Most of ecology is about metabolism, the ways that organisms use energy and materials. The energy requirements of individuals (their metabolic rates) vary predictably with their body size and temperature. Ecological interactions are exchanges of energy and materials between organisms and their environments. Therefore, metabolic rate affects ecological processes at all levels: individuals, populations, communities and ecosystems. Each chapter focuses on a different process, level of organization, or kind of organism. It lays a conceptual foundation and presents empirical examples. Together, the chapters provide an integrated framework that holds the promise for a unified theory of ecology.

The book is intended to be accessible to upper-level undergraduates and graduate students, but also of interest to senior scientists. Its easy-to-read chapters and clear illustrations can be used in lecture and seminar courses. This is an authoritative treatment that will inspire future generations to study metabolic ecology.

ABOUT THE EDITORS

Richard M. Sibly is Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Reading where he teaches Behavioural Ecology and Population Biology. He researches metabolic ecology questions with members of Jim Browns Lab at the University of New Mexico and also works to promote the use of Agent Based Models (ABMs) more widely in ecology.
http://www.reading.ac.uk/biologicalsciences/about/staff/r-m-sibly.aspx

James H. Brown is Distinguished Professor of Biology at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. He led the development of the Metabolic Theory of Ecology on which this book is largely based. He has a long history of research in biogeography and macroecology, taking a large-scale statistical approach to questions about abundance, distribution, and diversity.
http://biology.unm.edu/jhbrown/index.shtml

Astrid Kodric-Brown is Professor of Biology at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. Her research interests include the behavioral ecology of freshwater fishes, especially the evolution of mate recognition systems and their role in speciation in pupfishes (Cyprinodon); the allometry of sexually-selected traits; and community structure and conservation of desert fishes.
http://biology.unm.edu/biology/kodric/

Notes on contributors vii

Preface xiv

Introduction: Metabolism as the basis for a theoretical unification of ecology 1
James H. Brown, Richard M. Sibly, and Astrid Kodric-Brown

Part I Foundations 7

1 Methodological tools 9
Ethan P. White, Xiao Xiao, Nick J. B. Isaac, and Richard M. Sibly

2 The metabolic theory of ecology and its central equation 21
James H. Brown and Richard M. Sibly

3 Stoichiometry 34
Michael Kaspari

4 Modeling metazoan growth and ontogeny 48
Andrew J. Kerkhoff

5 Life history 57
Richard M. Sibly

6 Behavior 67
April Hayward, James F. Gillooly, and Astrid Kodric-Brown

7 Population and community ecology 77
Nick J.B. Isaac, Chris Carbone, and Brian Mcgill

8 Predatorprey relations and food webs 86
Owen L. Petchey and Jennifer A. Dunne

9 Ecosystems 99
Kristina J. Anderson-Teixeira and Peter M. Vitousek

10 Rates of metabolism and evolution 112
John L. Gittleman and Patrick R. Stephens

11 Biodiversity and its energetic and thermal controls 120
David Storch

Part II Selected Organisms and Topics 133

12 Microorganisms 135
Jordan G. Okie

13 Phytoplankton 154
Elena Litchman

14 Land plants: new theoretical directions and empirical prospects 164
Brian J. Enquist and Lisa Patrick Bentley

15 Marine invertebrates 188
Mary I. Oconnor and John F. Bruno

16 Insect metabolic rates 198
James S. Waters and Jon F. Harrison

17 Terrestrial vertebrates 212
William Karasov

18 Seabirds and marine mammals 225
Daniel P. Costa and Scott A. Shaffer

19 Parasites 234
Ryan F. Hechinger, Kevin D. Lafferty, and Armand M. Kuris

20 Human ecology 248
Marcus J. Hamilton, Oskar Burger, and Robert S. Walker

Part III Practical Applications 259

21 Marine ecology and fisheries 261
Simon Jennings, Ken H. Andersen, and Julia L. Blanchard

22 Conservation biology 271
Alison G. Boyer and Walter Jetz

23 Climate change 280
Kristina J. Anderson-Teixeira, Felisa A. Smith, and S. K. Morgan Ernest

24 Beyond biology 293
Melanie E. Moses and Stephanie Forrest

25 Synthesis and prospect 302
James H. Brown, Richard M. Sibly, and Astrid Kodric-Brown

Glossary 306

References 309

Index 361