“精要速览系列(Instant Notes Series)”是国外教材“Best Seller”榜的上榜教材。该系列结构新颖，视角独特；重点明确，脉络分明；图表简明清晰；英文自然易懂，被国内多所重点院校选用作为双语教材。先锋版是继“现代生物学精要速览”之后推出的跨学科的升级版本。
本书是该系统中的《生态学(第二版)》分册，全书共24章，介绍了环境中各因素的作用、种群生态学、生物竞争、寄生和互生、群落和群落动力学等，新版在第一版的基础上内容进行了全面修订和扩充、增加了该领域的最新发展和前沿。
本书是指导大学生快速掌握生态学和环境科学基础知识的优秀教材，也是辅助教师授课的极佳教学参考书，同时可供相关专业的研究生参考。

Abbreviations
Preface
Section A-Introduction to ecology
A1 What is ecology?
A2 Ten rules in ecology
Section B-Adaptation to the enbironment
B1 Adaptation
B2 Coping with environmental variation
B3 The niche
Section C-Climate
C1 Solar radiation and climate
C2 Microclimate
Section D-Water
D1 The properties of water
D2 Plants and water
D3 Animals and water
Section E-Temperature
E1 Temperature and metabolism
E2 Responses to temperature
E3 Temperature and species distribution
Section F-Radiation
F1 Solar radiation and plants
Section G-Nutrients
G1 Sources and cycles
G2 Plants and consumers
G3 Soil formation,properties and classification
Section H-Population ecology
H1 Populations and population structure
H2 Natality,mortality and population structure
H3 Density and density dependence
H4 Population dynamics-fluctuations,cycles and chaos
Section I-Competition
I1 The nature of competition
I2 Intraspecific competition
I3 Resource partitioning
Section J-Predation
J1 The nature of predation
J2 Predator behavior and prey response
Section K-Parasitism
K1 The nature of parasitism
K2 The dynamics of parasitism
Section L-Mutualism
L1 Mutualism
Section M-Life history patterns
M1 Life history
Section N-Behavioral ecology
N1 Social groups,cooperation and altruism
N2 Sex in ecology
Section O-Population genetics
O1 Genetic variation
O2 Speciation
Section P-Ecosystem processes
P1 Components and processes
P2 Primary and secondary production
P3 Food chains
Section Q-Communities
Q1 The community,structure and stability
Q2 Island communities and colonization
Q3 Community patterns,competition and predation
Section R-Community dynamics
R1 Succession
R2 Community responses to disturbance
Section S-Biomes
S1 Ecosystem patterns
S2 Grasslands
S3 Tundra
S4 Forests
S5 Deserts,semi-deserts and shrubland
S6 Saltwater biomes
S7 Freshwater biomes
Section T-Harvesting
T1 Harvesting theory
T2 Fishing and whaling
Section U-Pest control
U1 The pest problem and control strategies
U2 Pesticides and problems
U3 Biological control and integrated pest management
Section V-Conservation
V1 Rare species,habitat loss and extinction
V2 Conservation strategies
V3 Biological resources and gene banks
Section W-Pollution and global warming
W1 Air,water and soil pollutants
W2 Greenhouse gases and golbal warming
W3 Ozone
Section X-The ecology of agriculture
X1 Soil erosion and agriculture
X2 Nutrient,water and energy use
Further reading
Index