Weed Ecology in Natural and Agricultural Systems
Readership
Plant ecology, weed science and vegetation management.
Key Features
• Links ecological theory to our understanding of natural and agricultural weeds - provides a bridge between basic and applied ecology
• Provides examples of natural, managed and agricultural weeds from around the world
• Designed as a learner-centred text
Main Description
Ecology is central to our understanding of how and why weeds invade and yet there are few books that link introductory weed science texts with more advanced ecology books. This textbook introduces ecological principles to students interested in weed science and weed management. It includes examples from the weed and invasive species literature to illustrate the ecological principles discussed. It is suitable reading for final year undergraduates and graduates.
Reviews
• "The strengths of this textbook are many. Foremost, this is a refreshing reading and a solid introduction to weed population and community ecology. Many really interesting examples are selected from literature and usually 50 relevant and up-to-date references follow each chapter. If you are interested in weed ecology, run and buy this book!"
M Rejmanek, Quarterly Review of Biology, 78 (2003)
• "The authors achieve their aims and provide an excellent book for basic plant ecology with a unique feature that weeds play a prominent role in it."
P Csontos, Community Ecology, 42(2) (2003)
• "Why do weeds occur where they do? is the question answered in this book."
Aquaphyte, Summer 2003
• "The book is useful to readers at many different levels of understanding...I will be using it as a resource for both my undergraduate and graduate level weed science courses."
R C Van Acker, Canadian Botanical Association, 36(3) (2003)
• "This book is excellent for its breadth and generality. It is easy to read and the text is followed by many clear figures taken from primary literature."
Zdenka Lososovα, Folia Geobotanica, 40(1), 2005
• "This book will provide an invaluable pathway to an improved understanding of weed ecology and in turn effective weed management."
R G Richardson Meredith, Plant Protection Quarterly, 18(2) (2003)
• "The authors more than satisfy their goal of linking weed science, plant invasions and ecology and do so with an eloquent and lively style. Please, if the word 'weed' scares you away, look past the cover."
S Ruhren, Plant Science Bulletin, 50(1), (2004)
• "As an undergraduate text it does a superb job of traversing the wide expanse of ecology, covering topics from population and reproductive biology of plants to community succession and assembly."
Marc W Cadotte, Biological Invasions 6 (2004)
• "The book will be an extremely valuable textbook for undergraduate and graduate students studying weed science and agriculture."
Will Rodda, Biological Agriculture and Horticulture, 22 (2004)
• "This text is recommended for students and also as a refresher for ecologists with interest in managed habitats."
G R Squire, Experimental Agriculture, 40 (2004)
• "The text is precise and informative. There are indeed only a few books that deal with ecology of weeds in such a detail and comprehensive manner. The publication will be of immense value to weed scientists and crop ecologists in particular, and to agronomists and other scientists of related disciplines in general.
Indian Agronomy News, 17, 2004
Main Contents
Ecology of weeds
Population Ecology
• Describing the distribution and abundance of populations
• The structure and dynamics of populations
• Sexual reproduction
• Asexual reproduction
• From seed to seedling
• Growing up, getting old and dying
Interactions Among Populations
• Interactions among populations I: Competition and allelopathy
• Interactions among populations II: Herbivory, parasitism, and mutualisms
• Studying populations and their interactions
Community Ecology
• Basic community concepts and diversity
• Community dynamics: succession and assembly
• Plant invasions
• Studying community structure and dynamics
Conclusions
• The importance of weed ecology to management
• Common and latin names of weed species
