Non-technical intro to ecology?
August 27, 2010 3:59 PM Subscribe
Help me find a good, non-textbook introduction to the basics of ecology - preferably something that costs less than $30 and was published in the last 15 years.
Best answer: Habitable Planet. It's free, online, and it's designed for science teachers and adult learners. It's environmental science, but like any decent coverage of that topic it has a few ecology chapters. In particular, Unit 4: Ecosystems does an excellent job of covering basic ecological principles.
I also think Diversity of Life by E.O. Wilson is excellent. It's primarily about biodiversity, but he touches on many ecological principles throughout the book.
posted by Maude_the_destroyer at 4:22 PM on August 27, 2010 [2 favorites]
I also think Diversity of Life by E.O. Wilson is excellent. It's primarily about biodiversity, but he touches on many ecological principles throughout the book.
posted by Maude_the_destroyer at 4:22 PM on August 27, 2010 [2 favorites]
I'll second that the Diversity of Life is a good read, although it's aging a bit. It's nicely written and not technical.
posted by pemberkins at 4:48 PM on August 27, 2010
posted by pemberkins at 4:48 PM on August 27, 2010
"The Song of the Dodo" is a non text book on Island Biogeography, which is a subset of ecology. If you're looking for something general, this ain't it. If you're looking for something brilliant to change the way you see the world, it might be.
posted by TheShadowKnows at 7:08 PM on August 27, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by TheShadowKnows at 7:08 PM on August 27, 2010 [1 favorite]
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It's not something we use for teaching undergrad classes (a little too basic) but it would fit your needs.
posted by special-k at 4:07 PM on August 27, 2010