Macroecology

by James H. Brown

In Macroecology, James H. Brown proposes a radical new research agenda designed to broaden the scope of ecology to encompass vast geographical areas and very long time spans.

While much ecological research is narrowly focused and experimental, providing detailed information that cannot be used to generalize from one ecological community or time period to another, macroecology draws on data from many disciplines to create a less detailed...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226076156
• ISBN13: 9780226076157
• Release Date: June 1995
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 284 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A very good primer

This is the book that launched the macroecological perspective and also reviewed all the information available at the time. I think the major contributions of this volume are the ideas and hypothesis provided by Brown. On the other hand, some of the chapters are overcrowded with examples from North American Birds and Mammals, which reflect the background and experience of the author. For those who are not used to work with these groups of animals this could be a little frustrating, specially because much of the patterns pointed out are explained using morphological traits of these groups. However, if you see these examples as just patterns coming to light, this book could work for you. It's noteworthly that some chapters of this book are very similar to ones found in the Brown and Lomolino's Biogeography book. The reader should also be aware that currently there are at least three journals that only publish articles related to macroecology, besides other regular ecological journals that also dedicate sections to the topic. I recommend the reading, but the reader must be aware that much of what is treated as an unexplained pattern, today it could be also a very straithforward one.