Recommendation of Ecology books
A classic standard textbook that I've used a lot myself (earlier editions) is Begon, Harper &amp; Townsend. This book is very broad and comprehensive, but I know that some students dislike it's back-and-forth discussion style (fewer definite answers). I see this as a strength though. 

Another good choice, that is much shorter, is Gotelli's A Primer of Ecology. This one has a slight theoretical leaning (many standard mathematical models), but can work well in a  introductory course. I don't have the book in front of me, but, looking at your list of topics, I suspect that A Primer... might be weak in some of them (e.g. climax, succession).