P. A. Keddy

Competition

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

This book has two principal objectives. The first is to provide an overview of existing knowledge about competition. The second is to organize this knowledge in such a way that new research paths are suggested. Such a treatment of competition is badly needed. Although there is a voluminous literature on the topic there is no recent synthesis to which experienced researchers or new students may turn. This is my attempt to provide such an overview. I have tried not only to summarize what is known, but also to stress the unknowns in the hope that some new and innovative research will result. A book such as this faces two challenges at the outset: the sheer volume of the literature, and the presence of established research traditions which determine how that literature is to be interpreted and understood. The literature on competition is as vast and diverse as beetles in the biosphere. How better to begin, then, than with the preface from Crowson's (1981) volume on the Coleoptera? Heobserved: To deal with so vast a group as the Coleoptera . . . is doubtless an over ambitious aim for any single author; it is inevitable that my attempt to do so will not satisfy specialists in their own particular fields.

---

Hinweis: Dieser Artikel kann nur an eine deutsche Lieferadresse ausgeliefert werden.

Produktdetails

• Population and Community Biology Series 6
• Verlag: Springer / Springer Netherlands
• Artikelnr. des Verlages: 978-0-412-31360-8
• 1989.
• Seitenzahl: 216
• Erscheinungstermin: 31. Mai 1989
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 235mm x 155mm x 12mm
• Gewicht: 338g
• ISBN-13: 9780412313608
• ISBN-10: 041231360X
• Artikelnr.: 33112849

Inhaltsangabe

1 Studying competition.- 1.1 A definition of competition.- 1.2 Other views on the definition of competition.- 1.3 Kinds of resources.- 1.4 Kinds of competition.- 1.5 Competitive dominance.- 1.6 Back to basics.- 1.7 Questions for discussion.- 2 Competition in action.- 2.1 Competition and thermodynamics: basic principles.- 2.2 Case studies of intraspecific competition.- 2.3 Case studies of interspecific competition.- 2.4 Literature review of case studies.- 2.5 The current situation.- 2.6 Questions for discussion.- 3 Modelling of competition.- 3.1 Kinds of models.- 3.2 The Lotka-Volterra models.- 3.3 A resource competition model.- 3.4 Competition, behaviour and habitat use.- 3.5 Two graphical models for resource partitioning.- 3.6 Conclusion.- 3.7 Questions for discussion.- 4 Choosing the tools.- 4.1 Descriptive, comparative and experimental studies.- 4.2 Descriptive studies.- 4.3 Comparative studies.- 4.4 Experimental studies.- 4.5 Choosing a research path.- 4.6 Questions for discussion.- 5 Extending the generality of field experiments.- 5.1 Criticisms regarding lack of generality.- 5.2 Demonstrating generality of pattern.- 5.3 Using increased numbers of species.- 5.4 Providing a comparative context.- 5.5 Using general experimental factors.- 5.6 Arrangement along gradients.- 5.7 Conclusion.- 5.8 Questions for discussion.- 6 Community matrices and competitive hierarchies.- 6.1 Patterns in community matrices.- 6.2 Two examples of communities with competitive hierarchies.- 6.3 Future directions.- 6.4 Conclusion.- 6.5 Questions for discussion.- 7 Competition, empiricism and comparison.- 7.1 Constraints on competition in plant communities.- 7.2 Constraints on competition in animal communities.- 7.3 Comparison of insect and plant communities.- 7.4 Making theories operational for hypothesis testing.- 7.5 Resource partitioning revisited.- 7.6 Towards general principles.- 7.7 Questions for discussion.- 8 The path to competition theory.- 8.1 Goals for competition theory.- 8.2 Brains and their limitations.- 8.3 Choosing a question.- 8.4 Choosing appropriate model systems.- 8.5 Selecting a conceptual approach.- 8.6 Obstacles to communication.- 8.7 Conclusion.- 8.8 Questions for discussion.- References.

