No species occurs everywhere. Indeed, the majority are absent from most places, and where they do occur they are usually quite rare. Gaston discusses the structure of these distributions – the structure of the geographic ranges of species. Gaston is particularly concerned with the factors that determine the limits to a species’ geographic range, how the sizes of those ranges vary, and patterns in that variation. Also considered are the distribution of individuals amongst those sites where a species does occur and what determines that distribution, and some of the practical implications of all these. Both in a pure and applied context, ecologists need a broader perspective on their subject matter than has historically prevailed. This book provides one such perspective. A must have book for any researchers and graduate students studying macroecology, biogeography and conservation biology.
Overall this book deserves to stand on the bookshelf besides other classics of biogeography and makes a very significant synthetic contribution to conservation management that might not only better assist species conservation but also provide a stronger ecological basis for understanding the impacts of visitors on fauna and flora. C. Michael Hall, University of Otago, New Zealand. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Volume 14, No.5, 2006 The synthesis flows with ease as if all the links amongst various theories, concepts, and analytical methods were known and obvious. It is a comprehensive review of what is state-of-the-art in the study and understanding of geographic ranges. For its recent and broad bibliography alone, the book is worth buying. More so, however, it is Gastons comprehensive synthesis of this complex topic that makes this book an important one for the scientific community. It should be the new reference text for all scholars and workers in the fields of conservation biology and restoration ecology. Ecology It will certainly serve as an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the structure or dynamics of geographic ranges, as it greatly surpasses previous works on these topics with its thoroughness and clarity. It should do much to advance the field of biogeography, and to provide a context for conservation in a world where the distribution, size, and internal structure of geographic ranges are ever changing. The Quarterly Review of Biology ... a very stimulating book. The range of cases and sources is impressive: it gives the study weight and provides us with one of the few detailed treatments of this subject. It should appeal to a wide audience. Educators will find ideas about range in one text (and have enough material to demonstrate the key ideas irrespective of location). For those studying the distribution of species this book is an excellent introduction. TEG News 28/08/2003
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