Phytoplankton Ecology. Structure, Function and Fluc- tuation. 1986. illustr. XII,384 p. gr8vo. Cloth.

This is a book about a specific group of organisms, but one which makes a number of general points about the theory and practice of ecology in the broadest sense. Stress is placed on the importance ofunderstanding the relationships between the organism and the natural,fluctuating environment. These relationships are reviewed atsuccessively larger scales, from physiological mechanisms to interannualvariability. By using information from a number of processes at different scales a general understanding of population and communityprocesses is achieved. Basic ecological concepts such as limitingresources and competition are critically reviewed and the authorconcludes that the generally accepted concepts of equilibrium theoryare only applicable as a limiting case when no environmental fluctuations exist. The book achieves a synthesis of equilibrium andnon-equilibrium approaches and shows the real world to be a compromisebetween the two. By describing processes in lakes and the oceans in suchterms a new understanding of the operation of planktonic ecosystems isachieved. - Second hand copy.