156 Species maintain the
functioning and stability
of ecosystems
Biodiversity and ecosystem
functionORGANISMS IN
A CHANGING
ENVIRONMENT
162 The philosophical study
of nature connects the
present with the past
The distribution of species
over space and time164 The virtual increase of the
population is limited by
the fertility of the country
The Verhulst equation166 The first requisite is
a thorough knowledge
of the natural order
Organisms and their
environment167 Plants live on a different
timescale
The foundations of
plant ecology168 The causes of differences
among plants
Climate and vegetationTHE LIVING EARTH
198 The glacier was God’s
great plow
Ancient ice ages200 There is nothing
on the map to mark
the boundary line
Biogeography202 Global warming isn’t a
prediction. It is happening
Global warming204 Living matter is the most
powerful geological force
The biosphere206 The system of nature
Biomes210 We take nature’s services
for granted because we
don’t pay for them
A holistic view of Earth212 Plate tectonics is not all
havoc and destruction
Moving continents
and evolution214 Life changes Earth
to its own purposes
The Gaia hypothesis170 I have great faith
in a seed
Ecological succession172 The community
arises, grows,
matures, and dies
Climax community174 An association
is not an organism
but a coincidence
Open community theory176 A group of species
that exploit their
environment in
a similar way
The ecological guild178 The citizen
network depends
on volunteers
Citizen science184 Population dynamics
become chaotic
when the rate of
reproduction soars
Chaotic population change185 To visualize the big
picture, take a
distant view
Macroecology186 A population
of populations
Metapopulations188 Organisms change
and construct the
world in which
they live
Niche construction190 Local communities that
exchange colonists
MetacommunitiesUS_006-011_Contents_Foreword.indd 8 12/11/2018 17: