Biology 2e is designed to cover the scope and sequence requirements of a typical two-semester biology course for science majors. The text provides comprehensive coverage of foundational research and core biology concepts through an evolutionary lens. Biology includes rich features that engage students in scientific inquiry, highlight careers in the biological sciences, and offer everyday applications. The book also includes various types of practice and homework questions that help students understand—and apply—key concepts. The 2nd edition has been revised to incorporate clearer, more current, and more dynamic explanations, while maintaining the same organization as the first edition. Art and illustrations have been substantially improved, and the textbook features additional assessments and related resources.

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Define ecology and the four basic levels of ecological research
Describe examples of the ways in which ecology requires the integration of different scientific disciplines
Distinguish between abiotic and biotic components of the environment
Recognize the relationship between abiotic and biotic components of the environment

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Explain the characteristics of and differences between exponential and logistic growth patterns
Give examples of exponential and logistic growth in natural populations
Describe how natural selection and environmental adaptation led to the evolution of particular life history patterns

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Discuss exponential human population growth
Explain how humans have expanded the carrying capacity of their habitat
Relate population growth and age structure to the level of economic development in different countries
Discuss the long-term implications of unchecked human population growth

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Describe how life history patterns are influenced by natural selection
Explain different life history patterns and how different reproductive strategies affect species’ survival

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Describe how ecologists measure population size and density
Describe three different patterns of population distribution
Use life tables to calculate mortality rates
Describe the three types of survivorship curves and relate them to specific populations

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Give examples of how the carrying capacity of a habitat may change
Compare and contrast density-dependent growth regulation and density-independent growth regulation, giving examples
Give examples of exponential and logistic growth in wild animal populations
Describe how natural selection and environmental adaptation leads to the evolution of particular life-history patterns

Biology is designed for multi-semester biology courses for science majors. It is grounded on an evolutionary basis and includes exciting features that highlight careers in the biological sciences and everyday applications of the concepts at hand. To meet the needs of today’s instructors and students, some content has been strategically condensed while maintaining the overall scope and coverage of traditional texts for this course. Instructors can customize the book, adapting it to the approach that works best in their classroom. Biology also includes an innovative art program that incorporates critical thinking and clicker questions to help students understand—and apply—key concepts.

Paul Andersen explains how population ecology studies the density, distribution, size, sex ration, and age structure of populations. Intrinsic growth rate and exponential growth calculations are included along with a discussion of logistic growth. Utilize the associated concept map and video. [12:10]

In the following video, Evan Seimann, PhD, defines key terms and concepts of ecology, basic characteristics of populations, population age structures and densities, and explains the dynamics of growth models within a population. [22:59]