Review: After introductory courses in general ecology, population ecology is one the the more popular further studies. This is important not just for greater knowledge but for its application in a range of applied fields such as conservation. However, much of the work in population ecology needs both a firm grasp of demography and a fair understanding of mathematics. This book aims to address both areas to make the subject more accessible.In attempting to achieve this goal the author borrows from two areas. From ecology he uses the single-system to complex-system approach. In other words he starts off with simple populations (and therefore simple models) and moves on to inter-specific situations. From pedagogy he uses the idea of incremental instruction - building slowly from a simple foundation to more complex material. Although this might seem it should be the norm in texts of this type it's actually rare enough to comment on. It's also surprisingly effective and shows clearly the origins of the work in undergraduate ecology laboratories .

Accordingly, the first half of the text is given over to single-species populations. An opening chapter looks at density-independent growth, starting with simple population models and the fundamentals of population growth. This moves on to density-dependent growth adding the impact of time, limitations and non-linear (chaotic) responses. Chapter three considers that there are limits to growth and examines the impact of life histories and the environment. Up to this point the population has been viewed as homogenous in all regards. The next layer of complexity is age which brings with it issues of fertility, mortality and survivorship. Chapter five discusses the idea of the metapopulation - a subset of the total often cut off by human activity or other barrier. The argument presented here is that even when we add age factors into the equation, the 'real world' situation requires further refinement. This is particularly true of the modern fragmentation of species. A final chapter in this section looks in detail at a topic only peripheral up to now - life histories and the way they skew population ecology. Part two continues to increase the complexity of the work by adding different populations in the same location - interspecific reactions. Chapter seven starts with an overview of competition and some of the theoretical and practical examples that have been used to explain it. Not all interaction is negative. Chapter 8 focusses on mutualism (albeit briefly) and how this can be modeled. More usual in our studies are the win-lose interactions which are the focus of the next two chapters. Chapter 9 examines host and parasite interactions and chapter 10 describes predator-prey theories. The former looks at the spread of disease and how that can influence populations whilst the latter starts with the classic Lotka-Volterra equations and shows how other ideas can be built from them. A final chapter deals with herbivory. Two appendices deal with a set of problems and mathematical symbols.

This is a very good introduction to the subject with a fascinating approach that works well. The author starts with a simple idea and then continues to build on it. Equations start out simple but by adding a few new elements each time they soon become powerful models of demography. This means that the book works on two levels: as an introductory guide to this branch of ecology and a guide to population mathematics. Both are needed in current courses and this is one of the few texts that has used this approach explicitly to explain the work. Probably a little too complex for all but the most able senior school students but an excellent undergraduate text deserving of a wide readership.