Elton sought to articulate more explicitly his vision of an entire field of invasion science. The 1958 book, aimed at an educated lay audience, was almost wholly descriptive, dominated by striking examples of the nature and scope of particular invasions beginning with the seven examples detailed in Chapter 1. From the materials in the proof copy and other sources, we can imagine a new edition would also have targeted biologists and been somewhat more technical and prescriptive. In autobiographical notes he penned near the end of his life, Elton wrote regarding EIAP , This whole subject has deep significance for the study of plant and animal communities and their balance (or unbalance), 19 and indeed many of the reprints and notes refer to interactions among species and community-wide effects.

New annotated edition of a classic text Two leading invasion ecologists place the book into historical scientific context Previously unpublished notes by the original author are highlighted

Autorentext

Charles S. Elton (1900 - 1991) is widely considered the founder of animal ecology. He established and led Oxford University's Bureau of Animal Population, responsible for training zoologists from around the world. His scientific legacy, of which Ecology of Invasions is a major part, has influenced generations of biologists. Daniel Simberloff is the Nancy Gore Hunger Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of Tennessee, member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and Editor-in-Chief of the journal Biological Invasions. Anthony Ricciardi is Professor of Biology in the Redpath Museum and McGill School of Environment, and a Trottier Fellow in Science and Public Policy, at McGill University. He has served on the editorial boards of the journals Biological Invasions, Diversity and Distributions, and NeoBiota.

Inhalt
The Invaders
Wallace's Realms: the Archipelago of Continents
The Invasion of Continents
The Fate of Remote Islands
Changes in the Sea
The Balance between Populations
New Food-chains for Old
The Reasons for Conservation
The Conservation of Variety