Ecological Mechanics : : Principles of Life's Physical Interactions / / Mark Denny.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Princeton University Press Complete eBook-Package 2016
• VerfasserIn: Denny, Mark,
• Place / Publishing House: Princeton, NJ : : Princeton University Press, , [2015]; ©2016
• Year of Publication: 2015
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (536 p.) :; 160 line illus.

Plants and animals interact with each other and their surroundings, and these interactions-with all their complexity and contingency-control where species can survive and reproduce. In this comprehensive and groundbreaking introduction to the emerging field of ecological mechanics, Mark Denny explains how the principles of physics and engineering can be used to understand the intricacies of these remarkable relationships.Denny opens with a brief review of basic physics before introducing the fundamentals of diffusion, fluid mechanics, solid mechanics, and heat transfer, taking care to explain each in the context of living organisms. Why are corals of different shapes on different parts of a reef? How can geckos climb sheer walls? Why can birds and fish migrate farther than mammals? How do desert plants stay cool? The answers to these and a host of similar questions illustrate the principles of heat, mass, and momentum transport and set the stage for the book's central topic-the application of these principles in ecology. Denny shows how variations in the environment-in both space and time-affect the performance of plants and animals. He introduces spectral analysis, a mathematical tool for quantifying the patterns in which environments vary, and uses it to analyze such subjects as the spread of invasive species. Synthesizing the book's materials, the final chapters use ecological mechanics to predict the occurrence and consequences of extreme ecological events, explain the emergence of patterns in the distribution and abundance of organisms, and empower readers to explore further.Ecological Mechanics offers new insights into the physical workings of organisms and their environment.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- List of Illustrations -- List of Tables -- Acknowledgments -- Chapter 1. Ecological Mechanics: An Introduction -- Part I. Basic Concepts -- Chapter 2. Basic Physics and Math -- Chapter 3. Response Functions -- Part II. The Mechanics of Transport -- Chapter 4. Diffusion Random Motion and Its Consequences -- Chapter 5. An Introduction to Fluid Mechanics -- Chapter 6. Boundary Layers I Equilibrium Layers -- Chapter 7. Boundary Layers II Dynamic Layers -- Chapter 8. Fluid-Dynamic Forces I Introduction and Low-Reynolds-Number Flows -- Chapter 9. Fluid-Dynamic Forces II High Reynolds Numbers -- Chapter 10. Locomotion -- Chapter 11. Thermal Mechanics I Introduction, Solar Heating, Convection, Metabolism, and Evaporation -- Chapter 12. Thermal Mechanics II Stored Energy, Conduction, Long-Wave Radiation, and Synthesis -- Part III. Solid Mechanics -- Chapter 13. Biological Materials I Materials Mechanics -- Chapter 14. Biological Materials II The Spectrum of Biological Materials -- Chapter 15. Fracture Mechanics and Fatigue -- Chapter 16. Adhesion and Adhesion Resistance -- Chapter 17. Statics Bending and Twisting -- Chapter 18. Dynamics The Mechanics of Oscillation -- Part IV. Ecological Mechanics -- Chapter 19. Ecological Variation and Its Consequences -- Chapter 20. Spectral Analysis Quantifying Variation in Time and Space -- Chapter 21. Quantifying the Effects of Scale -- Chapter 22. Biology of Extremes -- Chapter 23. Pattern and Self-Organization -- Chapter 24. Thoughts at the End -- References -- Symbol Index -- Author Index -- Subject Index