Ecology: Individuals, Populations and Communities

This book is simply necessary for those who pretend to learn and understand ecology. It's very well written and treats all the mandatory topics in ecology. As an extremely complex science, ecology needs a direct and clear approach and few authors can do that the same way Begon and his colleagues do. The book has a pleasant reading and is full with context examples; it brings the most recent issues in ecology as the functional ecology view of the communities and its relationship with the environment.

I may be the only person reviewing this book who's not in college. Anyway, I ordered this book because I needed to study for an event in science olympiad dealing with ecology. Ever since I received it, I have gotten first place at every tournament! The plethora of real-world examples in this book were very helpful. My only problem with it were the "illustrations". Come on, diagrams? Maybe... but illustrations? NO WAY! Except a few here and there. I also didn't like how all the diagrams were the exact same color.

I'm a grad student in ecology, and this book is a wonderful review of the subject. The writing is straightforward and includes lots of examples from the scientific literature. It's well written and has many levels, so it would be just as valuable for an undergrad with an interest in ecology as it is for the grad student boning up for qualifying exams (me!). Much better than comparable ecology books that I used as an undergraduate.

Begon's book is the best way to get a serious handle on the complexities of ecology. This book attempts no dumbing down and gives more resources than could ever be used in a lifetime.The explanations given for basic concepts are unique and cannot be found anywhere else. For example, this book makes a clear point about the relationship between evolution and ecology. Chapter One starts off with a discussion of natural selection that is unique; seems that one must rely on an ecologist for a full understanding of evolution. Begon suggests that the word abaptation be used to describe the match that most organisms display with their environment because that word carries with it the historical meaning that is left out of the picture when the word adaptation is used to descirbe the match between organism and environment.All important areas of ecology are covered; population dynamics, energy in communities and biological diversity. Again, I have yet to see, after having examined several major publishers' offerings, a better book for either someone just getting started in ecology or a person already well versed in the topic.

This textbook is an excellent introduction to anyone who wishes to study ecology in an academic context.I have found it very useful in my undergraduate studies.