Network thinking and network analysis are rapidly expanding features of ecological research. Network analysis of ecological systems include representations and modelling of the interactions in an ecosystem, in which species or factors are joined by pairwise connections. This book provides an overview of ecological network analysis including generating processes, the relationship between structure and dynamic function, and statistics and models for these networks. Starting with a general introduction to the composition of networks and their characteristics, it includes details on such topics as measures of network complexity, applications of spectral graph theory, how best to include indirect species interactions, and multilayer, multiplex and multilevel networks. Graduate students and researchers who want to develop and understand ecological networks in their research will find this volume inspiring and helpful. Detailed guidance to those already working in network ecology but looking for advice is also included.

Displays the broad range of quantitative approaches to analysing ecological networks, providing clear examples and guidance for researchers.

About the Author
Mark R. T. Dale is a Professor in Environmental Science at the University of Northern British Columbia. His research interests include the spatial structure of plant communities and the development and evaluation of numerical methods to answer ecological questions, including graph theory and network complexity. His graduate students have worked in a diverse set of systems from prairie to alpine and at a range of spatial scales from plant neighbour competition to landscape disturbance patterns. He wrote Spatial Pattern Analysis in Plant Ecology (Cambridge 1999), and Applying Graph Theory in Ecological Research (Cambridge 2017) and was co-author, with Marie-Josee Fortin, of Spatial Analysis: A Guide for Ecologists (Cambridge 2005, 2nd ed. 2014). Marie-Josee Fortin is a University Professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Spatial Ecology. Her research endeavors focus on conservation biology issues. She investigates how ecological processes and environmental factors affect species persistence, species dispersal, and species range dynamics. Her research is at the interface of several disciplines (spatial ecology, conservation, forest ecology, disturbance ecology, community ecology, landscape genetics, spatial epidemiology, spatial statistics, spatially explicit modeling, and network theory) where the most important challenging problems lie.

Reviews
'Recommended.' M. P. Gustafson, Choice Magazine
'The foundations of the analysis of ecological graphs are provided in an almost encyclopedic format by two experts in graph theory. Their presentation emphasizes definitions, simple line graph illustrations, quantitative formulations, and references necessary for employing graph-theory concepts to analyze ecological communities ... The comprehensive review of graph-theoretic analysis by the authors is an invaluable reference for those who wish to focus on how the topology of ecosystems provides clues concerning system structure and function.' Robert E. Ulanowicz, The Quarterly Review of Biology



Book Information
ISBN 9781108491846
Author Mark R. T. Dale
Format Hardback
Page Count 232
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 630g
Dimensions(mm) 251mm * 177mm * 16mm