Man and the ecosystem PDF
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Man and the ecosystem FOUNDATIONS OF BIOLOGY General editor L. M.J. Kramer A major advanced biology course for schools and colleges Books in the series are: The diversity of life The cell concept Heredity, development and evolution Metabolism, movement and control Man and the ecosystem Man and the ecosystem J.R.Lloyd M.A. (Oxon), Dip. Ed. (Oxon) Past head of Biology department, Melbourne Grammar School, Victoria Present head of Biology department, Sherborne School Macmillan Education © J. R. Lloyd 1g8o All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means without permission. First published 1g 8o Published by Macm.ill-Eclacatioa Ltd Houndmills Basingstoke Hampshire RG2I 2xs and London Associated companies in Delhi Dublin Hong Kong Johannesburg Lagos Melbourne New York Singapore and Tokyo British Library Calaloping in Publication Data Lloyd,J R Man and the ecosystem.-(Foundations of biology). 1. Ecology I. Title 574·5 QH541 ISBN 978-0-333-26098-2 ISBN 978-1-349-04489-4 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-04489-4 Contents Author's acknowledgements VI Priface vn Section 1 Ecological principles Ecology and the ecosystem 3 2 Populations 9 3 Interactions between organisms 2I 4 Interactions between organisms and habitat 38 5 Processes in the ecosystem 63 Section 2 Ecological system.s applied to m.an 6 Applications of population studies 8 I 7 Biotic interactions-effects on man 97 8 Man and the habitat I I 7 9 Man and the processes of the ecosystem I 28 I o Conservation and ecology I 38 Suggestions for further reading I 46 Index I49 Acknowledgements I 52 CONTENTS V Author's acknowledgements I am most grateful to Dr P. J. Grubb of the Cambridge University Botany Department for his many helpful suggestions, and for critically reading the first half of the book. Dr B. juniper and Dr D. Riley also read particular sections and made constructive comments. Dr Richard Rycroft kindly wrote the section on Industrial Dermatology in chapter 8. Mr A. T. Combridge and Mr P. W. M. Johnson painstakingly assisted with local photography. My son, Mr R. W. Lloyd gave crucial help with my garden while the book was being written. The following people and institutions all made invaluable suggestions, or supplied references and photographs, and some did both. DrS. Bonnist, Intermediate Technology Development Group Ltd Professor D. J. Bradley, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Mr H. Drake Brockman, Jealotts Hill, ICI Plant Protection Division Miss V. Collins Dr Cutting, Long Ashton Research Station (Bristol University) Mr D. Davis, National Coal Board Professor A. F. G. Dixon, University of East Anglia Dr G. C. Evans, Cambridge University Botany School Mr R. Gibson, Sherborne School Mr C. J. Harris, Puremex Ltd Mr R. Hay, The Times Newspaper Mr N.J. Hind, Cropsafe Ltd Kingston Mauward Agricultural College Professor K. Mellanby, Monks Wood Experimental Station Oxford U Diversity Exploration Club Dr D. Riley, Jealott's Hill Research Station, ICI Plant Protection Division Jean Ross, Press Officer Nature Conservancy Council Mr M. Sainsbury, Department of the Environment Professor C. R. W. Spedding, Reading University Department of Agriculture Dr M. Saynor, Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food Professor T. R. E. Southwood, Imperial College, London University Mr B. N. Very, Northumbrian Water Authority Finally I must thank the editor of this series Dr L. M.J. Kramer for his constant encouragement and meticulous, constructive, textual criticism throughout the preparation of this book. J. R. Lloyd vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Preface Foundations of biology aims to provide a complete pre-university course in biological science. Accordingly, the work is covered in a few handy volumes, not in a single bulky one or numerous monographs. The questions at the ends of the chapters are to test the comprehension of the material covered in the chapters and their contents are not necessarily similar to those set in biological examinations which often require knowledge in several branches of biology if they are to be answered properly. Suggestions are provided for further reading. The course consists of five books written by experienced teachers with special knowledge of biological science, who believe through their experience that fresh approaches to teaching biology are desirable at pre-university level. The books in the series are: The diversity of life The cell concept Heredity, development and evolution Metabolism, movement and control Man and the ecosystem. A manual of practical work will also be provided, covering the required experimental biology related to each of the areas covered by the textbooks. The need to be certain of obtaining results at the minimum expense will be a main factor in determining the experiments selected. Biologists will realise the difficulty of subdividing the course into a number of books and opinions will undoubtedly differ on how it should best be done. One difficulty is that a number of topics are based upon knowledge of others, so that if each book is to be helpful some overlap must occur with others in the series. In fact, the necessity for overlap has proved to be relatively small and where it occurs the treatment of topics is consistent from one book to another. It is wise to remember that no branch of science is more 'fundamental' than any other, so no suggestion has been made that the books need to be studied in a given order. Teachers will be free to use them in any sequence or combination which suits their own courses. All the authors concerned with the series have felt keenly the inadequacy of purely descriptive biology in giving insight into the basis of science today. It has been necessary therefore for them to introduce some mathematics, physics and organic chemistry to which biology is so closely related. The names of chemical compounds are accompanied by their new names under the IUPAC rules and in The cell concept there is an introduction to the new uses which seem difficult at first PREFACE Vll but which are in fact logical and easy to follow once the principles have been grasped. Many ecological issues are debated passionately today and often they cannot be dealt with simply, not least because of political implications. In Man and the ecosystem a case has been presented against jumping to conclusions without first using the widest available political and ecological expertise. When a science, which is a living process, is expanding rapidly doubts are likely to be greater than normal, and this aspect of ecology is important to students. Nevertheless in Man and the ecosystem the author, having taken such problems into consideration, has first developed the principles of modern ecology and then assessed objectively man's relation to his environment with regard to possible actions in the light of diminishing resources and an increasing world population. L. M. J. Kramer General Editor viii PREFACE Section 1 Ecological principles
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