---

1 Studying Competition.
1.1 The Importance of Competition.
1.2 Stress, Strain and the Costs of Competition.
1.3 Other Views on the Definition of Competition.
1.4 Kinds of Competition.
1.5 Historical Foundations: The First Competition Experiment.
1.6 Competitive Dominance.
1.7 Competition and the Organization of Living Systems.
1.8 Competition and Human Societies.
1.9 Conclusion.
2 Resources.
2.1 Kinds of Resources.
2.2 Resources for Primary Producers.
2.3 Resources for Consumers.
2.4 Experimental Studies of Foraging for Resources in Patchy Environments.
2.5 Effects of Chronic Scarcity of Resources.
2.6 Resource Levels Change with Time.
2.7 Humans and Resources.
2.8 Conclusion.
3 Competition in Action.
3.1 Case Studies of Intraspecific Competition.
3.2 Case Studies of Interspecific Competition.
3.3 Literature Review of Case Studies.
3.4 The Current Situation.
4 Choosing the Tools.
4.1 Descriptive, Comparative and Experimental Studies.
4.2 Descriptive Studies.
4.3 Comparative Studies.
4.4 Experimental Studies.
4.5 Choosing a Research Path.
5 Competitive Hierarchies.
5.1 Patterns in Community Matrices.
5.2 Eight Examples of Communities with Competitive Hierarchies.
5.3 On the Consistency of Hierarchies.
5.4 Monocultures and Mechanisms.
5.5 Intra
and Intergroup Competition Among Humans.
5.6 Conclusion.
6 Traits and Competitive Performance.
6.1 Relative Abundance Patterns.
6.2 Ants.
6.3 Plants.
6.4 Amphibians.
6.5 Apes.
6.6 The Problem of Co
existence and Competitive Similarity.
6.7 Conclusion: A Place for Everything.
7 Competition Gradients.
7.1 The Search for Gradients of Competition Intensity.
7.2 Experimental Gradients.
7.3 The Universal Constant of Competition.
7.4 On Discrepancies and Reconciliations.
7.5 Competition and Succession.
7.6 Conclusion.
8 Extending the Generality of Field Experiments.
8.1 Criticisms Regarding Lack of Generality.
8.2 Demonstrating Generality of Pattern.
8.3 Using Increased Numbers of Species.
8.4 Providing a Comparative Context.
8.5 Using General Experimental Factors.
8.6 Arrangement Along Gradients.
8.7 Practical Trade
offs.
8.8 A Large Scale Competition Experiment.
8.9 Conclusion.
9 Modelling Competition.
9.1 Kinds of Models.
9.2 The Lokta
Volterra Models.
9.3 The MacArthur Model for Resource Subdivision.
9.4 Loop Analysis and Apparent Competition.
9.5 Competition Along Gradients.
9.6 A Resource Competition Model.
9.7 A Biomechanical Model.
9.8 A Spatial Model.
9.9 A Model of Behaviour and Habitat Use.
9.10 Competitive Neighbourhood Models.
9.11 Competition in Forests: The JABOWA and FORET Models.
9.12 The Lateral Pressure Model for Global Conflict.
9.13 The Richardson Arms Race Model.
9.14 Two Graphical Models for Resource Partitioning.
9.15 Obstacles to Testing Models.
9.16 Conclusion.
10 Competition, Pragmatism and Comparison.
10.1 A Pragmatic Approach to Competition.
10.2 The Search for General Patterns in Astronomy.
10.3 Comparisons Among Habitats.
10.4 Constraints on Competition in Plant Communities.
10.5 Constraints on Competition in Animal Communities.
10.6 Comparisons Among Organisms.
10.7 Making Theories Operational for Hypothesis Testing.
10.8 Experimental Stress and Disturbance Gradients.
10.9 Meta
analysis in Competition Studies.
10.10 Three Kinds of Community Structure (Resource Partitioning Revisited).
10.11 Competition, Resources and Tyranny.
11 Goals and Obstacles in the Study of Competition.
11.1 Setting Goals.
11.2 Brains and Their Limitations.
11.3 Choosing a Question.
11.4 Choosing Appropriate Model Systems.
11.5 Selecting a Conceptual Approach.
11.6 Obstacles to Communication.
11.7 Conclusion.
References.

Rezensionen

`... Competition is certainly a theory which has generated wide debate and Keddy's book does full justice to the diversity of ideas and the quality of the arguments that concern it. It is not a book which just sets out data so as to demonstrate either the reality or the extent of competition; rather it is a stimulating and challenging review of the range of ideas and types of studies which have been generated by the topic.'
British Ecological Society Bulletin
` ...I would recommend the book as a valuable reference for graduate students...there has been no convenient synthesis of competition theory and data. This book is a good step in the right direction.'
Acta Oecologica

"Competition (2nd Edition) by Keddy provides an overview of past and current work on competition, and suggests promising directions for future research. The book includes many elements that should help accelerate the rate at which knowledge is gained in the field. It encourages the consideration of taxonomic groups belonging to all kingdoms, not only the study of charismatic mammal and bird species. Accordingly, Keddy provides examples of competition in a wide array of species, including interesting examples suggesting that today's human societies have been largely shaped by competitive interactions. Competition (2nd Edition) is more than a literature review; the book also highlights exciting new research areas, and suggests how to empirically approach these deserving themes. It constitutes an important contribution to the field by providing the means to enhance the value of future competition studies. Ecologists should benefit from reading the book because it provides toolsto maximize the rate of knowledge acquisition per unit of research effort." (Daniel Fortin, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada Ecoscience, 10:3 (2003)

"This expanded and revised edition of Paul Keddy's well known book on competition includes many recent examples and new written chapters on competition gradients, competitive hierachies and resoureces with extended discussion of models and of evolutionary aspects of the subject. It contains examples to help explain the theories being discussed and there are numerous line drawings." (Review Editor Bulletin of the British Ecological Society, August 2003, 34:3)