Denny opens with a brief review of basic physics before introducing the fundamentals of diffusion, fluid mechanics, solid mechanics, and heat transfer, taking care to explain each in the context of living organisms. Why are corals of different shapes on different parts of a reef? How can geckos climb sheer walls? Why can birds and fish migrate farther than mammals? How do desert plants stay cool? The answers to these and a host of similar questions illustrate the principles of heat, mass, and momentum transport and set the stage for the book’s central topic—the application of these principles in ecology. Denny shows how variations in the environment—in both space and time—affect the performance of plants and animals. He introduces spectral analysis, a mathematical tool for quantifying the patterns in which environments vary, and uses it to analyze such subjects as the spread of invasive species. Synthesizing the book’s materials, the final chapters use ecological mechanics to predict the occurrence and consequences of extreme ecological events, explain the emergence of patterns in the distribution and abundance of organisms, and empower readers to explore further.

List of Tables

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1 ECOLOGICAL MECHANICS

An Introduction

Part I Basic Concepts

Chapter 2 BASIC PHYSICS AND MATH

Chapter 3 RESPONSE FUNCTIONS

Part II The Mechanics of Transport

Chapter 4 DIFFUSION

Random Motion and its Consequences

Chapter 5 AN INTRODUCTION TO FLUID MECHANICS

Chapter 6 BOUNDARY LAYERS I

Equilibrium Layers

Chapter 7 BOUNDARY LAYERS II

Dynamic Layers

Chapter 8 FLUID-DYNAMIC FORCES I

Introduction and Low-Reynolds-Number Flows

Chapter 9 FLUID-DYNAMIC FORCES II

High Reynolds Numbers

Chapter 10 LOCOMOTION

Chapter 11 THERMAL MECHANICS I

Introduction, Solar Heating, Convection,Metabolism, and Evaporation

Introduction, Solar Heating, Convection, Metabolism, and Evaporation

Chapter 12 THERMAL MECHANICS II

Stored Energy, Conduction, Long-Wave Radiation, and Synthesis

Part III Solid Mechanics

Chapter 13 BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS I

Materials Mechanics

The Spectrum of Biological Materials

Chapter 15 FRACTURE MECHANICS AND FATIGUE

Chapter 16 ADHESION AND ADHESION RESISTANCE

Chapter 17 STATICS

Bending and Twisting

Chapter 18 DYNAMICS

The Mechanics of Oscillation

Part IV Ecological Mechanics

Chapter 19 ECOLOGICAL VARIATION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES

Chapter 20 SPECTRAL ANALYSIS

Quantifying Variation in Time and Space

Chapter 21 QUANTIFYING THE EFFECTS OF SCALE

Chapter 22 BIOLOGY OF EXTREMES

Chapter 23 PATTERN AND SELF-ORGANIZATION

Chapter 24 THOUGHTS AT THE END

References

Symbol Index

Author Index

Subject Index