Customer Reviews

Elements of Ecology (6th Edition)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Robert Leo Smith is one of the "Grand Gurus" of ecology textbook writers. I have been reading his textbooks since the early 1970's, most notably his flagship book "Ecology and Field Biology" which has gone through numerous editions, and which have been used in countless college courses throughout America. I have read them, taught with them, studied them, and often refer to them. They contain a huge amount of ecological knowledge, which forms the basis for many other ecologically oriented disciplines, such as forestry, agriculture, wildlife, and environmental science:(legions of natural resource professionals cut their "ecology" teeth with this text). This recent edition of "Elements of Ecology" once again shows the expertise of Robert Leo Smith and his collaborator, Thomas Smith. This iteration contains 29 chapters, divided into eight parts. The parts consist of the physical environment, the organism and its environment, populations, species interactions, community ecology, ecosystem ecology, and ecological biogeography. It definitely requires a college reading level and ability, but I would not hesitate to use it as a reference in high school and AP courses. It is well written, well illustrated, and has very good summaries at the end of each chapter, along with study questions. I know that there are several good textbooks on ecology out there; this one would be my "go to" text for teaching a one semester general ecology course. In addition, there is a useful website that one can access when you buy a book which has a serial number you must input. The website contains useful vocabulary reviews, study questions and practice quizzes.

I bought this book instead of the 7th edition because it was $80 cheaper!! The two editions are almost identical with 2 chapters switched.

'Elements' is a very good introductory text for ecology students. Where it excels is in the breadth of material it covers and the admirable manner in which the authors lend necessary substance to each topic without bogging it down in ponderous detail. Students get a meaningful introduction to topics as varied as genetics and biogeography. The text is written in a clean, lucid style that neither condescends to students nor assumes that they're more advanced than they should be in their study of the subject matter. All around, this is a great pedagogical resource.

This is a must-read text for anyone interested in a general overview of ecology. The chapters are thorough yet concise and the topics are laid out in a logical progression.

I think this is an easy to read ecology textbook. It is full of colorful graphs, charts and pictures as well. I like that the important words in the chapter are highlighted in bold print and there is a review of each section at the end of a chapter. I have been pleased with this text as far as text books are concerned.

This was the old version of our Ecology book; which means it is the same minus some added pictures. I thought it was well written and I didn't have to pay the price for the new updated version!! Score one for me!

I needed this for my Environmental Ecology course in the Fall, and ended up needing it for my Environmental Biology course in the Spring. Definitely worth it to buy the "Used-Acceptable" books. Only minor highlighting, and I saved about $150 buying it through Amazon versus school. I recommend this to others!

This book is well written and easy to follow and understand. The Researcher Profile sections are an interesting addition giving specific case examples to the subjects in the chapters.

I would probably read this even if I wasn't taking a course that needed it. It is concise and easy to read, and it came to me in very good condition. Most science texts put me to sleep, but this has a lot of information presented in an easily absorbed manner. My professor wrote the book and he is a really chill person, so I guess it kind of reflects that through this textbook. He even told us we didn't need to buy it, since he would give us lecture notes on all the stuff that we needed to know in class.

It was brand-new so everything was perfect!
However, it was a little bit more pricey than I hoped it to be.
But still it was brand-new so the book itself was great.