Predation (Population and Community Biology)

Predation is not only the most dramatic event in nature but one whose ecological consequences are obscure. This volume represents an attempt to discover some of those consequences in the realm of population dynamics. By reference to a wide range of observational and experimental studies and contemporary mathematical theory, the author develops a portrait of predator-prey dynamics grounded in both fact and logic. The book begins with the basics of modern predation theory, explores the various experimental approaches and then tackles complications to the basic interaction, such as extrinsic limits to population growth, age and size structure, prey refugia, and variation in predatory behavior.