Ecology: Global Insights and Investigations

Book Preface

Ihave been an active researcher and teacher of ecology at the University of South Florida for 20 years. Most of my students are sophomores, juniors, or seniors who have completed their prerequisites in mathematics, chemistry, and basic biology classes. Many of these students want to connect what they learn in class to real-world problems. One of the biggest changes that we as a society face is global change, those alterations in the global environment that may alter the Earth’s ability to sustain life. As defi ned by the U.S. Global Change Research Project, such alterations include changes in climate, land productivity, oceans or other water resources, atmospheric chemistry, and ecological services. Global change is effected by a variety of factors, including elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide; invasive species; habitat destruction; overharvesting; and water pollution. Thus, one of my goals in creating a new ecology textbook is to show how ecological studies are vital in understanding global change. A focus on global change, however, is just one of the book’s innovative areas of emphasis. This is the fi rst ecology book to make use of McGraw-Hill’s unique Connect system, a powerful online learning assignment and assessment solution. For each chapter, there are about 30 multiple choice, true/false, matching, or ranking questions, plus additional types of questions relating to art and photographs, art labeling, and fi ll-in-the-blank. I have found that the use of such material, when used as homework, results in an improvement in grades. Nearly all my students have responded positively to this approach as it keeps their skills sharp and helps them prepare for exams. I hope your students will fi nd it useful, too.