Unsolved Problems in Ecology - by Andrew Dobson & David Tilman & Robert D Holt (Paperback)

About the Book

"This volume provides a series of essays on open questions in ecology with the overarching goal being to outline to the most important, most interesting or most fundamental problems in ecology that need to be addressed. The contributions span ecological subfields, from behavioral ecology and population ecology to disease ecology and conservation and range in tone from the technical to more personal meditations on the state of the field. Many of the chapters start or end in moments of genuine curiosity, like one which takes up the question of why the world is green or another which asks what might come of a thought experiment in which we "turn-off" evolution entirely"--

Book Synopsis

Leading ecologists discuss some of the most compelling open questions in the field today
Unsolved Problems in Ecology brings together many of the world's leading ecologists to discuss the most fundamental research questions confronting the field today. This diverse and thought-provoking collection of essays spans virtually all of the key subfields of the discipline, from behavioral and evolutionary ecology to population biology, community ecology, ecosystem ecology, disease ecology, and conservation biology. These essays are intended to stoke curiosity, challenge prevailing wisdom, and provoke new ways of thinking about ecology in light of new technologies and unprecedented environmental challenges brought on by climate and land-use change. Authoritative and accessible, Unsolved Problems in Ecology is ideal for graduate students in the early stages of their scientific careers and an essential resource for seasoned ecologists looking for exciting new directions to take their research.

• Sheds light on modern ecology's most important and compelling open questions
• Features thought-provoking contributions from more than two dozen world-class ecologists
• Covers behavior, evolution, communities, ecosystems, resource management, and more
• Discusses ways to raise the financial and intellectual profile of the discipline
• An invaluable resource for graduate students as well as seasoned ecologists

Review Quotes

"The volume can be a provocative focus for a graduate reading group. ... Best of all, the essays show all of us that there is an enormous amount of good ecology to be done."---Joseph Travis, The Quarterly Review of Biology

About the Author

Andrew Dobson is professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Princeton University. His books include Conservation and Biodiversity. Robert D. Holt is Eminent Scholar and Arthur R. Marshall, Jr., Chair in Ecological Studies at the University of Florida. His books include Metacommunities. David Tilman is Regents Professor and McKnight Presidential Chair in Ecology at the University of Minnesota. His books include The Functional Consequences of Biodiversity (Princeton).