The Theory of Ecological Communities (MPB-57) (Monographs in Population Biology, 57)

If you're familiar with John Lawton famous claim that "community ecology is a mess" or even if you're a practicising community ecologist, you should definetely give this book a try. I have read it in an online book club and had an amazing opportunity to discuss it more in length than I'd do if I have read it alone. Having said that, I think the book serves two main purposes: 1) organize the jungle of ecological theories that apply to a community and 2) find high-level processes and stablish a hierarchical structure for them. The author expands the ideas of his 2010 paper in Q. Rev. Biol. applying to ecology the ideas commonly used in population genetics and evolution that classify processes into four big high-level forces: migration, mutation, selection, and drift. In an ecological community these would turn into dispersal, speciation, selection, and ecological drift.I personally think the book succeeds in organizing the mess of the discipline and it's surely a great way to present those theories to new undergrad or even grad students entering the field. On the other hand, I think it'd take sometime for practicising ecologists to incorporate the way of thinking that Vellend puts forward, I think I'd not have an immediate impact in the way people do science everyday.So, why 4 stars? As a post doc having worked in the field since my master's I think the book structure is sometimes a little bit confusing, in other parts he talks about dense subjects more en passant than it should, specially in the beginning. I really enjoyed the way the rest of the book is organized in the form of big questions that the author answers.

Excellent book for all levels of researchers interested in such topic. The book is very well structured; brings all the theory associated with community ecology so far in a synthetic and comprehensible way. Highly recommended.

Excellent

Great Book, a must for community-ecology students

Um entendimento abrangente da ecologia, e dos modelos nela inseridos.

Perfect condition

A must read