Ecology: Concepts and Applications, 8th edition by Molles and Sher places great emphasis on helping students grasp the main concepts of ecology while keeping the presentation more applied than theoretical. An evolutionary perspective forms the foundation of the entire discussion. The book begins with the natural history of the planet, considers portions of the whole in the middle chapters, and ends with another perspective of the entire planet in the concluding chapter. Its unique organization of focusing only on several key concepts in each chapter sets it apart from other ecology texts. Users who purchase Connect receive access to the full online ebook version of the textbook.

1 Introduction to Ecology: Historical Foundations and Developing Frontiers
Section I Natural History and Evolution
2 Life on Land
3 Life in Water
4 Population Genetics and Natural Selection
Section II Adaptations to the Environment
5 Temperature Relations
6 Water Relations
7 Energy and Nutrient Relations
8 Social Relations
Section III Population Ecology
9 Population Distribution and Abundance
10 Population Dynamics
11 Population Growth
12 Life Histories
Section IV Interactions
13 Competition
14 Exploitative Interactions: Predation, Herbivory, Parasitism, and Disease
15 Mutualism
Section V Communities and Ecosystems
16 Species Abundance and Diversity
17 Species Interactions and Community Structure
18 Primary Production and Energy Flow
19 Nutrient Cycling and Retention
20 Succession and Stability
Section VI Large-Scale Ecology
21 Landscape Ecology
22 Geographic Ecology
23 Global Ecology
Appendix Statistical Tables

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