Animal Ecology

Contents: 1. Animal ecology: an introduction. 2. Living and nonliving components. 3. Environment. 4. Ecological factors. 5. Climatic factors. 6. Water or moisture. 7. Temperature. 8. Light. 9. Topographic factors. 10. Biotic factors. 11. Edaphic (soil) factor. 12. Ecosystems. 13. Ecosystems: types. 14. Food chains and webs. 15. Community ecology. 16. Populations ecology and population growth. 17. Community dynamics (ecological succession). 18. Animal aggregation. 19. Bio-productivity. 20. Speciation and ecology. 21. Biogeochemical cycles. 22. Water habitat ecology: freshwater, easturine and marine habitat. 23. Habitat ecology: terrestrial habitat. 24. Animal adaption. Glossary. Subject index.

"Every organism in the biosphere plays important role in the environment and interacts with various physical and biotic factor, individually or collectively, hence an interacting system is formed in the environment. Ecology is the study of the relationship of plants and animals to their physical and biological environment. The physical environment includes light and heat or solar radiation, moisture, wind, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients in soil, water and atmosphere. The biological environment includes organisms of the same kind as well as other plants and animals.

The present book is specially designed for the student of ecology, it is also intended as a background text for those interested in wildlife, agriculture, conservation, management, forestry, etc." (jacket)