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Traditional ecological approaches to species evolution have frequently studied too few species, relatively small areas, and relatively short time spans. In The Coevolutionary Process, John N. Thompson advances a new conceptual approach to the evolution of species interactions--the geographic mosaic theory of coevolution. Thompson demonstrates how an integrated study of life histories, genetics, and the geographic structure of populations yields a broader understanding of coevolution, or the development of reciprocal adaptations and specializations in interdependent species.

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 bridges the gap 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.

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Part I The Entangled Bank
• 1 Specialization within Darwin's Entangled Bank
• 2 From the Entangled Bank to the Evolutionary Synthesis
• 3 Specialization and Coevolution since the Evolutionary Synthesis
• Part II The Evolution of Specialization
• 4 Phylogeny of Specialization
• 5 Evolutionary Genetics of Specialization
• 6 Ontogeny of Specialization
• Part III Natural Selection and the Geographic Structure of Specialization
• 7 Why Parasitism is Special
• 8 Choosing among Multiple Victims
• 9 Coping with Multiple Enemies: The Geography of Defense
• 10 Extreme Specialization in Mutualists
• 11 Further Limitations on Specialization in Mutualisms
• Part IV Specialization and Coevolution
• 12 Genetics of Coevolution
• 13 The Geographic Mosaic Theory of Coevolution
• 14 Diversifying Coevolution
• 15 Asymmetries in Specialization and Coevolution
• 16 Pushing the Limits of Coevolution

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CHOICE Review

By drawing together a wide range of examples of how organisms interact, Thompson makes great progress in firming up our view of coevolutionary change, diffuse coevolution, the evolution of specialization, and the limits of coevolution in shaping nature. Unfortunately, the resulting structure is inelegant. There are few insightful generalizations, few aspects of coevolution that could be called beautiful, and few firm foundations for future speculation. This is certainly not the fault of Thompson, but rather a reflection of the complexity of modern biology. As a consequence, this book is less valuable as an integrated whole than as a source for particularly good natural history examples and interesting analytical techniques. This does not greatly diminish the book's value (since there are few as knowledgeable as Thompson on the subject), but it does make the book difficult to read. On the bright side, the 800-plus-entry bibliography is worth owning if only as an annotated listing of literature. The index is large and well organized and the book itself is well laid out. Despite the impossibility of a simple coevolutionary synthesis, this book will greatly influence the development of the field. Upper-division undergraduate through faculty. G. Stevens; University of New Mexico