Practical Field Ecology

Download or read book Practical Field Ecology written by C. Philip Wheater and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2020-08-03 with total page 468 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Offers a comprehensive, accessible introduction to experimental design, field monitoring skills for plants and animals, data analysis, interpretation and reporting This user-friendly book presents field monitoring skills for both plants and animals, within the context of a research project. This text provides a single resource to take the reader all the way through from the planning stage, into the field, guiding through sampling, organism identification, computer-based data analysis and interpretation, and finally how to present the results to maximise the impact of the work. Logically structured throughout, and revised extensively in the second edition, the book concentrates on the techniques required to design a field-based ecological survey and shows how to execute an appropriate sampling regime. It evaluates appropriate sampling and analytical methods, identifying potential problems associated with various techniques and how to mitigate these. The second edition of this popular text has updated reference material and weblinks, increased the number of case studies by 50% to illustrate the use of specific techniques in the field, added over 20% more figures (including 8 colour plates), and made more extensive use of footnotes to provide extra details. Extensions to topics covered in the first edition include additional discussion of: ethical issues; statistical methods (sample size estimation, use of the statistical package R, mixed models); bioindicators, especially for freshwater pollution; seeds, fecundity and population dynamics including static and dynamic life tables; forestry techniques including tree coring and tree mortality calculations; the use of data repositories; writing for a journal and producing poster and oral presentations. In addition, the use of new and emerging technologies has been a particular focus, including mobile apps for environmental monitoring and identification; land cover and GIS; the use of drones including legal frameworks and codes of practice; molecular field techniques including DNA analysis in the field (including eDNA); photo-matching for identifying individuals; camera trapping; modern techniques for detecting and analysing bat echolocation calls; and data storage using the cloud. Divided into six distinct chapters, Practical Field Ecology, 2nd Edition begins at project inception with a chapter on planning—covering health and safety, along with guidance on how to ensure that the sampling and experimental design is suitable for subsequent statistical analysis. Following a chapter dealing with site characterisation and general aspects of species identification, subsequent chapters describe the techniques used to survey and census particular groups of organisms. The final chapters cover analysing, interpreting and presenting data, and writing up the research. Offers a readable and approachable integrated guide devoted to field-based research projects Takes students from the planning stage, into the field, and clearly guides them through organism identification in the laboratory and computer-based data analysis, interpretation and data presentation Includes a chapter on how to write project reports and present findings in a variety of formats to differing audiences Aimed at undergraduates taking courses in Ecology, Biology, Geography, and Environmental Science, Practical Field Ecology, 2nd Edition will also benefit postgraduates seeking to support their projects.

Download or read book Practical Field Ecology written by C. Philip Wheater and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-04-12 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book introduces experimental design and data analysis / interpretation as well as field monitoring skills for both plants and animals. Clearly structured throughout and written in a student-friendly manner, the main emphasis of the book concentrates on the techniques required to design a field based ecological survey and shows how to execute an appropriate sampling regime. The book evaluates appropriate methods, including the problems associated with various techniques and their inherent flaws (e.g. low sample sizes, large amount of field or laboratory work, high cost etc). This provides a resource base outlining details from the planning stage, into the field, guiding through sampling and finally through organism identification in the laboratory and computer based data analysis and interpretation. The text is divided into six distinct chapters. The first chapter covers planning, including health and safety together with information on a variety of statistical techniques for examining and analysing data. Following a chapter dealing with site characterisation and general aspects of species identification, subsequent chapters describe the techniques used to survey and census particular groups of organisms. The final chapter covers interpreting and presenting data and writing up the research. The emphasis here is on appropriate wording of interpretation and structure and content of the report.

Download or read book Practical Methods in Ecology written by Peter A. Henderson and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2009-04-13 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are few books available that provide a good introduction tothe methods and techniques for ecological research. This book willbe invaluable to lecturers teaching field courses and studentsundertaking project work in ecology. Each chapter will focus on an ecological technique. It will havean introductory section that describes the ecological principlesand theory. This will then be followed by example applications.These will focus on three most common habitats where teachers takestudents for fieldwork; the seashore, ponds and lakes, fields andwoodland. Gives specific worked examples from the main ecosystems usedfor undergraduate study - seashore, lakes/ponds, field andwoodland. Only introductory text specifically focused on fieldtechniques. Great 'how-to' guide that will show student exactly how tocarry out each method. Only text to emphasise the principles behind the techniques -taking a methods based approach rather than a taxonomic approach(eg chapters split into population measures, biodiversity measures,species richness measures rather than methods for invertebrates,methods for mammals, methods for birds etc). Greater emphasis on the equipment involved - how to make it,where to buy it. Good references to further reading and advancedtechniques.

Download or read book Observation and Ecology written by Rafe Sagarin and published by Island Press. This book was released on 2012-07-16 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The need to understand and address large-scale environmental problems that are difficult to study in controlled environments—issues ranging from climate change to overfishing to invasive species—is driving the field of ecology in new and important directions. Observation and Ecology documents that transformation, exploring how scientists and researchers are expanding their methodological toolbox to incorporate an array of new and reexamined observational approaches—from traditional ecological knowledge to animal-borne sensors to genomic and remote-sensing technologies—to track, study, and understand current environmental problems and their implications. The authors paint a clear picture of what observational approaches to ecology are and where they fit in the context of ecological science. They consider the full range of observational abilities we have available to us and explore the challenges and practical difficulties of using a primarily observational approach to achieve scientific understanding. They also show how observations can be a bridge from ecological science to education, environmental policy, and resource management. Observations in ecology can play a key role in understanding our changing planet and the consequences of human activities on ecological processes. This book will serve as an important resource for future scientists and conservation leaders who are seeking a more holistic and applicable approach to ecological science.

Download or read book Statistical Ecology in Practice written by Stephen Waite and published by Addison-Wesley Longman Limited. This book was released on 2000-01 with total page 414 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This text combines principles of good field ecology research design with practical statistical analysis, suited to the needs of advanced students taking Field Ecology courses or undertaking projects that contribute to their final degree classification.

Download or read book Practical Ecology written by David Slingsby and published by Palgrave. This book was released on 1986 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Using the Biological Literature written by Diane Schmidt and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2014-04-14 with total page 414 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The biological sciences cover a broad array of literature types, from younger fields like molecular biology with its reliance on recent journal articles, genomic databases, and protocol manuals to classic fields such as taxonomy with its scattered literature found in monographs and journals from the past three centuries. Using the Biological Literature: A Practical Guide, Fourth Edition is an annotated guide to selected resources in the biological sciences, presenting a wide-ranging list of important sources. This completely revised edition contains numerous new resources and descriptions of all entries including textbooks. The guide emphasizes current materials in the English language and includes retrospective references for historical perspective and to provide access to the taxonomic literature. It covers both print and electronic resources including monographs, journals, databases, indexes and abstracting tools, websites, and associations—providing users with listings of authoritative informational resources of both classical and recently published works. With chapters devoted to each of the main fields in the basic biological sciences, this book offers a guide to the best and most up-to-date resources in biology. It is appropriate for anyone interested in searching the biological literature, from undergraduate students to faculty, researchers, and librarians. The guide includes a supplementary website dedicated to keeping URLs of electronic and web-based resources up to date, a popular feature continued from the third edition.