Maximum Entropy and Ecology: A Theory of Abundance, Distribution, and Energetics
| AUTHOR | Harte, John |
| PUBLISHER | Oxford University Press, USA (09/01/2011) |
| PRODUCT TYPE | Paperback (Paperback) |
Description
This pioneering graduate textbook provides readers with the concepts and practical tools required to understand the maximum entropy principle, and apply it to an understanding of ecological patterns. Rather than building and combining mechanistic models of ecosystems, the approach is grounded in information theory and the logic of inference. Paralleling the derivation of thermodynamics from the maximum entropy principle, the state variable theory of ecology developed in this book predicts realistic forms for all metrics of ecology that describe patterns in the distribution, abundance, and energetics of species over multiple spatial scales, a wide range of habitats, and diverse taxonomic groups. The first part of the book is foundational, discussing the nature of theory, the relationship of ecology to other sciences, and the concept of the logic of inference. Subsequent sections present the fundamentals of macroecology and of maximum information entropy, starting from first principles. The core of the book integrates these fundamental principles, leading to the derivation and testing of the predictions of the maximum entropy theory of ecology (METE). A final section broadens the book's perspective by showing how METE can help clarify several major issues in conservation biology, placing it in context with other theories and highlighting avenues for future research.
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Product Format
Product Details
ISBN-13:
9780199593422
ISBN-10:
0199593426
Binding:
Paperback or Softback (Trade Paperback (Us))
Content Language:
English
More Product Details
Page Count:
264
Carton Quantity:
1
Product Dimensions:
6.10 x 0.60 x 9.10 inches
Weight:
0.97 pound(s)
Feature Codes:
Bibliography,
Index,
Table of Contents,
Illustrated
Country of Origin:
US
Subject Information
BISAC Categories
Science | Life Sciences - Ecology
Science | Applied
Dewey Decimal:
577.028
Library of Congress Control Number:
2011284493
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
publisher marketing
This pioneering graduate textbook provides readers with the concepts and practical tools required to understand the maximum entropy principle, and apply it to an understanding of ecological patterns. Rather than building and combining mechanistic models of ecosystems, the approach is grounded in information theory and the logic of inference. Paralleling the derivation of thermodynamics from the maximum entropy principle, the state variable theory of ecology developed in this book predicts realistic forms for all metrics of ecology that describe patterns in the distribution, abundance, and energetics of species over multiple spatial scales, a wide range of habitats, and diverse taxonomic groups. The first part of the book is foundational, discussing the nature of theory, the relationship of ecology to other sciences, and the concept of the logic of inference. Subsequent sections present the fundamentals of macroecology and of maximum information entropy, starting from first principles. The core of the book integrates these fundamental principles, leading to the derivation and testing of the predictions of the maximum entropy theory of ecology (METE). A final section broadens the book's perspective by showing how METE can help clarify several major issues in conservation biology, placing it in context with other theories and highlighting avenues for future research.
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Author:
Harte, John
John Harte is a former director general of the Canadian Institute of Marketing. He worked in South Africa for J. Walter Thompson, the global advertising and marketing agency, for whom he advised the Unilever Group of Companies, and was the vice-president of marketing for General Electric's domestic appliance division.
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List Price $81.00
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$80.19