Aspects of the Genesis and Maintenance of Biological Diversity

This volume provides a transect of some of the most important and interesting topics in current biodiversity research, across the range of evolutionary biology, population and community ecology, and conservation. Each of the three main sections begins with an overview highlighting the larger themes. Of interest to all whose work touches on biodiversity issues.

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This book is a unique collection of evolutionary and ecological perspectives in the study of biodiversity by some of the leading researchers in the field. The seventeen chapters are divided into three sections, each section beginning with an overview of its contents. The book traces past landmarks, current questions, and future trends in biodiversity reseach ranging from the evaluation 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; and finally to large-scale diversity patterns and species conservation. Subject reviews, case-studies, and discussions of techniques are combined to produce a state-of-the-art book.