Ecosystem Engineers

Plants to Protists

,

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Year: 2011
• ISBN:
  9780080548470
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Zoology
• Index: Biological Sciences

The first book entirely devoted to this topic, Ecosystem Engineers begins with the history of the concept, presenting opposing definitions of ecosystem engineeing. These varied definitions advance the debate and move past trivial difficulties to crystallize key issues such as the value of process-based vs. outcome-based. Authors include case studies spanning a wide spectrum of species and habitats, including above and below-ground, aquatic and terrestrial, and extant and paleontological examples. These studies enable readers to understand how the categorization of species as ecosystem engineers allows scientists to forge new explanatory generalizations. Key for all ecologists and environmentalists, this book ultimately illustrates how to inform and manage natural resources.

• The only consolidated treatment available
• Provides definitions, case studies, and examples of ecological models
• Discusses how ecosystem engineering can inform and improve the management of natural resources
• Includes contributions from Clive Jones, the leading figure in the development of the ecosystem engineer concept, and many other eminent ecologists, such as Alan Hastings

Index

A

Abiotic determinism, 32

Abiotic environmental modification, 5, 7

Abiotic interactions, 48–54

Abiotic stress, 156–157

Aboveground effects, 99, 192, 260, 304, 307, 308t, 311

of Carpobrotus edulis, 144–150

Acidification, 33

Actiorrihozal nitrogen-fixer, 34

Aerial spraying, 307

Agroecosystems, 367–381

Agroforestry, 371–372

Agronomic revolution, 172–174

Alameda Song Sparrow, 315

Aldrin, 379–380

Allelochemical interaction, 78–79, 93–96

Alligators, 35

Allogenic engineers, 12, 166–168

in Cambrian Period, 171–176

Alpine cushion plant, 211

Amelioration, 113–117, 156, 264, 269

Ammonium, 84, 286–287

porewater, 311

Ammophila arenaria (European beach grass), 150

Ants, 28, 118, 323

black seed harvester ants, 29

as soil structure engineers, 377–378

Aphi...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Theoretical Ecology Series
• Front Matter
• Copyright page
• Preface
• Contributors
• Introduction to History and Definitions of Ecosystem Engineering
• On the Purpose, Meaning, and Usage of the Physical Ecosystem Engineering Concept
• A Historical Perspective on Ecosystem Engineering
• A New Spirit and Concept for Ecosystem Engineering?
• Ecosystem Engineering: Utility, Contention, and Progress
• Introduction to Examples and Applications
• Earthworms as Key Actors in Self-Organized Soil Systems
• Microhabitat Manipulation: Ecosystem Engineering by Shelter-Building Insects
• Carpobrotus as a Case Study of the Complexities of Species Impacts
• Ecosystem Engineering in the Fossil Record: Early Examples from the Cambrian Period
• Habitat Conversion Associated with Bioeroding Marine Isopods
• Synthesis: Lessons from Disparate Ecosystem Engineers
• Introduction to Theories and Models
• Community Responses to Environmental Change: Results of Lotka–Volterra Community Theory
• Model Studies of Ecosystem Engineering in Plant Communities
• Balancing the Engineer–Environment Equation: the Current Legacy
• Synthesis of Ecosystem Engineering Theory
• Introduction to Socio-Economic Issues and Management Solutions
• Restoring Oyster Reefs to Recover Ecosystem Services
• Managing Invasive Ecosystem Engineers: the Case of Spartina in Pacific Estuaries
• Livestock and Engineering Network in the Israeli Negev: Implications for Ecosystem Management
• Ecosystem Engineers and the Complex Dynamics of Non-Native Species Management on California’s Channel Islands
• The Diverse Faces of Ecosystem Engineers in Agroecosystems
• Management and Ecosystem Engineers: Current Knowledge and Future Challenges
• Index