Arctic field experience
As an Oxford student, Elton joined expeditions to Spitsbergen in 1921, 1923 and 1924. Observing animals in the field helped shape the ecological questions he pursued throughout his career.
Populations and communities
Animal Ecology appeared in 1927 and examined animals within communities, including their numerical structure. His work on fluctuations among northern mammals led to Voles, Mice and Lemmings: Problems in Population Dynamics (1942).
References: [1]
The Bureau of Animal Population
Elton established the Bureau of Animal Population at Oxford in 1932 and directed it until retirement in 1967. His surviving field notes from 1942–1965 record dates, places, weather and observations in the Wytham area and surrounding counties, providing a record for comparison over time.
References: [2]
Biological invasions
The Ecology of Invasions by Animals and Plants (1958) gave biological invasions a sustained ecological treatment. His studies also developed community-oriented ideas about niches and pyramids of numbers, alongside work on conservation.
References: [1]