Evolution of Biological Diversity

About this book

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 including Simon Conway-Morris, Stephen Jay Gould, and Sir Robert May. 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 explore how fossil record throws light on species diversity and extinction. An essential book for researchers and graduate students wishing to keep abreast of the latest thinking on the evolution of biological diversity.

Contents

Introduction; 1. The evolutionary genetics of speciation; 2. Genetic diversity: Do market genes tell us the whole story?; 3. Genetic diversity in natural populations; 4. Sympatric morphs, populations, and speciation in freshwater fish with emphsis on arctic charr; 5. Sexual selection and natural selection in bird speciation; 6. Explosive speciation of African cichlid fishes; 7. Sexual conflict and speciation; 8. Population differentiation without speciation; 9. From genes to individuals - Developmental genes and the generation of the phenotype; 10. Revealing the factors that promote speciation; 11. Gulliver's further travels: The necessity and difficulty of a hierarchical theory of selection; 12. Geographic range size and speciation; 13. Rates of speciation in the fossil record; 14. The evolution of diversity in ancient ecosystems: A review

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