Textbooks
Interdisciplinary nature of ecology
Encounters with the Environment:
Readings on Environmental Issues.
David McConnell. Kendall/Hunt,
Dubuque, lA, 1997. 240 pp., $46.95
(ISBN 0-7872-4165-2 cloth).
Ecology: A Bridge Between Science
and Society. 3rd ed. Eugene P. Odum.
Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, MA,
1997. 330 pp., illus. $27.95 (ISBN
0-87893-630-0 paper).
Recognizing the interdisciplinary
nature of science is one focus of the
latest round of curriculum reform
movements in the United States. Traditionally, science courses have been
discipline centered, with little attention paid to the way in which science
is influenced by sociology, economics, and politics. Understanding these
influences is essential for developing
and implementing long-term solutions to environmental problems.
Both David McConnell and Eugene Odum have provided new texts
that are based on the relationships
between ecology and human influences. McConnell's book, Encounters with the Environment: Readings
on Environmental Issues, focuses on
current issues, with little attention to
basic ecological concepts. Bycontrast,
the new edition of Odum's Ecology: A
Bridge Between Science and Society
is devoted to the study of basic ecology
within a framework of recognizing the
relevance of ecological principles to
human affairs and developing longterm solutions to environmental
problems.
Despite similar themes, the books
are oriented toward different audiences. McConnell covers a range of
environmental topics, introducing
each topic with an introductory essay followed by published articles.
The sources of the articles are scientific journals and respected popular
magazines, all of which focus on
facts and opinions that are relevant
864
to a specific current environmental
issue. McConnell recommends his
text, which is organized as topics
rather than chapters, for a onesemester introductory course that
emphasizes human interaction with
the environment. The text would also
be suitable for any layperson interested in environmental issues.
McConnell is successful in presenting an accessible and concise source
of information on current environmental issues in a reader-friendly
manner.
Odum also recommends his text
for introductory courses and as a
citizen's guide to principles of modern ecology, but his attention to each
of these groups is spread rather thin.
He covers a large number of topics in
each chapter, briefly presenting basic concepts that are found in most
ecology texts and integrating them
with current environmental issues
and concerns. For example, the chapter "Material Cycles and Physical
Existence" presents 29 topics, ranging from the basics of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur cycles to paper
recycling, toxic wastes, and sustainable tillage. Given such a large number of topics and their brief treatment, true understanding of the
information will require additional
explanation by the instructor or further study by the student. Odum's
recommendation that the prologue,
the first three chapters, and the epilogue be used as a citizen's guide is
quite appropriate. It is doubtful,
however, whether the average concerned citizen would find the intervening chapters to be of interest or use.
The framework within which each
author presents ecological and environmental information is introduced
at the beginning of each book. Odum
devotes his prologue and first three
chapters to developing the concept
of Earth as a life-support system, with
interesting analogies to some aspects
of Apollo 13 and the Biosphere-2
project. In chapter 1, Odum discusses
Earth in terms of its three major environments-developed, cultivated, and
natural-with the first system being
a parasite on the other two systems,
which, in turn, comprise the earth's
life-support systems. In chapter 2,
the focus is on levels of ecological
organization and the emergent properties of ecological organization that
are critical to a holistic understanding of ecology. Basic concepts and
components of ecosystems are introduced in chapter 3, with a continued
emphasis on human activities and
their influence on the environment.
By contrast, McConnell develops
his text within the framework of the
history of human interactions with
the environment. He devotes the first
of his 15 topics to the history of such
interactions in the United States, including the history of environmental
legislation. At the beginning of each
topic, McConnell provides a set of
statistics that illustrate current environmental trends in human-environment interactions that are relevant
to the topic and that are likely to
stimulate the reader's concern and
interest. He also provides an introduction to each topic, often with
reference to important historical developments.
In accordance with the different
approaches and goals of the two
authors, the bulk of Odum's text
also contrasts with that of McConnell's. In chapters 4-8, Odum presents basic ecological concepts and
technical information. He begins
with the study of energetics, identifying energy as a common denominator of life on Earth. He also explains energy as the link between
ecosystems and economics, discussing the costs of energy subsidies (e.g.,
fertilizers, pesticides, genetic selection) and of money as a counterflow
to energy. Subseq uen t cha pters cover
BioScience Vol. 48 No. 10
basic information about such subjects as cycling of materials, population and community ecology, development and evolution of ecosystems,
and major ecosystem types of the
world.
