Food Webs

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xi

   PDF

2. Food webs

   • Stuart L. Pimm

   Pages 1-11

3. Models and their local stability

   • Stuart L. Pimm

   Pages 12-41

4. Stability: other definitions

   • Stuart L. Pimm

   Pages 42-59

5. Food web complexity I: theoretical results

   • Stuart L. Pimm

   Pages 60-83

6. Food web complexity II: empirical results

   • Stuart L. Pimm

   Pages 84-98

7. The length of food chains

   • Stuart L. Pimm

   Pages 99-130

8. The patterns of omnivory

   • Stuart L. Pimm

   Pages 131-142

9. Compartments

   • Stuart L. Pimm

   Pages 143-164

10. Descriptive statistics

    • Stuart L. Pimm

    Pages 165-185

11. Food web design: causes and consequences

    • Stuart L. Pimm

    Pages 186-203

12. Back Matter

    Pages 204-219

    PDF

Often the meanings of words are changed subtly for interesting reasons. The implication of the word 'community' has changed from including all the organisms in an area to only those species at a particular trophic level (and often a taxonomically restricted group), for example, 'bird-community'. If this observation is correct, its probable cause is the dramatic growth in our knowledge of the ecological patterns along trophic levels (I call these horizontal patterns) and the processes that generate them. This book deals with vertical patterns - those across trophic levels -and tries to compensate for their relative neglect. In cataloging a dozen vertical patterns I hope to convince the reader that species interactions across trophic levels are as patterned as those along trophic levels and demand explanations equally forcefully. But this is not the only objective. A limited number of processes shape the patterns of species interaction; to demonstrate their existence is an essential step in understanding why ecosystems are the way they are. To achieve these aims I must resort to both mathematical techniques to develop theories and statistical techniques to decide between rival hypotheses. The level of mathematics is likely to offend nearly everyone. Some will find any mathematics too much, while others will consider the material to be old, familiar ground and probably explained with a poor regard for rigour and generality.

• complexity
• ecosystem
• energy
• environment
• growth
• stability
• statistics

• Graduate Program in Ecology and Department of Zoology, University of Tennessee, USA

  Stuart L. Pimm

Policies and ethics