Maximum entropy and ecology: a theory of abundance, distribution, and energetics

Provides readers with the concepts and practical tools required to understandthe maximum entropy principle, and apply it to an understanding of ecologicalpatterns. The theory developed predicts realistic forms for all metrics of ecology that describe patterns in the distribution, abundance, and energetics ofspecies. INDICE: Preface; PART I. Foundations; 1: The Nature of Theory; 2: The Logic of Inference; PART II. Macroecology; 3: Scaling Metrics and Macroecology; 4:Overview of Macroecological Models and Theories; PART III. The Maximum Entropy Principle; 5: Entropy, Information, and the Concept of Maximum Entropy; 6: MaxEnt at work; PART IV. Macroecology and MaxEnt; 7: The Maximum Entropy Theoryof Ecology (METE); 8: Testing METE; PART V. A Wider Perspective; 9: Applications to Conservation; 10: Connections to other theories; 11: Future Directions;Epilogue: Is a Comprehensive Unified Theory of Ecology possible? What might it look like?; Appendix A. Access to plant census data from a serpentine grassland; Appendix B. A fractal model; Appendix C. Predicting the SAR: An alternative approach; References; Index

• ISBN: 978-0-19-959342-2
• Editorial: Oxford University
• Encuadernacion: Rústica
• Páginas: 264
• Fecha Publicación: 01/06/2011
• Nº Volúmenes: 1
• Idioma: Inglés