Spiders in Ecological Webs [Paperback]

A critical evaluation of the role of field experimentation in population and community ecology.As experimental organisms, spiders offer ecologists a unique opportunity to help evaluate theories of population and community ecology. This text provides insight into the advantages and challenges of performing field experiments with a prevalent predator of terrestrial ecosystems.As experimental organisms, spiders offer ecologists a unique opportunity to help evaluate theories of population and community ecology. This text provides insight into the advantages and challenges of performing field experiments with a prevalent predator of terrestrial ecosystems.As experimental organisms, spiders offer ecologists a unique opportunity to examine the concept of the ecological community and the role that field experimentation can play in evaluating theories of population and community ecology. In this book, David Wise provides a balanced critique of field experiments designed to uncover details of spider ecology, with the dual aim of clarifying the ecology of these fascinating organisms and providing insight into the advantages and challenges of performing field experiments with a predator ubiquitous in terrestrial ecosystems.Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. The spider in the ecological play; 2. Hungry spiders; 3. Competitionist views of spider communities; 4. Failure of the competitionist paradigm; 5. How spiders avoid competition; 6. Impact of spiders on insect populations; 7. Anchoring the ecological web; 8. Untangling a tangled web; 9. Spinning a stronger story; References; Index. ...useful reading for anyone seeking to bridge the gap between data and theory in ecology. It should make an interesting text for a graduate-level course in community ecology, help students to plan research and set any ecologist thinking about possible generalizations. Deborah M. Gordon, Nature This timely book appears when there is still a manageable number of studies of spider ecology: in less thlÃ#