ANIMALS AND THEIR NICHES: How Species Share Resources

By defining key words clearly and arranging the increasingly complex relationships carefully, Pringle has produced a fine introduction to food use in animals habitats. Without oversimplifying or needlessly repeating information, he provides several examples of competition and co-existence and identifies the scientists whose research is represented in each chapter. For example, in describing MacArthur's study of warblers in New England evergreen forests, he includes data on each of five species and observations on nest sites and overlapping feeding zones--an involved set-up made accessible via precise, selective detail. Moving gradually from two species of grain beetles and three kinds of garter snakes through more intricate patterns among minnows, warblers, and desert rodents to a brief indication of the Serengeti's elaborate system, this is most satisfying for those first looking at natural connections.