• Description
• Images (1)
• Contents
• Write a review

Advanced a conceptual approach to the evolution of species interactions - the geographic mosaic theory of coevolution. Using examples of species interactions from an enormous range of taxa, Thompson examines how and when extreme specialization evolves in interdependent species and how geographic differences in specialization, adaptation, and the outcomes of interactions shape coevolution. Through the geographic mosaic theory, Thompson creates connections between the study of specialization and coevolution in local communities and the study of broader patterns seen in comparisons of the phylogenies of interacting species. Thus in one volume Thompson has overcome many of the problems associated with this discipline - chiefly, too few species and areas covered, and short time spans, and provided a valuable addition, not only to evolutionary biology, but also to plant and animal ecology, animal behaviour, and conservation biology.