The phenomenon of cyclic population fluctuation in small rodents, and specifically lemmings, has been a major issue in ecology for decades. A number of questions, both truly scientific and also of popular mythology,surround the biology of these animals. Although a tremendous amount of research has been carried out on lemmings, much remains to be resolved. And while the story of the suicidal rodent is now understood as myth, the facts behind the population behavior of lemmings require further study. In this book well-known ecologists Stenseth and Ims have brought together a number of leading experts from both North America and Europe to review our current understanding of the taxonomy, population biology, feeding, and community ecology of lemmings.The authors put this current, but rather fragmentary, understanding of lemming biology into a general population biological context."In many ways we see lemmings as an important model species within population biology,"Stenseth acknowledges in the preface. Starting with the 16th Century, the book's introduction overviews the history of lemming research. The chapters are grouped into theme sections, each prefaced by an introductory review by the editors. The overall result is the most comprehensive and coherent overview of the subject to date.Finally, six appendices give detailed advice on how to study lemmings, which will provide an invaluable reference for research in the future. Contains never-before published material on the Norwegian lemming Lemmus lemmus Includes papers presented at a meeting on lemming biology at the biological station of Konnevesi at the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland Edited and authored by experts in the field

This book is a personal history and apology, written by one of this century's most distinguished small mammal ecologists, for a life in science spent working on problems for which no final dramatic conclusion was reached. Included along the way are some important anecdotes and history about Charles Elton and the pioneering work at the Bureau of Animal Population at Oxford University, from which most of modern population ecology has grown, and insigts on the philosophy and practice of science.

Animals of this size face different physiological and ecological challenges than larger mammals.

"This work is the first textbook on population biology grounded in conservation of wildlife, giving students an approachable and motivational context for equation-heavy fundamentals"--

The most comprehensive resource of its kind, Ciottone's Disaster Medicine, 2nd Edition, thoroughly covers isolated domestic events as well as global disasters and humanitarian crises. Dr. Gregory Ciottone and more than 200 worldwide authorities share their knowledge and expertise on the preparation, assessment, and management of both natural and man-made disasters, including terrorist attacks and the threat of biological warfare. Part 1 offers an A-to-Z resource for every aspect of disaster medicine and management, while Part 2 features an exhaustive compilation of every conceivable disaster event, organized to facilitate quick reference in a real-time setting. Quickly grasp key concepts, including identification of risks, organizational preparedness, equipment planning, disaster education and training, and more advanced concepts such as disaster risk reduction, tactical EMS, hazard vulnerability analysis, impact of disaster on children, and more. Understand the chemical and biologic weapons known to exist today, as well as how to best manage possible future events and scenarios for which there is no precedent. Be prepared for man-made disasters with new sections that include Topics Unique to Terrorist Events and High-Threat Disaster Response and Operational Medicine (covering tactical and military medicine). Get a concise overview of lessons learned by the responders to recent disasters such as the earthquake in Haiti, Hurricane Sandy, the 2014 Ebola outbreak, and active shooter events like Sandy Hook, CT and Aurora, CO. Learn about the latest technologies such as the use of social media in disaster response and mobile disaster applications. Ensure that everyone on your team is up-to-date with timely topics, thanks to new chapters on disaster nursing, crisis leadership, medical simulation in disaster preparedness, disaster and climate change, and the role of non-governmental agencies (NGOs) in disaster response - a critical topic for those responding to humanitarian needs overseas. Expert Consult eBook version included with purchase. This enhanced eBook experience allows you to search all of the text, figures, and references from the book on a variety of devices.

How did rodent outbreaks in Germany help to end World War I? What caused the destructive outbreak of rodents in Oregon and California in the late 1950s, the large population outbreak of lemmings in Scandinavia in 2010, and the great abundance of field mice in Scotland in the spring of 2011? Population fluctuations, or outbreaks, of rodents constitute one of the classic problems of animal ecology, and in Population Fluctuations in Rodents, Charles J. Krebs sifts through the last eighty years of research to draw out exactly what we know about rodent outbreaks and what should be the agenda for future research. Krebs has synthesized the research in this area, focusing mainly on the voles and lemmings of the Northern Hemisphere—his primary area of expertise—but also referring to the literature on rats and mice. He covers the patterns of changes in reproduction and mortality and the mechanisms that cause these changes—including predation, disease, food shortage, and social behavior—and discusses how landscapes can affect population changes, methodically presenting the hypotheses related to each topic before determining whether or not the data supports them. He ends on an expansive note, by turning his gaze outward and discussing how the research on rodent populations can apply to other terrestrial mammals. Geared toward advanced undergraduate students, graduate students, and practicing ecologists interested in rodent population studies, this book will also appeal to researchers seeking to manage rodent populations and to understand outbreaks in both natural and urban settings—or, conversely, to protect endangered species.

Why do organisms become extremely abundant one year and then seem to disappear a few years later? Why do population outbreaks in particular species happen more or less regularly in certain locations, but only irregularly (or never at all) in other locations? Complex population dynamics have fascinated biologists for decades. By bringing together mathematical models, statistical analyses, and field experiments, this book offers a comprehensive new synthesis of the theory of population oscillations. Peter Turchin first reviews the conceptual tools that ecologists use to investigate population oscillations, introducing population modeling and the statistical analysis of time series data. He then provides an in-depth discussion of several case studies--including the larch budmoth, southern pine beetle, red grouse, voles and lemmings, snowshoe hare, and ungulates--to develop a new analysis of the mechanisms that drive population oscillations in nature. Through such work, the author argues, ecologists can develop general laws of population dynamics that will help turn ecology into a truly quantitative and predictive science. Complex Population Dynamics integrates theoretical and empirical studies into a major new synthesis of current knowledge about population dynamics. It is also a pioneering work that sets the course for ecology's future as a predictive science.