title: Ecology of Climate Change: The Importance of Biotic Interactions (Monographs in Population Biology)
author: Eric Post
description: "In this book . . . Post steps outside this traditional approach to offer a detailed exploration of the role that biotic interactions might play in ecosystem responses to climate change. The book is a highly detailed, well-illustrated, and thoroughly explained argument that these biotic interactions are not just factors that must be taken into consideration, but rather might be in fact determining how individuals, populations, communities, and ecosystems respond to climate change." (<i>Choice</i>)<br /><br />"A truly extraordinary amount of information is contained in this book, ranging from historic climate change to future predictions, and from species through ecosystems. Post certainly achieves his stated goal of showcasing the role of biotic interactions in determining how ecological systems respond to climate change. I plan to assign course readings from this book in my future teaching career, and I foresee myself pulling it off the shelf frequently as a reference."<b>---Amy M. Iler, <i>Ecology</i></b><br /><br />"Eric Post's recent book, <i>Ecology of Climate Change: The Importance of Biotic Interactions</i>, has an important role to play. It can increase understanding among budding and established biologists by serving as a reference and tutorial. . . . No volume can provide the definitive answer on a topic as broad and complex--or as important--as climate change ecology, but Post's contribution is a useful start." (<i>BioScience</i>)<br /><br />"Researchers in the fields of ecology and conservation will greatly benefit from having this book."<b>---Richard Kotter, <i>International Journal of Environmental Studies</i></b><br /><br />"Post challenges the reader to think deeply about how climate change is intrinsic to ecosystem complexity. Post elegantly draws upon important theories in ecology (e.g., life history, niche, biodiversity) and rolls out the red carpet for clearly understanding the ecological impacts of climate change, while providing a theoretical structure for the direction of future research. . . . <i>Ecology of Climate Change</i> is comprehensive and thorough, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to push the limits of our understanding of how ecosystems are responding to climate change."<b>---Jerod A. Merkle, <i>Journal of Wildlife Management</i></b><br /><br />"A valuable addition to the ecologist's bookshelf."<b>---Gabor Pozsgai, <i>Conservation Biology</i></b><br /><br />"I believe that this book will become the go-to reference for gaining a foundational understanding of how global climate change has and will continue to transform ecological systems in the face of anthropogenic impacts. An encyclopedic synthesis of the field, it provides exemplary coverage of the vast literature. This is an authoritative treatment of an important topic in ecology and conservation."<b>Oswald J. Schmitz, Yale University</b><br /><br />"To predict the responses of species to climate change, Post shows how interactions between species may be as important as density-independent responses to changes in their abiotic environment. Most ecologists have focused on the latter. Post makes a great case that the response of species to climate change is likely to unfold in the context of their interactions with other species, through competition, predation, and, in the case of humans, land-use change."<b>William H. Schlesinger, president of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies</b>
zlib_text: 669
  Ecology began as a descriptive
  science that has now become an
  experimental and predictive sci-
  ence. Models have been devel-
  oped that predict how population
  sizes within communities change
  over time due to species inter-
  actions. Some ecologists study
  and also include in their models
  physical factors that inﬂuence
  energy ﬂow and nutrient cycling
  within an ecosystem. They know
  that humans alter the transfer
  rates of substances within biogeo-
  chemical cycles that maintain the
  biosphere. This accounts for acid
  rain, global warming, ozone
  depletion, and other changes that
  are expected to adversely affect all
  species. 
  Behavior and Ecology
  32
  Animal Behavior
  671
  Animals respond to stimuli in keeping
  with their own neurophysiology and in a
  manner that increases the likelihood of
  their survival and ability to reproduce. 
  34
  Community Ecology
  701
  Species in a particular locale make up a
  community where interactions include
  competition, predation, and various
  symbiotic relationships.
  36
  Ec