Overview

Adaptive radiation is the evolution of diversity within a rapidly multiplying lineage. It can cause a single ancestral species to differentiate into an impressively vast array of species inhabiting a variety of environments. Much of life's diversity has arisen during adaptive radiations. Some of the most famous recent examples include the East African cichlid fishes, the Hawaiian silverswords, and of course, Darwin's Galápagos finches,. This book evaluates the causes of adaptive radiation. It focuses on the 'ecological' theory of adaptive radiation, a body of ideas that began with Darwin and was developed through the early part of the 20th Century. This theory proposes that phenotypic divergence and speciation in adaptive radiation are caused ultimately by divergent natural selection arising from differences in environment and competition between species. In The Ecology of Adaptive Radiation the author re-evaluates the ecological theory, along with its most significant extensions and challenges, in the light of all the recent evidence. This important book is the first full exploration of the causes of adaptive radiation to be published for decades, written by one of the world's best young evolutionary biologists.

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9780198505235

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[Schluter's] book is an ideal basis for graduate student seminar courses, and can both educate and spark spirited discussion ... finely crafted, deeply thoughtful. Evolution ... a scholarly work of great clarity and force of argument. It is essential reading for all students of evolution ... a book that will take its place near the ones by Dobzhansky, Lack, Mayr and Simpson that inspired it. Peter R. Grant, Quarterly Review of Biology ... in each decade, one book stands out in terms of its influence on the field of evolutionary biology ... Although only one-year old, this decade might have already produced its member of this pantheon: Dolph Schluter The Ecology of Adaptive Radiation ... it will lead to new avenues of research and new ways of thinking about adaptive radiation. Jonathan B. Losos, Trends in Ecology and Evolution ... presents and impressively thorough evaluation of the empirical evidence that has accumulated since Simpson's snythesis...an absolute must read for all graduate students in the fields of ecology and evolution and for anyone interested in evolutionary diversity. It will become a classic. Axel Meyer, Science ... should be read and regularly consulted by anybody interested in adaptive radiation, in natural selection, and in speciation. Konrad Bachmann, Plant Systematics and Evolution

Author Information

Dolph Schluter is Professor of Zoology at the University of British Columbia, Canada. The recipient of several awards and fellowships, in 1997 he was given the President's Award of the American Society of Naturalists, and in 1999 he was made a fellow of the Royal Society of London. Professor Dolph Schluter Zoology Department University of British Columbia 6270 University Boulevard Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4 Canada 1-604-822-2387 (tel) 1-604- 822-2416 (fax) schluter@zoology.ubc.ca

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