mathematical modelling, are applied to several case studies. Experts honestly appraise how well these methods have performed on their data. The accessible style of the book ensures its readability for non-quantitative biologists. The data remain available, as benchmarks for future study, on the worldwide web.

A comprehensive treatment of the population biology of fungi. Intended for mycologists as well as biologists without mycological background, it includes detailed coverage of all major taxonomic groups for which information is available and key topics in depth, including species concepts, somatic incompatibility, gene flow, role of sexual vs. asexual reproduction, mycoviruses, demography and fitness. Kinds and patterns of intraspecific variation are considered, including quantitative and especially molecular characteristics. Throughout, an attempt is made to relate aspects of fungal population biology to biology as a whole.

The invasive species problem will become increasingly important in the years to come. Trade, travel and tourism are rapidly globalized, and border controls are reduced. This affects natural ecosystems in which aggressive invaders may have disastrous effects. 'New' diseases affect human, animal and crop health. The Convention on Biological Diversity presents national authorities with a tall order in coping with this problem. For the first time in one volume, this book presents both ecological, biological and epidemiological aspects of invasive species, as well as the problem of disease organisms for agriculture and human health. The book constitutes a comprehensive background to the global strategy for managing invasive alien species which now is being developed by SCOPE and UNEP. The book is well suited for management staff in various environmental, economic and social sectors. It is essential for university and college teachers, researchers in ecology, natural resources management, and social sciences, as well as M.Sc. and Ph.D. students.

Competition is one of the most important factors controlling the distribution and abundance of living creatures. Sperm cells racing up reproductive tracts, beetle larvae battling inside single seeds, birds defending territories, and trees interfering with the light available to neighbours, are all engaged in competition for limited resources. Along with predation and mutualism, competition is one of the three major biological forces that assemble living communities. Recent experimental work, much of it only from the last few decades, has enhanced human knowledge of the prevalence of competition in nature. There are acacia trees that use ants to damage vines, beetles that compete in arenas for access to dung balls, tadpoles that apparently poison their neighbours, birds that smash the eggs of potential competitors, and plants that associate with fungi in order to increase access to soil resources. While intended as an up-to-date reference work on the state of this branch of ecology, the many non-technical examples will make interesting reading for those with a general interest in nature. Greatly expanded from the first prize-winning edition, there are entirely new chapters, including one on resources and another on competition gradients in nature. The author freely ranges across all major taxonomic groups in search of evidence. The question of whether competition occurs is no longer useful, the author maintains; rather the challenge is to determine when and where each kind of competition is important in natural systems. For this reason, variants of competition such as intensity, asymmetry and hierarchies are singled out for particular attention. The book concludes with the difficulties of finding general principles in complex ecological communities, and illustrates the limitations on knowledge that arise out of the biased conduct of scientists themselves. Competition can be found elsewhere in living systems other than ecological communities, at sub-microscopic scales in the interactions of enzymes and neural pathways, and over large geographic areas in the spread of human populations and contrasting ideas about the world. Human societies are therefore also examined for evidence of the kinds of competition found among other living organisms. Using an array of historical examples, including Biblical conflicts, the use of noblemen's sons in the Crusades, the Viking raids in Europe, strategic bombing campaigns in the Second World War, and ethnic battles of the Balkans, the book illustrates how most of the aspects of competition illustrated with plants and animals can be extended to the interactions of human beings and their societies.

This volume is based on papers presented at "The Norway/United Nations (UN) Conference on Alien Species" which was hosted by the Norwegian Ministry of the Environment in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the International Conservation Union (lDCN) and the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) of the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU). The organisation and sponsoring of the conference was also a joint venture between the Norwegian Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Fisheries and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Conference was held at Royal Garden Hotel, Trondheim, Norway, 1-5 July 1996. This was the second Trondheim Conference on Biodiversity, the first being the NorwaylUNEP Expert Conference on Biodiversity, 24-28 May 1993. The conference was organised by the Norwegian Directorate of Nature Management, the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) and the Norwegian University for Science and Technology (NTNU) and its Centre for Environment and Development (SMU), all based in Trondheim. These institutions are all active in the fields of management, education and research related to biological diversity. Weare extremely grateful for the support we have received from all these national and international institutions.

The persistently increasing scale and complexity of government, of quasi­ public organizations, and of private organizations pose many problems in the economics of collective choice. Moreover, education as a quasi-public good has drawn ever more heavily on public budgets. Yet economic research into collective behavior with respect to education has been sparse (with the partial exception of recent work on teacher unions). In view of these trends, it was decided that the third conference under the Ford-sponsored UK. jUS. Pro­ gramme in the Economics of Education should make the high-risk effort of encouraging and bringing together studies relating to collective choice in education, with some emphasis on studies in educational finance. The con­ ference exploited opportunities for an exchange of ideas between economists in the United Kingdom and in the United States; there were special gains that could come from such an interchange. British and American economists do share a common inheritance that goes back to Benthamite utilitarianism and a common training in neo-classical economic theory even when one or both of these is challenged (which happens, of course, on both sides of the Atlantic). They share also a culture of political democracy despite important dissimilar­ ities in governmental structures and institutions. These commonalities and contrasts facilitate comparative testing of analyses developed in either setting.

Throughout the world, a sense of crisis has settled in like a nightmare that refuses to leave. We look towards the horizon with apprehension. Major changes are afoot. Older industrial regions, once rich and powerful, stand by helplessly as factories close down. Poor countries are sliding into bankruptcy, unable even to feed their populations. In a few scattered enclaves, called ex­ port platforms, new manufacturing plants spring up overnight: they employ predominantly young, unmarried women and ship their products to unknown destinations overseas. Small companies are eaten up by bigger ones which, in turn, are absorbed by still larger conglomerates. Some industrial sectors are wiped out altogether. Tensions between states are increasing. More and more countries are coming under military rule. Torture and terrorism are turned into tools of official state policy. Civil wars are fought in Central America, Northern Africa, and Southeast Asia. International conflict flares up be­ tween Britain and Argentina, Iraq and Iran, Ethiopia and Somalia. Economic growth has slowed to a crawl. Inflation undercuts the livelihood of the poor. The small producer is ruined. It appears that we are involved in a major restructuring of the capitalist world. The problems are profits, capital accumulation, and efficiency in pro­ duction. To make the indicators point up, whole regions are sacrificed, new technologies are put in place, and new locational patterns are created as the world is carved up into a new international division oflabor.

5 by predations of the sea peoples. However, the weakening of Mycenean seapower, the destruction of the Hittite kingdom, and finally, the limitation on Philistine strength resulting from the alliance between David and the king of Tyre in the eleventh century, combined to open up "for the Phoenicians, in the first quarter of the first millennium B. C. E. vast overseas trading areas" (Oded 1979a, p. 228). By the end of the eleventh century, pottery from Cyprus, after a long absence could once again be found in Israelite-occupied sites (Albright 1960, p. 47). The expansion of the sea trade in the Mediterranean in which, judging by the song of Deborah (Judg. 5), the northern tribes of Asher and Dan (?) (see figure 1-2) would have parti­ cipated, was accompanied by the inauguration of camel caravans trans­ porting the goods of southern Arabia to and through Israel (see Bulliet 1975, especially p. 36). Military victories over the Philistines and Syrians, receipts of tribute, and the collection of tolls from the control of trade routes together with the general revival of trade all contributed to Israel's growing wealth. Indeed, the David-Solomon period (most of the tenth century) is often portrayed as the peak of Israelite economic development. In fact there is precious little extra­ biblical evidence supporting this portrayal. For example, in spite of the reported activity of David and Solomon's scribes, only one example of 6 "Hebrew" writing from this period, the Gezer Calendar, has been found.

Competition is one of the most important factors controlling the distribution and abundance of living creatures. Sperm cells racing up reproductive tracts, beetle larvae battling inside single seeds, birds defending territories, and trees interfering with the light available to neighbours, are all engaged in competition for limited resources. Along with predation and mutualism, competition is one of the three major biological forces that assemble living communities. Recent experimental work, much of it only from the last few decades, has enhanced human knowledge of the prevalence of competition in nature. There are acacia trees that use ants to damage vines, beetles that compete in arenas for access to dung balls, tadpoles that apparently poison their neighbours, birds that smash the eggs of potential competitors, and plants that associate with fungi in order to increase access to soil resources. While intended as an up-to-date reference work on the state of this branch of ecology, the many non-technical examples will make interesting reading for those with a general interest in nature. Greatly expanded from the first prize-winning edition, there are entirely new chapters, including one on resources and another on competition gradients in nature. The author freely ranges across all major taxonomic groups in search of evidence. The question of whether competition occurs is no longer useful, the author maintains; rather the challenge is to determine when and where each kind of competition is important in natural systems. For this reason, variants of competition such as intensity, asymmetry and hierarchies are singled out for particular attention. The book concludes with the difficulties of finding general principles in complex ecological communities, and illustrates the limitations on knowledge that arise out of the biased conduct of scientists themselves. Competition can be found elsewhere in living systems other than ecological communities, at sub-microscopic scales in the interactions of enzymes and neural pathways, and over large geographic areas in the spread of human populations and contrasting ideas about the world. Human societies are therefore also examined for evidence of the kinds of competition found among other living organisms. Using an array of historical examples, including Biblical conflicts, the use of noblemen's sons in the Crusades, the Viking raids in Europe, strategic bombing campaigns in the Second World War, and ethnic battles of the Balkans, the book illustrates how most of the aspects of competition illustrated with plants and animals can be extended to the interactions of human beings and their societies.

