Book Review

Tropical Ecology 47(1): 153-154, 2006

International Society for Tropical Ecology
www.tropecol.com

Singh, J.S., Singh, S.P. and Gupta, S.R. 2006.

Ecology,
Environment
and
Resource
Conservation. Anamaya Publishers, New
Delhi. 688 pages. Price Rs 850. ISBN: 8188342-55-6.
Readers of Tropical Ecology will need little
convincing of the urgency and importance of
ecology and environmental science. At a time
when the earths natural resources are
threatened as never before by anthropogenic
influences, an understanding of environmental
processes and ecological systems is vital for a
sustainable future of our planet. The recent
Millennium
Ecosystem
Assessment
has
illustrated
that
human
actions
have
significantly transformed many of the Earths
ecosystems. Growing public concern over issues
such as climate change, genetically modified
organisms, increasing pollution, the loss of
biodiversity, and damage to tropical forests has
made environment, ecology and conservation
among the most important areas of science,
with a real relevance to the modern world.
Ecology is the science of how living
creatures interact with one another and their
environment, and it is clear that furthering our
understanding of ecology will be crucial in
coping with the global environmental problems
that are of increasing concern in our world
today. The need to find solutions for growing
environmental problems has resulted in
excellent
prospects
for
ecologists
and
environmental
scientists.
Environmental
science and ecology are multidisciplinary
subjects, so manpower development in these
areas needs a solid understanding of
contemporary ecological and environmental
issues.
A large number of books in the area are
being published each day but most of the books
are from publishers located in the temperate
countries; these are costly and have a strong
western bias in cited literature. Most of the
ecology and environmental science books

written by authors from temperate world focus

on case studies and examples from European or
Central American ecosystems. Much of the
tropics, where human influence is ever
increasing, is not properly represented in their
discussion. In this direction, the book written
by Professors J.S. Singh, S.P. Singh and S.R.
Gupta is an unique attempt to collate and
analyse Indian & tropical information parallel to
European & Central American one.
In the preface of the book, authors
emphasize that it is a synthesis volume
basically designed to familiarize the graduate
students with the basic concepts of ecology,
environmental
science,
and
resource
management.
The
book
covers
both
fundamental and applied aspects of ecology,
with a broad span from evolution of ecological
thought to the structure of populations and
communities, and to applications of ecological
concepts in conservation and environmental
biology. The book is divided into 30 chapters.
The introductory chapter deals with the scope
and importance of ecology, evolution of
ecological thought and the linkages between
ecology,
environment
and
resource
conservation. The basic concepts of the physical
and chemical environment, the effects of
environmental factors (light, temperature,
water, soil and fire) on organisms, and the
adaptational
features
of
organisms
are
explained using copious Indian examples.
Biogeography chapter includes topics such as
speciation, extinction, and the characteristic
biota of different geographical regions with
special reference to biogeographical zones in
India.
The
chapters
dealing
with
species
population and species interactions deal with
the population dynamics, life-history strategies
of organisms, the role of competition, predation,
and parasitism in population regulation, and
the significance of positive and negative
interactions at the interface of population and
community ecology. A chapter on biological
community discusses the emerging concepts of
the nature and organization of communities,
species diversity, keystone species, ecological

niche and community stability. A chapter with

profound practical utility is on the approaches
to vegetation analysis which covers aspects of
analysis of structure and dynamics of plant
communities. Ecological succession includes
topics on the kinds, patterns, mechanisms, the
recent models of succession, and the changes in
ecosystem attributes during succession.
The topics related with ecosystem function
such
as
productivity,
energy
flow,
decomposition processes, and the mineralnutrient cycling are dealt as the central themes
of ecosystem ecology. Authors have emphasized
the importance of global biogeochemical cycles
of major elements and have also widely
discussed influences of human activities on
these cycles. The chapter on nutrient cycling
provides a mechanistic understanding of
nutrient
transformation
and
conserving
mechanisms at ecosystem level. Chapter on
terrestrial biomes and aquatic ecosystems gives
an insight into the biophysical basis for the
distribution of organisms. In this chapter, the
urgent need for conserving different biomes,
freshwater
and
marine
ecosystems
is
emphasized as they are increasingly being
threatened by human activities.
In the book under review, an attempt has
been made by authors to understand socioeconomic
and
ecological
dimensions
of
environmental pollution, ecotoxicology, exotic
invasive species, global environmental change,
natural resources, biodiversity conservation,
ecological restoration, and environmental

impact assessment, ecological economics and

sustainable development. The processes and
application of remote sensing and geographical
information system have a focus on the
geospatial
aspects
of
the
environment,
ecosystem analysis and natural resources.
Content analysis of the book indicates that
the authors have tried to cover a wide range of
topics in light of modern literature. The book is
adequately printed on a good quality paper and
optimally illustrated. There are a few typing
errors in text and diagrams which need to be
addressed in next print/edition of the book. In
this regard, a dedicated web page for the book
at publishers web site may be used to give
additional support materials, important ecology
& environment related links. Also a section on
web page containing errata and updates will be
helpful to make the book current till its next
edition is printed. It is also hoped that the next
edition of the book will have colour illustrations
and photographs.
An important merit of the book is that it
presents a rich collection of ecological work with
an impressive amount of literature (ca. 1050
references) presented in a logical flow. Adequate
coverage of tropical ecology and environmental
science literature is highlight of the book. It
makes the book suitable for teaching, especially
for students at the masters and PhD-levels, and
an important source of information with up-todate references for researchers. This book is
ideal for the readers who wish to study the
ecological principles essential for solving many

current environmental problems and those

related to management and conservation issues,
more so in the tropical context.
The book is a welcome addition to the
ecology and environmental science literature.
A.S. Raghubanshi
Department of Botany
Banaras Hindu University