Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Offers a comprehensive, accessible introduction to experimental design, field monitoring skills for plants and animals, data analysis, interpretation and reporting

This user-friendly book presents field monitoring skills for both plants and animals, within the context of a research project. This text provides a single resource to take the reader all the way through from the planning stage, into the field, guiding through sampling, organism identification, computer-based data analysis and interpretation, and finally how to present the results to maximise the impact of the work. Logically structured throughout, and revised extensively in the second edition, the book concentrates on the techniques required to design a field-based ecological survey and shows how to execute an appropriate sampling regime. It evaluates appropriate sampling and analytical methods, identifying potential problems associated with various techniques and how to mitigate these.

The second edition of this popular text has updated reference material and weblinks, increased the number of case studies by 50% to illustrate the use of specific techniques in the field, added over 20% more figures (including 8 colour plates), and made more extensive use of footnotes to provide extra details. Extensions to topics covered in the first edition include additional discussion of: ethical issues; statistical methods (sample size estimation, use of the statistical package R, mixed models); bioindicators, especially for freshwater pollution; seeds, fecundity and population dynamics including static and dynamic life tables; forestry techniques including tree coring and tree mortality calculations; the use of data repositories; writing for a journal and producing poster and oral presentations. In addition, the use of new and emerging technologies has been a particular focus, including mobile apps for environmental monitoring and identification; land cover and GIS; the use of drones including legal frameworks and codes of practice; molecular field techniques including DNA analysis in the field (including eDNA); photo-matching for identifying individuals; camera trapping; modern techniques for detecting and analysing bat echolocation calls; and data storage using the cloud.

Divided into six distinct chapters, Practical Field Ecology, 2nd Edition begins at project inception with a chapter on planning--covering health and safety, along with guidance on how to ensure that the sampling and experimental design is suitable for subsequent statistical analysis. Following a chapter dealing with site characterisation and general aspects of species identification, subsequent chapters describe the techniques used to survey and census particular groups of organisms. The final chapters cover analysing, interpreting and presenting data, and writing up the research.

Offers a readable and approachable integrated guide devoted to field-based research projects Takes students from the planning stage, into the field, and clearly guides them through organism identification in the laboratory and computer-based data analysis, interpretation and data presentation Includes a chapter on how to write project reports and present findings in a variety of formats to differing audiences

