ABSTRACT
So far, this book has described the effects of pollutants on individual organisms, and Chapter 11 described methods of collecting data on populations in the field. In this chapter, we consider the uses to which population data may be put, how they should be analysed and the interpretations that may be made as to cause and effect. The first five sections of the chapter are an exposition of population ecology theory, and some readers will find this quite heavy going. An attractive route for those encountering this material for the first time may be to begin by reading the case studies in section 12.6.
