Dynamics of Nutrient Cycling and Food Webs (Population and Community Biology Series, Vol. 9)

Since nutrients can become limiting resources in ecological systems, the way that these nutrients are recycled, as well as their actual exhaustion, is of great importance to the growth and stability of populations, and their resistance to perturbations. Thus the topic of nutrient cycling and food web dynamics is of crucial importance in ecology and this book is an synthesis of the area. A number of years ago, the data available on the cycling of nutrients within food chains was scant compared with the subject of food webs and communities generally. However, the time is now right for a summary of an awakening of interest in this important topic. The author is an authority in ecological modelling who has ably described and explained the topic in a clear and readable way. It should be useful reading for all with an interest in ecology. A final chapter discusses the implications for the major problem of global climate change. This book should be of interest to advanced undergraduates/research workers in ecology and biology/environmental scientists.