Foundations of Restoration Ecology

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Donald A. Falk, Margaret A. Palmer, Joy B. Zedler
Island Press, Mar 19, 2013 - Nature - 378 pages
As the practical application of ecological restoration continues to grow, there is an increasing need to connect restoration practice to areas of underlying ecological theory. Foundations of Restoration Ecology is an important milestone in the field, bringing together leading ecologists to bridge the gap between theory and practice by translating elements of ecological theory and current research themes into a scientific framework for the field of restoration ecology.
Each chapter addresses a particular area of ecological theory, covering traditional levels of biological hierarchy (such as population genetics, demography, community ecology) as well as topics of central relevance to the challenges of restoration ecology (such as species interactions, fine-scale heterogeneity, successional trajectories, invasive species ecology, ecophysiology). Several chapters focus on research tools (research design, statistical analysis, modeling), or place restoration ecology research in a larger context (large-scale ecological phenomena, macroecology, climate change and paleoecology, evolutionary ecology).
The book makes a compelling case that a stronger connection between ecological theory and the science of restoration ecology will be mutually beneficial for both fields: restoration ecology benefits from a stronger grounding in basic theory, while ecological theory benefits from the unique opportunities for experimentation in a restoration context.
Foundations of Restoration Ecology advances the science behind the practice of restoring ecosystems while exploring ways in which restoration ecology can inform basic ecological questions. It provides the first comprehensive overview of the theoretical foundations of restoration ecology, and is a must-have volume for anyone involved in restoration research, teaching, or practice.
 

Contents

Ecological Theory and the Restoration of Populations
11
Restoring Ecological Function
139
A Modeling Framework for Restoration Ecology
238
Restoration Ecology in Context
257
New Contexts for Restoration Ecology
315
A Synthesis
341
about the editors
347
index
355
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Page ix - If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost ; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.

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About the author (2013)

Donald A. Falk, Dept. of Evolutionary biology, University of Arizona Margaret A. Palmer, Departments of Biology and Entomology, University of Maryland Joy B. Zedler: Aldo Leopold Professor of Restoration Ecology, Botany Department and Arboretum, University of Wisconsin

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