Evolution's wedge : competition and the origins of diversity / David W. Pfennig, Karin S. Pfennig.

Author
Pfennig, David W. (David William), 1955- [Browse]
Format
Book
Language
English
Published/​Created
Berkeley : University of California Press, ©2012.
Description
xiv, 303 pages : illustrations, map ; 26 cm

Availability

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Lewis Library - Stacks QH408 .P44 2012 Browse related items Request

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    Series
    Summary note
    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.
    Bibliographic references
    Includes bibliographical references (p. 243-290) and index.
    Contents
    • Discovery of a unifying principle
    • Why character displacement occurs
    • When character displacement occurs
    • How character displacement unfolds
    • Diversity and novelty within species
    • Ecological consequences
    • Sexual selection
    • Speciation
    • Macroevolution
    • Major themes and unresolved problems.
    ISBN
    • 9780520274181 ((cloth ; : alk. paper))
    • 0520274180 ((cloth ; : alk. paper))
    LCCN
    2012009564
    OCLC
    793222012
    Other standard number
    • 40021537708
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