Elements of Ecology

Robert Leo Smith is one of the "Grand Gurus" of ecology textbook writers. I have been reading his textbooks since the early 1970's, most notably his flagship book "Ecology and Field Biology" which has gone through numerous editions, and which have been used in countless college courses throughout America. I have read them, taught with them, studied them, and often refer to them. They contain a huge amount of ecological knowledge, which forms the basis for many other ecologically oriented disciplines, such as forestry, agriculture, wildlife, and environmental science:(legions of natural resource professionals cut their "ecology" teeth with this text). This recent edition of "Elements of Ecology" once again shows the expertise of Robert Leo Smith and his collaborator, Thomas Smith. This iteration contains 29 chapters, divided into eight parts. The parts consist of the physical environment, the organism and its environment, populations, species interactions, community ecology, ecosystem ecology, and ecological biogeography. It definitely requires a college reading level and ability, but I would not hesitate to use it as a reference in high school and AP courses. It is well written, well illustrated, and has very good summaries at the end of each chapter, along with study questions. I know that there are several good textbooks on ecology out there; this one would be my "go to" text for teaching a one semester general ecology course.

This was the old version of our Ecology book; which means it is the same minus some added pictures. I thought it was well written and I didn't have to pay the price for the new updated version!! Score one for me!

This seller was totally accurate about the description of this book, it was in pristine condition.

This is a must-read text for anyone interested in a general overview of ecology. The chapters are thorough yet concise and the topics are laid out in a logical progression.

a very readable text...interesting, well written, and full of colorful diagrams. a good introduction to a discipline i had taken for granted.