Ecology for Gardeners. Dieser Artikel ist nicht verfügbar.Ecology for Gardeners

Even a relatively small garden is a miniature ecosystem. It includes a surprising diversity of organisms that interact in a myriad of ways. Some are permanent residents, others come and go in search of a meal or a mate. An insect feeding on a garden plant is simultaneously hunted by predators and weakened by parasites; it competes with other herbivores for choice food plants; it is hindered in its feeding by the plants' chemical and physical defenses; and it challenges other members of its species for the best mates and locations for egg-laying. Ecologists Carroll and Salt argue that the more completely we understand these interactions, the better gardeners we become. The authors cite hundreds of examples drawn from personal experience and from literature on gardening and ecology.

Steven B. Carroll is a Master Gardener and the director of public programs at the State Arboretum of Virginia, located outside of Winchester, Virginia. He is particularly interested in gardens as habitats for plants and animals such as pollinators and herbivores. He recently established a community garden at the arboretum, and he works in his gardens at home when he finds the time. Steven D. Salt holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry and microbiology and teaches college and university courses. He lives on Green Valley Farm in the forested hills of north-central Missouri, where he and his family raise vegetables, herbs, small fruits, and flowers that they sell at farmers' markets. Steve has written articles and given public presentations on vegetable and herb growing, small farm tools and techniques, and rural social issues.