Metacommunities
Spatial Dynamics and Ecological Communities
Metacommunities takes the hallmarks of metapopulation theory to the next level by considering a group of communities, each of which may contain numerous populations, connected by species interactions within communities and the movement of individuals between communities. In examining communities open to dispersal, the book unites a broad range of ecological theories, presenting some of the first empirical investigations and revealing the value of the metacommunity approach.
The collection of empirical, theoretical, and synthetic chapters in Metacommunities seeks to understand how communities work in fragmented landscapes. Encouraging community ecologists to rethink some of the leading theories of population and community dynamics, Metacommunities urges ecologists to expand the spatiotemporal scales of their research.
“This book on the neglected but important topic of metacommunities in macroecology is a must read for community ecologists and biogeographers. Virtually all of the contributions to this carefully edited and well organized book make novel and intellectually exciting contributions to this emerging field. Metacommunities provides a rich array of new data to consider and new theories and hypotheses to test.”—Stephen P. Hubbell, University of Georgia
“Holyoak, Leibold, and Holt have admirably synthesized diverse and important literature dealing with ecological communities across patchy space. But more, they provide a road map for evaluating different organizing forces that should guide research for many years to come.”—Ted J. Case, University of California, San Diego
“This volume is a wonderful blend of theory and empiricism. The editors have done a superb job of setting the stage with authoritative expositions of the basic theory needed to link the empirical studies, and the latter have been well chosen to illustrate and test the theories. This will make a stimulating reader for many an advanced undergraduate or graduate course.”—Simon Levin, Princeton University
"The editors have done an excellent job organizing a volume in which readers can be supplied with solid conceptual, theoretical, and applied concepts while considering communities as opened entities. There is an excellent balance between theory and application."—Pedro Peres-Neto, University of Regina, Canada
Introduction
1. Metacommunities: A Framework for Large-Scale Community Ecology
Marcel Holyoak, Mathew A. Leibold, Nicolas M. Mouquet, Robert D. Holt, and Martha F. Hoopes
Part 1: Core Concepts
Introduction by Marcel Holyoak
2. The Effects of Spatial Processes on Two Species Interactions
Martha F. Hoopes, Robert D. Holt, and Marcel Holyoak
3. Food Web Dynamics in a Metacommunity Context: Modules and Beyond
Robert D. Holt and Martha F. Hoopes
Part 2: Empirical Perspectives
Introduction by Marcel Holyoak and Robert D. Holt
4. Metacommunities of Butterflies, Their Host Plants, and Their Parasitoids
Saskya van Nouhuys and Ilkka Hanski
5. Inquiline Communities in Pitcher Plants as a Prototypical Metacommunity
Thomas E. Miller and Jamie M. Kneitel
6. Local and Regional Community Dynamics in Fragmented Landscapes: Insights from a Bryophyte-based Natural Microcosm
Andrew Gonzalez
7. Metacommunity Structure Influences the Stability of Local Beetle Communities
Kendi F. Davies, Brett A. Melbourne, Chris R. Margules, and John F. Lawrence
8. Local Interactions and Local Dispersal in a Zooplankton Metacommunity
Karl Cottenie and Luc De Meester
9. Assembly of Unequals in the Unequal World of a Rock Pool Metacommunity
Jurek Kolasa and Tamara N. Romanuk
Part 3: Theoretical Perspectives
Introduction by Richard Law and Priyanga Amarasekare
10. The World Is Patchy and Heterogeneous! Trade-off and Source-Sink Dynamics in Competitive Metacommunities
Nicholas Mouquet, Martha F. Hoopes, and Priyanga Amarasekare
11. Assembly Dynamics in Metacommunities
Richard Law and Mathew Leibold
12. Scale Transition Theory for Understanding Mechanisms in Metacommunities
Peter Chesson, Megan J. Donahue, Brett A. Melbourne, and Anna L. W. Sears
13. Applying Scale Transition Theory to Metacommunities in the Field
Brett A. Melbourne, Anna L. W. Sears, Megan J. Donahue, and Peter Chesson
Part 4: Emerging Areas and Perspectives
Introduction by Marcel Holyoak and Mathew Leibold
14. Competing Theories for Competitive Metacommunities
Jonathan M. Chase, Priyanga Amarasekare, Karl Cottenie, Andrew Gonzalez, Robert D. Holt, Marcel Holyoak, Martha F. Hoopes, Mathew A. Leibold, Michel Loreau, Nicolas Mouquet, Jonathan B. Shurin, and David Tilman
15. Assembling and Depleting Species Richness in Metacommunities: Insights from Ecology, Population Genetics, and Macroevolution
Mark A. McPeek and Richard Gomulkiewicz
16. Habitat Selection, Species Interactions, and Processes of Community Assembly in Complex Landscapes: A Metacommunity Perspective
William J. Resetarits, Jr., Christopher A. Binckley, and David R. Chalcraft
17. New Perspectives on Local and Regional Diversity: Beyond Saturation
Jonathan B. Shurin and Diane S. Srivastava
18. From Metacommunities to Metaecosystems
Michel Loreau, Nicolas Mouquet, and Robert D. Holt
19. Adaptive and Coadaptive Dynamics in Metacommunities: Tracking Environmental Change at Different Spatial Scales
Mathew A. Leibold, Robert D. Holt, and Marcel Holyoak
20. Future Directions in Metacommunity Ecology
Robert D. Holt, Marcel Holyoak, and Mathew A. Leibold
Coda by Marcel Holyoak, Mathew A. Leibold, and Robert D. Holt
List of Contributors
Index
Biological Sciences: Botany | Ecology | Evolutionary Biology | Natural History | Tropical Biology and Conservation
You may purchase this title at these fine bookstores. Outside the USA, see our international sales information.