Coral communities are among the most fascinating of all biotic assemblages on earth. It is their rich diversity and the strong biological interactions which characterize these communities that provides the focus for this book. Here I describe patterns of diversity, species interactions, and community organization as well as the processes which influence these structural attributes. Although this treatment of the subject will to some degree blend evolutionary and ecological phenomena, I am primarily interested in the dynamic properties of living coral communities. Hence, such processes as succession, competition, predation, herbivory, and disturbances will be emphasized in ecological terms, but not to the exclusion of evolutionary considerations. The former influence the maintenance of diversity in coral communities and local distribution and abundance patterns. The latter deal primarily with the origins of diversity, adaptations to the local environment, biogeographic distributions, and longevity in the fossil record. With the recent resurgence of interest in historical and large-scale geographical effects on the local diversity of ecological communities, ecological and evolutionary perspectives are beginning to be integrated into our understanding of community organization and dynamics. Hence, a synthesis of these perspectives is attempted in the final chapter of this book. This effort emerges as a consequence of academic experiences, research interests, and the strong influence of several individuals. My first exposure to ecology occurred at Pomona College where three faculty members guided my early explorations into this subject.

Ecology of Shallow Lakes brings together current understanding of the mechanisms that drive the diametrically opposite states of water clarity, shown by the cover paintings, found in many shallow lakes and ponds. It gives an outline of the knowledge gained from field observations, experimental work, and restoration studies, linked by a solid theoretical framework.The book focuses on shallow lakes, but the lucid treatment of plankton dynamics, resuspension, light climate and the role of vegetation is relevant to a much wider range of aquatic systems. The models that are used remain simple and most analyses are graphical rather than algebraic. The text will therefore appeal to students, scientists and policy makers in the field of ecology, fisheries, pollution studies and water management, and also to theoreticans who will benefit from the many real-world examples of topics such as predation and competition theory, bifurcation analysis and catastrophe theory. Perhaps most importantly, the book is a remarkable example of how large field experiments and simple models can catalyze our insight into complex ecosystems.Marten Scheffer wrote this book while at the Institute of Inland Water Management and Waste Treatment, RIZA, Lelystad, The Netherlands. He is currently at the Department of Water Quality Management and Aquatic Ecology of the Wageningen Agricultural University.Reviews`Much rarer are textbooks that so succinctly sum up the state-of-the-art knowledge about a subject that they become instant `bibles'. This book is one of these. It is probably one of the best biological textbooks I have read. Scheffer masterfully pulls all this information together under one cover and presents a coherent account, which will serve as a benchmark for the subject. The reader will not gain any great insight into the breeding biology of pike from this book, nor learn much about dragonflies or newts. They will, however, come to understand the essential nature of shallow lakes or, as the author puts it, `how shallow lakes work'. Overall, this book will be of great interest to practical and theoretical ecologists, students and managers in all fields of biology. All freshwater ecologists should certainly read it.' Simon Harrison in Journal of Ecology, 86 `The book by Scheffer can be seen as a milestone in the recognition of shallow lakes as a research topic in its own right. Scheffer uses three approaches concurrently to unravel the functioning of shallow lakes: 1) statistical analysis of large datasets from a variety of lakes; 2) simple abstract models made up of a few non-linear ordinary differential equations, which he calls `mini-models'; and 3) logical reasoning based on a mixture of results from fieldwork, experiments and models. What is new is that Scheffer links mathematics very nicely with what one feels is a correct description of the functioning of a shallow lake. Employing logical reasoning, Scheffer combines all these sources of knowledge into a general, coherent picture of the functioning of a shallow lake.' Wolf Mooij in Aquatic Ecology, 32

As one of the most quantitative of ecological subdisciplines, resource competition is an important, central area of ecology. Recently research into this area has increased dramatically and resource competition models have become more complex. The characterisation of this phenomenon is therefore the aim of this book. Resource Competition seeks to identify the unifying principles emerging from experimental and theoretical approaches as well as the differences between organisms, illustrating that greater knowledge of resource competition will benefit human and environmental welfare. This book will serve as an indispensable guide to ecologists, evolutionary biologists and environmental managers, and all those interested in resource competition as an emerging discipline.