Aspects of the Genesis and Maintenance of Biological Diversity

About this book

Presents a unique collection of evolutionary and ecological perspectives in the study of biodiversity. The book traces past landmarks, current questions, and future trends in biodiversity research ranging from the roles of the fossil record and molecular phylogenies in untangling the genesis of diversity, to population, community, and ecosystem-level approaches in understanding patterns of species persistence.

Contents

Introduction; Overview of Part 1: Evolution: Patterns and Processes; 1. Diversity in the past: comparing cladistic phylogenies and stratigraphy; 2. What can phylogenetic patterns tell us about the evolutionary processes generating biodiversity?; 3. New computer packages for analysing phylogenetic tree structure; 4. Is it ancient or modern history that we can read in the genes?; 5. Evolution of adaptive polymorphism in spatially heterogeneous environments; Overview of Part 2: Ecology: From populations to communities to ecosystems; 6. Local diversity: a problem with too many solutions; 7. The population dynamics of single host - multiparasitoid interactions; 8. Structural constraints on food web assembly; 9. Trophic interactions, nutrient supply, and the structure of freshwater pelagic food webs; 10. Linking communities and ecosystems: trophic interactions as nutrient cycling pathways; Overview of Part 3: Large scale diversity patterns and conservation; 11. Does climate cause the biodiversity gradient?; 12. Spatial covariance in the species richness of higher taxa; BIODIVERSITY OF PARASITES IN RELATION TO THEIR LIFE-CYCLE; 14. Biodiversity value and taxonomic relatedness; 15. Utilizing genetic information in plant conservation programmes; 16. Essential ingredients of real metapopulations, exemplified by the butterfly Plebejus argus; Index

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