Introduction and Background--The Nature of Ecology--Adaptation and Evolution--The Physical Environment—Climate--The Aquatic Environmen--The Terrestrial Environment--The Organism and Its Environment--Plant Adaptations to the Environment--Animal Adaptations to the Environment--Life History Patterns—Populations--Properties of Populations--Population Growth--Intraspecific Population Regulation—Metapopulations--Species Interactions--Interspecific Competition--Predation--Parasitism and Mutualism--Community Ecology--Community Structure--Factors Influencing the Structure of Communities--Community Dynamics--Landscape Ecology--Ecosystem Ecology--Ecosystem Energetics--Decomposition and Nutrient Cycling--Biogeochemical Cycles--Biogeographical Ecology--Terrestrial Ecosystems--Aquatic Ecosystems--Land—Water Margins--Large-scale Patterns of Biological Diversity--Human Ecology--Population Growth, Resource Use, and Sustainability--Habitat Loss, Biodiversity, and Conservation--Global Climate Change