Includes bibliographical references (pages 659-700) and index.

Organisms in their environments : the evolutionary backdrop -- Conditions -- Resources -- Life, death and life histories -- Intraspecific competition -- Dispersal, dormancy and metapopulations -- Ecological applications at the level of organisms and single-species populations : restoration, biosecurity and conservation -- Interspecific competition -- The nature of predation -- The population dynamics of predation -- Decomposers and detritivores -- Parasitism and disease -- Symbiosis and mutualism -- Abundance -- Ecological applications at the level of population interactions : pest control and harvest management -- The nature of the community : patterns in space and time -- The flux of energy through ecosystems -- The flux of matter through ecosystems -- The influence of population interactions on community structure -- Food webs -- Patterns in species richness -- Ecological applications at the level of communities and ecosystems : management based on the theory of succession, food webs, ecosystem functioning and biodiversity.