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Grassland ecology and wildlife management
BOOK REVIEWS
159
concepts of the science and the progress of research. This book includes 850 pages and is described by the author as 'an introductory text to ecology at the sophomore and junior level, although graduate students and others may find it a useful reference'. It is, indeed, a comprehensive reference book for students, almost encyclopaedic in scope, and is a splendid achievement for a single author. One would hardly be surprised, however, if many students might not be frightened off the subject altogether when they read that it is intended to provide the material 'for a one-semester course in ecology'. The book was first published in 1966 and this revised and enlarged second edition presumably means it is still in demand and may indicate that teachers and students like to have the whole subject between two covers rather than in a series of self-contained smaller texts. The author has tackled his immense task with remarkable success. The book is divided into six parts: Introduction, The Ecosystem, Populations and Ecosystems, The Organism and the Ecosystem, A Diversity of Ecosystems, Management of Ecosystems, divided into twenty chapters. Each chapter is followed by a summary which briefly reviews the main points. The text is well written and the design of the layout and illustrations is more attractive than some other ecological books of similar length. The last 200 pages are devoted to four useful appendices on the basic methodology used in statistical analysis, sampling, productivity and environmental measurements. These are followed by a selection of recommended readings arranged under subject headings, a list of general guides to various groups of organisms (entirely North American), a list of journals of interest to ecologists, a general bibliography and index. In spite of the book being written essentially for American students and consequently omitting much important work being developed in non-English-speaking countries, it should have considerable appeal to students anywhere and, as an ecological reference, will be useful to teachers and fieldworkers. E.D.
Grassland Ecology and Wildlife Management. By E. Duffey, M. G. Morris, J. Sheail, Lena K. Ward, D. A. Wells and T. C. E. Wells, with a Foreword by K. Mellanby. Chapman & Hall, London, 1974. xxi + !281 pp., with numerous figures and tables. 16cm ×123.5 cm. Price: £5.40. It is becoming axiomatic that the quality of books written by 'old Uncle Tom Cobley and All' is inversely proportional to the number of authors involved. Yet there is little doubt that this present work is more thoroughly cooked than the usual curate's egg. This is not surprising, because the authors, all former members of the Lowland Grassland Research Section at Monks Wood Experimental Station, are a genuine team and have worked together closely in both the field and the laboratory.
160
aooK REVIEWS
What is more, this book bears an all-too-rare imprimatur, the stamp of original research, which gives a real sense of involvement with the subject--the better management and conservation of grassland communities. In particular, the opening chapter on 'Grasslands and their History' benefits greatly from the presence of an historical geographer (Sheail) in the team of writers, and Lena Ward's extremely practical section on that perennial and thorny problem, the management of scrub, is most welcome. However, I feel that the final chapter, on the recording and measurement of management methods, is unnecessary and simply repeats information and ideas that are more fully expounded in many other well-known texts. I also think that the book's title is a little misleading, although it may well be instrumental in widening sales! You would never guess on reading it that the work is parochially rooted in Britain and north-west Europe, and that the word 'savanna', for example, is found on but two pages (only one occurrence of which is recorded in the index). But this is quibbling, and there is no doubt that Grassland Ecology and Wildlife Management, which is grounded in a sound understanding of the biology of grassland communities (an unusual fact in these theoretical and computerised days), will prove of value both for the ecologist and for those who are interested in the practical management of grasslands for conservation. P. A. STOTT
159
concepts of the science and the progress of research. This book includes 850 pages and is described by the author as 'an introductory text to ecology at the sophomore and junior level, although graduate students and others may find it a useful reference'. It is, indeed, a comprehensive reference book for students, almost encyclopaedic in scope, and is a splendid achievement for a single author. One would hardly be surprised, however, if many students might not be frightened off the subject altogether when they read that it is intended to provide the material 'for a one-semester course in ecology'. The book was first published in 1966 and this revised and enlarged second edition presumably means it is still in demand and may indicate that teachers and students like to have the whole subject between two covers rather than in a series of self-contained smaller texts. The author has tackled his immense task with remarkable success. The book is divided into six parts: Introduction, The Ecosystem, Populations and Ecosystems, The Organism and the Ecosystem, A Diversity of Ecosystems, Management of Ecosystems, divided into twenty chapters. Each chapter is followed by a summary which briefly reviews the main points. The text is well written and the design of the layout and illustrations is more attractive than some other ecological books of similar length. The last 200 pages are devoted to four useful appendices on the basic methodology used in statistical analysis, sampling, productivity and environmental measurements. These are followed by a selection of recommended readings arranged under subject headings, a list of general guides to various groups of organisms (entirely North American), a list of journals of interest to ecologists, a general bibliography and index. In spite of the book being written essentially for American students and consequently omitting much important work being developed in non-English-speaking countries, it should have considerable appeal to students anywhere and, as an ecological reference, will be useful to teachers and fieldworkers. E.D.
Grassland Ecology and Wildlife Management. By E. Duffey, M. G. Morris, J. Sheail, Lena K. Ward, D. A. Wells and T. C. E. Wells, with a Foreword by K. Mellanby. Chapman & Hall, London, 1974. xxi + !281 pp., with numerous figures and tables. 16cm ×123.5 cm. Price: £5.40. It is becoming axiomatic that the quality of books written by 'old Uncle Tom Cobley and All' is inversely proportional to the number of authors involved. Yet there is little doubt that this present work is more thoroughly cooked than the usual curate's egg. This is not surprising, because the authors, all former members of the Lowland Grassland Research Section at Monks Wood Experimental Station, are a genuine team and have worked together closely in both the field and the laboratory.
160
aooK REVIEWS
What is more, this book bears an all-too-rare imprimatur, the stamp of original research, which gives a real sense of involvement with the subject--the better management and conservation of grassland communities. In particular, the opening chapter on 'Grasslands and their History' benefits greatly from the presence of an historical geographer (Sheail) in the team of writers, and Lena Ward's extremely practical section on that perennial and thorny problem, the management of scrub, is most welcome. However, I feel that the final chapter, on the recording and measurement of management methods, is unnecessary and simply repeats information and ideas that are more fully expounded in many other well-known texts. I also think that the book's title is a little misleading, although it may well be instrumental in widening sales! You would never guess on reading it that the work is parochially rooted in Britain and north-west Europe, and that the word 'savanna', for example, is found on but two pages (only one occurrence of which is recorded in the index). But this is quibbling, and there is no doubt that Grassland Ecology and Wildlife Management, which is grounded in a sound understanding of the biology of grassland communities (an unusual fact in these theoretical and computerised days), will prove of value both for the ecologist and for those who are interested in the practical management of grasslands for conservation. P. A. STOTT