Overview

The astounding breadth of diversity of life on earth intrigues and amazes many people, while the future of world biodiversity is a cause for widespread concern. Within the current context of global interest in biological diversity, this is a timely review of the most recent research into the evolutionary origins of biological diversity and the processes of speciation, from a stellar cast of contributors. Recent studies have discovered considerable genetic and morphological variation both between and within populations of the same species. Yet the relation between this intraspecific variation and the processes of speciation remains poorly understood. When, how, and why do new species arise? The chapters in this book explore the question of how variation arises within species; some emphasize the ecological and behavioural basis of differentiation; others argue for the role of natural selection in generating speciation. Several chapters focus on the important emerging links between sexual selection, sexual conflict, and population differentiation. The final chapters of the book take a broader perspective on the question, and explore the fossil record for data on the origination of species diversity - and extinctions - in the past. This book is a must-have for all researchers and graduate students in the biological sciences who want to be abreast of the latest thinking on the evolution of biological diversity.

Full Product Details

Author:   Anne Magurran (School of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, School of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, University of St Andrews) ,  Robert M. May (Department of Zoology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press
Imprint:   Oxford University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.50cm , Height: 2.00cm , Length: 23.30cm
Weight:   0.540kg
ISBN:  

9780198503040

ISBN 10:   0198503040
Pages:   341
Publication Date:   15 April 1999
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order  
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

Robert May: Introduction 1: Coyne and Orr: The evolutionary genetics of speciation 2: Tregenza and Butlin: Genetic diversity: Do market genes tell us the whole story? 3: Harwood and Amos: Genetic diversity in natural populations 4: Skulason, Snorrason, and Jonsson: Sympatric morphs, populations, and speciation in freshwater fish with emphsis on arctic charr 5: Price: Sexual selection and natural selection in bird speciation 6: Turner: Explosive speciation of African cichlid fishes 7: Partridge and Parker: Sexual conflict and speciation 8: Magurran: Population differentiation without speciation 9: Tautz and Schmid: From genes to individuals - Developmental genes and the generation of the phenotype 10: Barraclough, Vogler, and Harvey: Revealing the factors that promote speciation 11: Gould: Gulliver's further travels: The necessity and difficulty of a hierarchical theory of selection 12: Gaston and Chown: Geographic range size and speciation 13: Sepkoski: Rates of speciation in the fossil record 14: Conway Morris: The evolution of diversity in ancient ecosystems: A review

Reviews

...'an excellent introduction to the topic... This refreshing text is highly recommended for graduate students and those who wish to keep up to date with the most recent research into the origins of biological diversity from genes to species' Biologist '... an excellent compilation of views of speciation and biodiversity...I would describe it as essential reading for anyone with an interest in speciation' The Genetical Society of Great Britain '... an excellent summary... It is this diversity of approaches that makes this book worth reading; in very few texts do we find such a range of up to date reviews of a subject that should be of interested to all ecologists and evolutionary biologists... This refreshing text is highly recommended for graduate students and those who wish to keep up to date with the most recent research into the origins of biological diversity from genes to species' Biologist

Author Information

Anne Magurran is Professor of Ecology and Evolution at the University of St Andrews. Tel. 01334 463506 Fax. 01334 463600 Email: aem1@st-andrews.ac.uk Sir Bob May is Chief Scientific Advisor to the Government, and is based at the Department of Zoology, University of Oxford.

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