This introductory ecology lab manual focuses on the process of collecting, recording and analyzing data, and equips students with the tools they need to function in more advanced science courses. It reflects the most current techniques for data gathering so that students can obtain the most accurate samples. Balanced coverage of plant, animal and physical elements offers a diverse range of exercises. Includes exercise on writing research reports.

Building on the success of the first edition and bringing together contributions from a range of experts in the field, the second edition of this guide to research on wild primates covers the latest advances in the field, including new information on field experiments and measuring behaviour. It provides essential information and advice on the technical and practical aspects of both field and laboratory methods, covering topics such as ethnoprimatology; remote sensing; GPS and radio-tracking; trapping and handling; dietary ecology; and non-invasive genetics and endocrinology. This integrated approach opens up new opportunities to study the behavioural ecology of some of the most endangered primates and to collect information on previously studied populations. Chapters include methodological techniques; instructions on collecting, processing and preserving samples/data for later analysis; ethical considerations; comparative costs; and further reading, making this an invaluable tool for postgraduate students and researchers in primatology, behavioural ecology and zoology.

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.

Agroecology is defined as the application of ecological concepts and principles to the design and management of sustainable food systems. Offering step-by-step guidance for structured investigation, Field and Laboratory Investigations in Agroecology, Second Edition reviews ecological concepts and principles in an agricultural setting and provides in-depth, practical experience. From background information to procedures and suggestions for writing up the results, the book covers 24 different agroecological investigations, each designed to provide all the information needed to plan and execute experimental or comparative studies. It deals with how an individual plant responds to the environment, how environmental factors are measured and characterized, and how environmental factors affect individual plants. The manual investigates how populations of organisms act in agroecosystems, focuses on the level of the community, and explores the between-species interactions of the organisms that make up crop communities. Examining whole farms or systems within farm boundaries, investigations touch on the complexity with which farmers manage agroecosystems. In the last section, the book addresses components of the food system at a local level. Comprising both basic and complex topics, Field and Laboratory Investigations in Agroecology, Second Edition presents a broad scope of issues relevant to agroecology today. This edition facilitates hands-on, experiential learning that involves close observation, creative interpretation, and constant questioning of findings.

Methods in Stream Ecology provides a complete series of field and laboratory protocols in stream ecology that are ideal for teaching or conducting research. This two part new edition is updated to reflect recent advances in the technology associated with ecological assessment of streams, including remote sensing. Volume focusses on ecosystem structure with in-depth sections on Physical Processes, Material Storage and Transport and Stream Biota. With a student-friendly price, this Third Edition is key for all students and researchers in stream and freshwater ecology, freshwater biology, marine ecology, and river ecology. This text is also supportive as a supplementary text for courses in watershed ecology/science, hydrology, fluvial geomorphology, and landscape ecology. Methods in Stream Ecology, 3rd Edition, Volume 2: Ecosystem Structure, is also available now! - Provides a variety of exercises in each chapter - Includes detailed instructions, illustrations, formulae, and data sheets for in-field research for students - Presents taxonomic keys to common stream invertebrates and algae - Includes website with tables and a link from Chapter 22: FISH COMMUNITY COMPOSITION to an interactive program for assessing and modeling fish numbers - Written by leading experts in stream ecology

This new edition will build upon the strengths of the earlier work but will be thoroughly revised throughout to incorporate findings from new technologies and methods (notably the rapid development of molecular genetic methods and stable isotope techniques) that have allowed a rapid and ongoing development of the field.

In this thoroughly updated third edition, the authors provide a series of carefully designed and tested field and laboratory exercises that represent the full scope of limnology. In using the text, students will gain a solid foundation in this complex, multidisciplinary field of ecology as they explore the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of standing and running waters. The book illustrates accepted standard methods as well as modern metabolic and experimental approaches and their research applications. Each exercise is preceded by an introductory section and concludes with questions for students as well as suggestions for further reading. As a textbook, this is a highly structured, concise presentation with a research-oriented approach that openly invites active participation by students.