Ecology

A Very Short Introduction

By: Jaboury Ghazoul

Narrated by: Dennis Kleinman

Understanding how our living environment works is essentially a study of ecological systems. Ecology is the science of how organisms interact with each other and with their environment and how such interactions create self-organizing communities and ecosystems. This science touches us all. The food we eat, the water we drink, the natural resources we use, our physical and mental health, and much of our cultural heritage are to a large degree products of ecological interactions of organisms and their environment.

This Very Short Introduction audiobook celebrates the centrality of ecology in our lives. Jaboury Ghazoul explores how ecology has evolved rapidly from natural history to become a predictive science that explains how the natural world works and which guides environmental policy and management decisions. Drawing on a range of examples, he shows how ecological science can be applied to management and conservation, including the extent to which theory has shaped practice. Ecological science has also shaped social and cultural perspectives on the environment, a process that influences politics of the environment. Ghazoul concludes by considering the future of ecology, particularly in the light of current and future environmental challenges.

©2020 Jaboury Ghazoul (P)2020 Tantor

Relevance

I liked the relevance and clarity. It is great overview of modern and past ecology.

Excellent summary of ecological principles

Scholarly, intelligent, and comprehensive, this book gets to the core of ecology as a science, culture, and belief. Must read not just for students but the whole of humanity.

Fantastic But A Problem With The Graphs

This is a great little introduction to ecology. The reading style suits the writing style, and the content, though brusque, is contemporary, relevant, broad, and challenging in many ways. Two criticisms: one subjective; one objective. The reading refers to numerous graphs, which one cannot see. This is a problem with the entire oxford introduction series, and it would have been great to have been granted access to a pdf of the book, or at least the graphs which the author refers to throughout the book. This is the objective problem. The subjective problem concerns the overwhelming androcetricism of the book. Ninety to 95% of the authors referred to are males, which made it a little bit of a weird listen. Nonetheless, i am very glad to have been able to listen to a sweeping intro to ecology while rambling through the countryside on my pushbike.

Good read

A good introduction to the field for a high school or college student. I am going to have my kid listen to it. The author is very articulate, and has a classical education which makes the reading, enjoyable, voiceover artist, has a slightly dull British accent, which is quite enjoyable to listen to. It gives a broad view of terms that are used in the field and concepts. As well as theoretical hypothesis, as to why such phenomenon is going on, and on occasion, contrary theory and hypothesis, and he named the names of the different “experts” and the positions they hold, which is great for reference. He doesn’t shy away from pointing out that a lot of people within the field, hold cultic beliefs, which I turn off to less fanatical, well grounded people. Overall, I’d give it five stars, five stars and five stars which I really do.