Aimed at undergraduates taking courses in Ecology, Biology, Geography, and Environmental Science, Practical Field Ecology, 2nd Edition will also benefit postgraduates seeking to support their projects.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• List of Tables (p. xiii)
• List of Figures (p. xv)
• List of Boxes (p. xxi)
• List of Case Studies (p. xxiii)
• List of Plates (p. xxv)
• Preface to the Second Edition (p. xxvii)
• Preface to the First Edition (p. xxix)
• Acknowledgements (p. xxxi)
• About the Companion Website (p. xxxv)
• 1 Preparation (p. 1)
• Choosing a topic for study (p. 2)
• Ecological research questions (p. 4)
• Monitoring individual species and groups of species (p. 4)
• Monitoring species richness (p. 5)
• Monitoring population sizes and density (p. 5)
• Monitoring community structure (p. 6)
• Monitoring behaviour (p. 6)
• A note of caution (p. 6)
• Creating aims, objectives, and hypotheses (p. 9)
• Reviewing the literature (p. 9)
• Primary literature (p. 10)
• Secondary literature (p. 10)
• Other sources of information (p. 11)
• Search terms (p. 11)
• Reading papers (p. 12)
• Practical considerations (p. 12)
• Legal aspects (p. 13)
• Ethical issues (p. 13)
• Health and safety issues (p. 14)
• Implementation (p. 16)
• Equipment and technical support (p. 19)
• Field/laboratory notebook (p. 19)
• Pilot studies (p. 21)
• Time management (p. 22)
• Statistical considerations in project design (p. 24)
• Designing and setting up experiments and surveys (p. 26)
• Choosing sampling methods (p. 26)
• Types of data (p. 27)
• Sampling designs (p. 29)
• Planning statistical analysis (p. 35)
• Describing data (p. 35)
• Asking questions about data (p. 36)
• Predictive analysis (p. 37)
• Multivariate analysis (p. 38)
• Examining patterns and structure in communities (p. 39)
• Summary (p. 39)
• 2 Monitoring Site Characteristics (p. 43)
• Site selection (p. 43)
• Site characterisation (p. 44)
• Habitat mapping (p. 44)
• Examination of landscape scale (p. 54)
• Measuring microclimatic variables (p. 55)
• Monitoring substrates (p. 60)
• Monitoring water (p. 64)
• Other physical attributes (p. 67)
• Measuring biological attributes (p. 70)
• Identification (p. 76)
• 3 Sampling Plants and Other Static Organisms (p. 85)
• Sampling for static organisms (p. 88)
• Seeds, fecundity, and population dynamics (p. 91)
• Quadrat sampling (p. 92)
• Density estimation using quadrats (p. 95)
• Frequency estimation using quadrats (p. 95)
• Cover estimation using quadrats (p. 96)
• Biomass estimation within quadrats (p. 97)
• Quadrat size (p. 99)
• Nested quadrats (p. 100)
• Placement of quadrats (p. 101)
• Quadrat shape (p. 102)
• Pin-frames (p. 103)
• Transects (p. 104)
• Plotless sampling (p. 106)
• Distribution of static organisms (p. 109)
• Forestry techniques (p. 110)
• Tree diameter (p. 110)
• Tree basal area (p. 113)
• Height of trees (p. 113)
• Timber volume (p. 114)
• Growth (p. 114)
• Canopy cover (p. 115)
• Age and mortality (p. 115)
• 4 Sampling Mobile Organisms (p. 119)
• General issues (p. 120)
• Distribution of mobile organisms (p. 123)
• Direct observation (p. 124)
• Behaviour (p. 124)
• Indirect methods (p. 130)
• Capture techniques (p. 130)
• Marking individuals (p. 133)
• Radio-Tracking (p. 136)
• Population dynamics (p. 138)
• Invertebrates (p. 140)
• Direct observation (p. 141)
• Butterfly census method (p. 141)
• Indirect methods (p. 143)
• Using insect sounds (p. 143)
• Capture techniques (p. 144)
• Killing and preserving invertebrates (p. 145)
• Marking individuals (p. 145)
• Capturing aquatic invertebrates (p. 150)
• Netting (p. 152)
• Suction sampling (p. 156)
• Benthic coring (p. 156)
• Drags, dredges, and grabs (p. 157)
• Wet extraction (p. 158)
• Artificial substrate samplers (p. 159)
• Baited traps and refuges (p. 159)
• Capturing soil-living invertebrates (p. 161)
• Sieving (p. 161)
• Floatation and phase-separation (p. 161)
• Tullgren funnels and similar methods of dry extraction (p. 162)
• Chemical extraction (p. 164)
• Electrical extraction (p. 166)
• Capturing ground-active invertebrates (p. 167)
• Pitfall traps (p. 167)
• Suction samplers (p. 175)
• Emergence traps (p. 178)
• Capturing invertebrates from plants (p. 180)
• Pootering (p. 182)
• Sweep netting (p. 184)
• Beating (p. 185)
• Fogging (p. 185)
• Capturing airborne invertebrates (p. 187)
• Sticky traps (p. 190)
• Using attractants (p. 191)
• Refuges (p. 194)
• Flight interception traps (p. 195)
• Light traps (p. 197)
• Rotary traps (p. 205)
• Water (pan) traps (p. 206)
• Fish (p. 208)
• Direct observation (p. 210)
• Indirect methods (p. 211)
• Capture techniques (p. 211)
• Nets and traps (p. 212)
• Collecting fish larvae (p. 215)
• Electrofishing (p. 215)
• Marking individuals (p. 215)
• Amphibians (p. 218)
• Direct observation (p. 221)
• Indirect methods (p. 221)
• Counting egg masses (p. 221)
• Using environmental DNA (eDNA) (p. 222)
• Capture techniques (p. 222)
• Sampling adults in water (p. 223)
• Sampling adults on land (p. 224)
• Tadpoles (p. 226)
• Juveniles/metamorphs (p. 226)
• Marking individuals (p. 226)
• Reptiles (p. 228)
• Direct observation (p. 228)
• Indirect methods (p. 229)
• Capture techniques (p. 230)
• Hand-capture (p. 232)
• Traps (p. 233)
• Marking individuals (p. 235)
• Birds (p. 236)
• Direct observation (p. 237)
• Timed species count (p. 239)
• Common bird census/breeding bird survey (p. 240)
• Point counts (p. 241)
• Transect line counts (p. 242)
• Distance sampling (p. 242)
• Flush counts (p. 244)
• Indirect methods (p. 245)
