In this book, the golden mouse is used as a model to explore conceptual issues in ecology across all levels of organization from organism to landscape, integrating reductionist and holistic ecological science. Through intensive study of a single species, the authors demonstrate biological and ecological information applicable to many fields, including conservation and resource management.

At the individual level, the authors discuss topics such as natural history, systematics, behavior, nest construction, home range, and movements as well as the unique bioenergetic strategy of the golden mouse, their population dynamics, growth, and genetics. At the community level, coexistence with sympatric species, competitive interactions, mutualism, parasitism, and the benefits of semi-arboreal living are discussed. Chapters also provide direction for further research by including questions yet to be addressed, intended to promote future integrative studies across levels of organization.

Autorentext

Gary Barrett, Odum Professor of Ecology at the University of Georgia, is the author of Landscape Ecology of Small Mammals, published by Springer in 1999, which has sold 846 copies. He is also the author with the late Eugene Odum of Fundamentals of Ecology, 5/e, published in 2004.

George A. Feldhamer is Professor of Zoology, and Director of the Environmental Studies Program at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL.

Klappentext

No group of mammals has more species than Rodentia. With close to 2300 recognized species throughout the world, Rodents comprise about forty-two percent of all living mammalian species. These mammals can have major impacts on human lifethey can be major crop depredators, vectors of disease, and important models for scientific research. When we hear the familiar phrase charismatic mammalian megafauna, we immediately envision large, powerful carnivores like lions and grizzly bears, or sleek, graceful ungulates like deer and antelope. But we rarely hear about charismatic mammalian microfauna, such as mice. The golden mouse is considered by many to be the most charismatic and ecologically unique of the mammalian microfauna.

This volume is the first attempt to draw together what is known about the golden mouse ranging from systematics, natural history, and population dynamics to coexistence, nesting behavior, and semi-arboreal living in managed and natural ecological systems. In this scholarly work, the golden mouse is used as a model to explore conceptual issues in ecology across levels of organization from organism to landscape, integrating reductionism and holistic ecological science. Chapters also include ecological processes such as behavior, energetics, evolution, and regulation that transcend these levels of organization. Future integrative research studies across levels of organization also are addressed. The Golden Mouse: Ecology and Conservation will interest students and professionals in conservation biology, ecology, mammalogy, and wildlife management, as well as readers interested in natural history.

About the Editors:

Gary W. Barrett is Odum Professor of Ecology at the University of Georgia, Athens, GA. George A. Feldhamer is Professor of Zoology, and Director of the Environmental Studies Program at Southern IllinoisUniversity, Carbondale, IL.

Zusammenfassung

Ecology of the Golden Mouse will interest students and professionals in ecology, conservation biology, mammalogy, and wildlife management. The golden mouse is used as a model to explore conceptual issues in ecology across all levels of organization from organism to landscape, integrating reductionist and holistic ecological science. Through intensive study of a single species, the authors demonstrate biological and ecological information applicable to many fields, including conservation and resource management.

At the individual level, the authors discuss topics such as natural history, systematics, behavior, nest construction, home range, and movements, as well as the unique bioenergetic strategy of the golden mouse, their population dynamics, growth, and genetics. At the community level, coexistence with sympatric species, competitive interactions, mutualism, parasitism, and the benefits of semi-arboreal living are discussed. Chapters also provide direction for further research by including questions yet to be addressed, intended to promote future integrative studies across levels of organization.

Inhalt
The Golden Mouse: A Levels-of-Organization Perspective.- The Golden Mouse: Taxonomy and Natural History.- Levels of Organization.- Population Ecology of the Golden Mouse.- Community Ecology of the Golden Mouse.- Ecosystem Ecology of the Golden Mouse.- Landscape Ecology of the Golden Mouse.- Transcending Processes.- Relative Abundance and Conservation: Is the Golden Mouse a Rare Species?.- The Golden Mouse: A Model of Energetic Efficiency.- Nesting Ecology of the Golden Mouse: An Oikos Engineer.- Ectoparasites, Bots, and Vector-Borne Diseases Associated with the Golden Mouse.- New Perspectives and Future Challenges.- Aesthetic Landscapes of the Golden Mouse.- Future Challenges and Research Opportunities: What Do We Really Know?.