Elements of Ecology (8th Edition) 8th Edition

I really enjoyed this textbook. The chapters are short and sweet with plenty of background information for people that do not know much about Ecology. The picture quality and quantity is really helpful in understanding also. The front cover is neat which is a plus and it is a paperback not a hardback text so I can take it around wherever I go. Would recommend for introduction ecology course or just to learn about Ecology in general!

Goooo Greased lighting your burnin up the quarter mile (greased lightning, goo greased lightning) Gooo Greased lightning your coastin through the heat lap trial (Greased lightning go greased lightning) You are supreme, the chicks will cream for greased lighting buh buh buh buh buh buh buh buh buh. Well get some overhead lifters ad four barrel quads oh yea (keep talkin woah keeeeppp talkinnn) Fuel injected cutoffs with chrome plated rods oh yea (Ill get the money ill see you get the money. With a four speed on the floor they'll be waitin at the door, you know it ain't no s*** will be getting lots of it in Greased lightnin' Go go go go go go go go.This book was great thank you.

This textbook was required for an ecology class I took over the summer of 2013. While I was not able to finish the entire book, I worked my way through just enough chapters to get a general impression of the quality of the writing and information. The authors are to be commended for doing an excellent job writing in a professional manner. Never did I sense unnecessary digressions or hurried explanations of ecological concepts. On the contrary, the authors patiently explain the complicated intricacies of ecology in such an efficient manner and in such detail that the writing can seem much too formal at times. The text is abounding with detail and while this strategy will no doubt appeal to many, the general principles can be difficult to keep track of when the text becomes overly bogged down with technicality. I have no doubt that the details were of crucial importance for a full, conceptual understanding of ecology, yet I could not help wondering if the same information could not be conveyed in a more pedagogical manner, an aspect where I think Cain's Ecology(another leading ecology textbook) has the advantage. This criticism is insignificant considering how well structured and organized the book is and although it is not perfect, I highly recommend it.

Got my book a few days after I purchased it and it was unwrapped and new. And for a cheaper price rather than going to the campus bookstore which cost $30 more.

Needed this for a Grad class, it was ok. If you are a scientist, or just really good in science, this is the book for you. If your not, I'd skip it. It does have good info, however, a lot of the subjects went WAY over my head and parts of the book are very hard to understand unless you have a previous science background.

Thank you! Book was in useable condition and that is all that matters. Plus it was paperback!!

Very easy to understand with interesting examples and case studies. If you are interested in Ecology, this will surely help. if you need this for a class, the older editions are the same.

I have read the first 180 pages so far and I really like the book. It does a better job than my professor at organizing the thought and flow of information.The complaints I have with this book are what some others would consider praise. For example, it is tons of review if you've had many other biology courses. I've taken A&P and Cell biology, so I know more than enough about negative feedback inhibition, which this text covers again. I've had highschool biology so I don't need a review of how plants are autotrophs.On the other hand, this book has elucidated things that I had no concept or idea about, including specific weather patterns and how the law of conservation of angular momentum causes trade winds. It sounds complicated just reading it here, but the textbook really breaks it down and before your finished with the first unit, you'll be able to sound professional around those in fields of conservation, ecology, and biology.Highest praise is for how this textbook teaches the Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium. I've "re-learned" this concept in General Biology, Organismal biology, genetics, statistics, and now in my Evolutionary Ecology course (so I'm quite familiar with it), but I've never seen it so clearly explained and described--could be that something finally sunk in, but I've known how to manipulate the formula for a while. I think the model used to explain it is what the book does that makes it such a great tool for teaching such a powerful formula.The book can be dry at times, but I actually look forward to reading it. Not the most interesting textbook I've read, but certainly not the worst.