• Counting nests at a distance (p. 246)
• Bird song (p. 247)
• Capture techniques (p. 247)
• Mist netting (p. 248)
• Propelled nets (p. 250)
• Marking individuals (p. 250)
• Mammals (p. 253)
• Direct observation (p. 254)
• Indirect methods (p. 257)
• Capture techniques (p. 264)
• Marking individuals (p. 272)
• 5 Analysing and Interpreting Information (p. 275)
• Keys to tests (p. 278)
• Exploring and describing data (p. 285)
• Transforming and screening data (p. 285)
• Graphical display of data (p. 288)
• Measures of central tendency and sample variability (p. 290)
• Spatial and temporal distributions (p. 292)
• Population estimation techniques: densities and population sizes (p. 292)
• Richness and diversity (p. 297)
• Similarity, dissimilarity, and distance coefficients (p. 297)
• Recording descriptive statistics (p. 300)
• Testing hypotheses using basic statistical tests and simple general linear models (p. 301)
• Differences between samples (p. 304)
• Relationships between variables (p. 307)
• Associations between frequency distributions (p. 312)
• More advanced general linear models for predictive analysis (p. 314)
• Multiple regression (p. 314)
• Analysis of covariance and multivariate analysis of variance (p. 316)
• Discriminant function analysis (p. 318)
• Generalized linear models (p. 319)
• Extensions of the generalized linear model (p. 323)
• Extensions of generalized linear models and GAMs into mixed-effects models (p. 324)
• Statistical methods to examine pattern and structure in communities: classification, indicator species, and ordination (p. 325)
• Classification (p. 325)
• Classification techniques when the number of groups is known (p. 326)
• Significance testing for group membership: analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) (p. 328)
• Classification techniques when the number of groups is unknown (p. 329)
• Indicator species analysis (p. 331)
• Ordination (p. 332)
• Indirect gradient analysis (p. 333)
• Comparing ordinations and matrix data (p. 338)
• Direct gradient analysis (p. 339)
• 6 Presenting Information (p. 343)
• Written reports (p. 344)
• Title (p. 345)
• Abstract (p. 345)
• Acknowledgements (p. 346)
• Contents (p. 346)
• Introduction (p. 347)
• Methods (p. 347)
• Results (p. 348)
• Illustrations (Tables, Figures, Plates, Equations, etc.) (p. 349)
• Discussion (p. 354)
• References (p. 354)
• Citing papers (p. 355)
• Appendices (p. 358)
• Archiving data (p. 359)
• Authors' contributions (p. 359)
• Writing style (p. 359)
• Tense (p. 362)
• Passive tense (p. 362)
• Numbers (p. 362)
• Abbreviations (p. 363)
• Punctuation (p. 364)
• Choice of font (p. 365)
• Common mistakes (p. 366)
• Computer files (p. 368)
• Specific guidance for writing for a journal (p. 368)
• Specific guidance for preparing a poster (p. 371)
• Specific guidance for preparing an oral presentation (p. 376)
• Summary (p. 379)
• Appendix 1 Glossary of Statistical Terms (p. 381)
• References (p. 387)
• Index (p. 409)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Although "field ecology" carries a last-century connotation, the "field" remains the main source of inspiration as well as the laboratory for testing ecological theories. The first chapter of this book covers selecting, designing, and implementing a field project. Novel components include legal aspects, and health and safety issues. Here, the British orientation of UK-based authors Wheater (Manchester Metropolitan Univ.), Bell (Rothamsted Research), and Cook (Liverpool John Moores Univ.) is a limitation. Chapter 2 discusses site selection, surveying, and measuring physical variables. The third chapter addresses sampling static organisms (mainly plants). The largest chapter (4) provides brief descriptions of methods for sampling mobile organisms including direct and indirect observations, capture, marking, or counting techniques. It is very basic for the organisms (birds, fish) that this reviewer studies. The volume includes numerous useful illustrations of field equipment and sampling techniques. Many methods are described only superficially, but the substantial diversity of methods listed is an asset, allowing students to identify appropriate sampling techniques. The last two chapters discuss both descriptive and analytic statistical methods, and how to write a paper. All of the information is useful, but, many items are addressed only superficially, better for undergraduates than graduates, the book's target audience. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through graduate students. J. Burger Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick

Author notes provided by Syndetics

C. Philip Wheater, PhD, is Professor Emeritus in Environmental and Geographical Sciences at Manchester Metropolitan University. He has published widely in the fields of environmental science, environmental management, biogeography and ecology, including on plants, invertebrates, mammals, and amphibians.
Penny A. Cook, PhD, is Professor in Public Health at the University of Salford, UK. She teaches statistical analysis, is a Statistical Editor of a peer-reviewed journal, and has published on greenspace, biodiversity and health and well-being, as, well as on behavior and evolutionary ecology.
James R. Bell, PhD, is Head of the Rothamsted Insect Survey, Rothamsted Research, UK. He has published widely on insect migration, climate change impacts on insects and the ecology of invertebrates. He has an interest in the analysis of large data sets as well as surveillance and monitoring technologies.