Recent Books

Nonequilibrium Ecology (Cambridge University Press)

Ecology has long been shaped by ideas that stress the sharing of resources and the competition for those resources, and by the assumption that populations and communities typically exist under equilibrium conditions in habitats saturated with both individuals and species. But much evidence contradicts these assumptions. It is indeed likely that nonequilibrium is much more common than equilibrium. This is the only book that focuses on nonequilibrium aspects of ecology. It provides evidence for nonequilibrium and equilibrium in populations (and metapopulations), in extant communities and in ecological systems over evolutionary time, including nonequilibrium due to recent and present mass extinctions. The assumption that competition is of overriding importance, is central to equilibrium ecology, and much space is devoted to its discussion. Because communities of some taxa appear to be shaped more by competition than others, an attempt is made to find and explanation for these differences.

http://www.cambridge.org/9780521674553

Marine Parasitology (K. Rohde, Editor) (CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne)

This book covers all aspects of marine parasitology, including the various parasite groups, behavioural and ecological aspects, coevolution and speciation, zoogeography, and economic, environmental and medical importance, in 11 chapters and 80 sections. Much emphasis is on the effects of parasites in aquaculture, and on some major host groups, such as marine birds and mammals. About 80 authors, top experts in their fields from all around the world, have contributed. This book provides a concise but thorough account of our current knowledge about marine parasites. It is a text aimed at researchers, students and lay people, and can be used in introductory and advanced courses on marine biology, aquaculture, marine parasitology, general parasitology, invertebrate zoology, zoogeography, and ecology. It is a text that will be of great use to postgraduate students.

There is no similar text that covers as broad a spectrum of marine parasitology in such depth as this one. It is hoped that it will become the standard text and stimulate future work in the field by scientists and students. It may also stimulate interest in lay people who want to be informed about current developments in biology.

http://www.publish.csiro.au/pid/5045.htm