Historically, mathematical models in ecology have been used largely to provide qualitative explanations for patterns in nature. A classic example of this approach was the effort to use competition ...

Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- Acknowledgments -- 1 Introduction and Background -- 1.1 Introduction -- 1.2 What This Book Is Not About ...

Around the world, rainforests are becoming savanna or farmland, savanna is drying out and turning into desert, and icy tundra is thawing. Indeed, scientific studies have now recorded "regime shifts" ...