Each of Odum's chapters emphasizes the integration of ecology with
economics, politics, and culture, albeit to different degrees. Examples
of current environmental issues at
the regional and global level are used
appropriately to illustrate the relevance of ecology to human affairs.
The Love Canal incident in New
York State and the kepone poisoning of the James River, for example,
are used to illustrate how media coverage can alter public perception,
which, in turn, can result in legislation and economic incentives that
reduce the industrial use of toxic
substances. Odum's chapters are information packed, like those of most
ecology textbooks. A new and at
least equally important dimension to
the study of ecology is added, however, by Odum's continual demonstration of the intimate relationships
between ecology and society.
McConnell's text focuses strictly
on discussion of environmental issues. His selection of articles, ranging from opinion-based classics (e.g.,
Aldo Leopold's "Land Ethic") to
more current fact- and data-based
articles (e.g., David Pimentel et al.'s
"Environmental and Economic Costs
of Soil Erosion and Conservation
Benefits"), is conducive to discussions from varying perspectives .
Most of his topics focus on abiotic
components of ecosystems, including air, water, ozone, soil, land use,
natural disasters, and nuclear power,
and on their relationships with human socioeconomic and political
concerns. An exception is Topic 4, in
which McConnell indirectly addresses extinction of species through
discussion of the Endangered Species Act. Both McConnell and Odum
repeatedly point out the need for
accurate assessment of the economic
value of environmental resources and
processes, including the cleaning of
air and water and the true economic
cost of human activities relative to the
value of environmental resources. Like
Odum, McConnell appropriately includes regional and global perspectives on environmental issues by us-
October 1998
ing examples from around the world.
The basic content of each text is
supplemented in diverse ways to enhance understanding of the topics
presented. For example, at the end of
each topic, McConnell gives a series
of questions useful for discussion
and written assignments. He also
suggests interesting and feasible
projects through which students can
become actively engaged in assessing
an environmental issue in their local
geographic region. Odum supplements his written text with black
and white photographs, flow diagrams, graphs and tables of data,
commentary boxes, and suggested
readings. The pictures and diagrams
have little aesthetic appeal, perhaps
to minimize production costs. Nevertheless, the diagrams are well designed. Odum's frequent use of flow
diagrams emphasizes the utility of
models and the interconnections
within ecosystems and among ecosystems and human activities. The
commentary boxes in each chapter
allow Odum to present thought-provoking data, observations, and philosophies. Many of these commentaries would be useful for discussion
and assignment purposes . At the end
of each chapter is an extensive list of
current sugge sted readings, which
are quite helpful in updating the
reader on new ecological concepts
and approaches.
The goals of each author are best
exemplified by their respective final
chapters. Within the framework of
an epilogue, Odum leaves behind the
humdrum of basic textbook information and articulates his sincere
and scientifically based concerns and
approaches for th e future. His views
are comprehensive, including the
need to change our view of the role
of humans on the earth (i.e., from
dominion to stewardship), the contrasting goals of economic growth
and economic development, the need
to regulate inputs rather than outputs, the importance of expanding
ethics to include concern for lifesupport systems, and the development of "holoeconomics" that include cultural and environmental
values. Odum's concepts are indeed
progressive and critical to the study
of ecology in today's world.
McConnell also concludes his
book with a look toward the future,
using the topic of climate change to
integrate major themes and concepts
presented throughout the text. He
again takes a historical perspective,
explaining how changes in long-term
climate patterns influenced the distribution of past civilizations and
how the activities of modern societies are now contributing to changes in
global climate patterns. Drawn into
the concluding topic are aspects of
previous discussions of population
growth, land use, fossil fuels, wetlands, species extinction rates, and
air pollution. Economic and political
interests, societal attitudes, and personal responsibility are all presented
as factors that will determine the longterm effect of human activities on
the environment and our future.
The education of citizens who are
globally aware, active, and accountable will be furthered through the
use of textbooks such as Odum's and
McConnell's. Both authors have
rightfully determined that to address
ecology and environmental issues
effectively, a textbook must emphasize integrated discussions of cultural,
political, and economic influences.
TERRY L. DERTING
Murray State University
Department of Biological Sciences
P. O. Box 9
Murray, KY 42071-0009
EVOLVING APPROACHES TO
ANIMAL BEHAVIOR
Animal Behavior: An Evolutionary Approach. 6th ed. John Alcock. Sinauer
Associates, Sunderland, MA, 1998.
640 pp., illus. $54.95 (ISBN0-87893009-4 cloth).
Few people have taken courses in
animal behavior over the last twenty
years without encountering one of
John Alcock's editions of Animal
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