How to Do Ecology: A Concise Handbook - Tapa dura

"[A] refreshing, concise work aimed primarily at those contemplating or performing ecological research studies. The authors' approach will be equally beneficial to those in various other areas of study. . . . Highly recommended."--Choice

"This 'concise handbook' is excellent in helping the targeted audience, as well as land managers, amateurs, and others in understanding how ecological research is done."--Dan R. Kunkle, Wildlife Activist

"If you have been looking for the perfect gift for an undergraduate contemplating graduate school in ecology, or a beginning ecology graduate student, you have found it in this book. Short, with a conversational tone, this book is a wealth of information for beginning professionals."--Dr. Erika V. Iyengar, American Biology Teacher

"How to do Ecology contains much of the sage advice that good supervisors have been giving their postgraduate students for years... [I]t's absolutely correct and vital information."--Robyn K. Whipp, Austral Ecology

Most ecology books and courses focus on the facts and the concepts. While these are essential, many young ecologists need to figure out how to actually do research themselves. How to Do Ecology provides nuts-and-bolts advice on how to develop a successful thesis and research program. This book presents different approaches to posing testable ecological questions. In particular, it covers the uses, strengths, and limitations of manipulative experiments in ecology. It will help young ecologists consider meaningful treatments, controls, replication, independence, and randomization in experiments, as well as where to do experiments and how to organize a season of work. This book also presents strategies for analyzing natural patterns, the value of alternative hypotheses, and what to do with negative results.

Science is only part of being a successful ecologist. This engagingly written book offers students advice on working with other people and navigating their way through the land mines of research. Findings that don't get communicated are of little value. How to Do Ecology suggests effective ways to communicate information in the form of journal articles, oral presentations, and posters. Finally, it outlines strategies for developing successful grant and research proposals. Numerous checklists, figures, and boxes throughout the book summarize and reinforce the main points. In short, this book makes explicit many of the unspoken assumptions behind doing good research in ecology, and provides an invaluable resource for meaningful conversations among ecologists.