The Basics of Selection [Paperback]

This new textbook for students taking courses in evolution is addressed to one of the most difficult questions evolutionary biology, that of selection. Covering both artificial and natural selection, the author has written a short, readable text that will appeal to students and professionals alike. how the nature of the process determines the nature of evolutionary change.Simple selection; Selection on a single character; Single episode of selection; Selection of pre-existing variation; Continued selection; The evolution of novelty; Selection on several characters; Selection acting on different components of fitness; Selection in several environments; Selection acting at different levels; Autoselection; Elements that utilize existing modes of transmission; Elements that modify existing modes of transmission; Social selection; Selection within a single uniform population; Density-dependent selection; Selection within a single diverse population; frequency dependent selection; Selection among populations; Kin selection and group selection; Coevolution; Sexual selection....readers will expect and find erudition, breadth, unusual diversity of examples and good writing in his latest works...students who want to strip evolution of all else and concentrate on its special moulding force, selection, can do no better than start with Bell's short book. - Nature, Vol. 384, 12/96; I recommend the book to anyone interested in almost any aspect of natural selection and its importance in evolution. - Science, August 1997Springer Book Archives