Read more
If, as has been asserted, everything in nature is connected to everything else, it is a lesson yet to be reflected among environmental professions, especially those serving law and policy. Nowhere is the lack of integration more apparent than in the incorporation of sound ecological principles. Yet, comprehension of these principles is a prerequisite to establishing effective environmental programs, whether local or global. Ecology and environmental sciences range from cosmology to determining toxic effects in a biological system. In short, ecology is served by, and is itself a manifestation of, all the natural sciences. Ecology is further manifested in the social sciences, directly and indirectly. In this book, ecology and environmental sciences are presented to environmental professionals in terms relevant to all their endeavors.
Today's ecologies emerge from the venerable scientific endeavor. Upon placing ecology in the hierarchy of natural sciences, this volume centers on the wealth of dimensions in which ecology is expressed. Extending beyond the three spatial dimensions and that of time, ecology enters those of holistic and reductionist vantages, the last reflected in abiotic and biotic detail. Dimensions serving environmental professions include the experimental, those arising from interrelationships with adaptation and evolution, and that of human ecology. Finally, there is the intellectual dimension: Ecology as one thread in the contemporary cultural tapestry into which environmental policy and law are being woven. Scrupulously avoiding superimposition of political stance, this unique volume serves anyone lacking scientific preparation who would take a stance, professional or personal.
List of contents
Preface
Introduction
The BackgroundScience, Scientists and Scientific Method
The Scope of Ecology and Its Roles
Habitats, Communities, and Ecosystems: The Holistic ApproachEcosystems as a Concept
Global Ecosystems
Ecosystems and the Law
Energy and Materials: The Abiotic ComponentEnergy Flow
Material Cycling and Ecosystem Structure
Biogeochemical Cycles
Strategy and the Biosphere: The Fourth DimensionCosmology and the History of Planet Earth
Development and Evolution of Ecosystems
Life on Planet Earth: The BiotaTransition: Homeostasis and Limiting Factors
Ecology of Aggregations
Ecology, Adaptation, and Evolution
Ecology and the Politico-Legal System: The Intellectual DimensionThe Niche of Homo sapiens sapiens
Ecologists and the Politico-Legal System
Glossary
Principle Sources and Suggested Readings
Index
About the author
Dorothy J. Howell, formerly an applied microbial ecologist, environmental counsel and educator, is a candidate for the PhD in environmental studies at Antioch New England Graduate School. She is the author of Ecology for Environmental Professionals (Quorum, 1994), Scientific Literacy and Environmental Policy (Quorum, 1992), and Intellectual Properties and the Legal Protection of Fictional Characters (Quorum, 1990).
