In this Book
University of California Press
- Evolution's Wedge: Competition and the Origins of Diversity
- Book
- 2012
- Published by: University of California Press
- Series: Organisms and Environments
summary
Evolutionary biology has long sought to explain how new traits and new species arise. Darwin maintained that competition is key to understanding this biodiversity and held that selection acting to minimize competition causes competitors to become increasingly different, thereby promoting new traits and new species. Despite Darwin’s emphasis, competition’s role in diversification remains controversial and largely underappreciated.
In their synthetic and provocative book, evolutionary ecologists David and Karin Pfennig explore competition's role in generating and maintaining biodiversity. The authors discuss how selection can lessen resource competition or costly reproductive interactions by promoting trait evolution through a process known as character displacement. They further describe character displacement’s underlying genetic and developmental mechanisms. The authors then consider character displacement’s myriad downstream effects, ranging from shaping ecological communities to promoting new traits and new species and even fueling large-scale evolutionary trends. Drawing on numerous studies from natural populations, and written for a broad audience, Evolution’s Wedge seeks to inspire future research into character displacement’s many implications for ecology and evolution.
In their synthetic and provocative book, evolutionary ecologists David and Karin Pfennig explore competition's role in generating and maintaining biodiversity. The authors discuss how selection can lessen resource competition or costly reproductive interactions by promoting trait evolution through a process known as character displacement. They further describe character displacement’s underlying genetic and developmental mechanisms. The authors then consider character displacement’s myriad downstream effects, ranging from shaping ecological communities to promoting new traits and new species and even fueling large-scale evolutionary trends. Drawing on numerous studies from natural populations, and written for a broad audience, Evolution’s Wedge seeks to inspire future research into character displacement’s many implications for ecology and evolution.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- Table of Contents
- pp. v-viii
- Chapter 6. Ecological Consequences
- pp. 133-156
- Chapter 7. Sexual Selection
- pp. 157-178
- Chapter 8. Speciation
- pp. 179-204
- Chapter 9. Macroevolution
- pp. 205-232
- References
- pp. 243-290
- Production Notes
- p. 319
Additional Information
ISBN
9780520954045
Related ISBN(s)
9780520274181
MARC Record
OCLC
834914469
Pages
320
Launched on MUSE
2014-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No