Aspects of the Genesis and Maintenance of Biological Diversity [Hardcover]

This book is a unique collection of evolutionary and ecological perspectives in the study of biodiversity. The book traces past landmarks, current questions, and future trends in biodiversity research ranging from the evaluation of the fossil record and molecular phylogenies in looking at the genesis of diversity to population, community, and ecosystem-level approaches in understanding patterns of species persistence. Subject reviews, case studies, and discussions of techniques are combined to produce a state-of-the-art volume that will be welcomed by students and researchers in fields related to biodiversity, as well as staffs of zoos and botanical gardens.

Introduction
PART I: Evolution: Patterns and Processes
1. Diversity in the past: comparing cladistic phylogenies and stratigraphy
2. What can phylogenetic patterns tell us about the evolutionary processes generating biodiversity?
3. New computer packages for analysing phylogenetic tree structure
4. Is it ancient or modern history that we can read in the genes?
5. Evolution of adaptive polymorphism in spatially heterogeneous environments
PART II: Ecology: From populations to communities to ecosystems
6. Local diversity: a problem with too many solutions
7. The population dynamics of single host - multiparasitoid interactions
8. Structural constraints on food web assembly
9. Trophic interactions, nutrient supply, and the structure of freshwater pelagic food webs
10. Linking communities and ecosystems: trophic interactions as nutrient cycling pathways
PART III: Large scale diversity patterns and conservation
11. Does climate cause the biodiversity gradient?
12. Spatial covariance in the species richness of higher taxa
13. Biodiversity of parasites in relation to their life-cycle
14. Biodiversity value and taxonomic relatedness
15. Utilizing genetic information in plant conservation programmes
16. EsselÓ1