Scaling Biodiversity

We know that there are millions to tens of millions of plant and animal species, but we do not know enough to be able to describe the patterns and processes that characterize the distribution of species in space, time, and taxonomic groups. Given that in practical terms it is impossible to understand the intricacies of the relation-ships between all the organisms and the dynamics of populations and communities in all spatial and temporal scales, other approaches must be used. Scaling rules offer one possible framework, and this book offers a synthesis of the ways in which scaling theory can be applied to the analysis of biodiversity. Scaling Biodiversity presents new views on quantitative patterns of the biological diversity on Earth and the processes responsible for them. Written by a team of leading experts in ecology who present their most recent and innovative views, this book will provide readers with the state of the art in current ecology and biodiversity science