Thoughts of a travelling ecologist 13.Numbers,rates,ecology

Numbers and rates are important in ecology.I almost hear you say:"Ehem,and what's news in this?Have you never seen an insect outbreak and its following collapse?"So the starting statement may seem either pompous but obvious,or sneakily provocative,so that I could lament about the lack of mathematical lit-

Numbers and rates are important in ecology.I almost hear you say：＂Ehem,and what＇s news in this？Have you never seen an insect outbreak and its following collapse？＂So the starting statement may seem either pompous but obvious,or sneakily provocative.