Big Questions in Ecology and Evolution

by Thomas N. Sherratt, David M. Wilkinson

Overview

Why do we age? Why cooperate? Why do so many species engage in sex? Why do the tropics have so many species? When did humans start to affect world climate? This book provides an introduction to a range of fundamental questions that have taxed evolutionary biologists and ecologists for decades. Some of the phenomena discussed are, on first reflection, simply puzzling to understand from an evolutionary perspective, whilst others have direct implications for the future of the planet. All of the questions posed have at least a partial solution, all have seen exciting breakthroughs in recent years, yet many of the explanations continue to be hotly debated. Big Questions in Ecology and Evolution is a curiosity-driven book, written in an accessible way so as to appeal to a broad audience. It is very deliberately not a formal text book, but something designed to transmit the excitement and breadth of the field by discussing a number of major questions in ecology and evolution and how they have been answered. This is a book aimed at informing and inspiring anybody with an interest in ecology and evolution. It reveals to the reader the immense scope of the field, its fundamental importance, and the exciting breakthroughs that have been made in recent years.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780191037542
Publisher:	OUP Oxford
Publication date:	02/19/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Prof. Tom Sherratt has authored and co-authored over 90 scientific publications in evolution and ecology, including several papers in Nature. Co-author of an earlier book for Oxford University Press on anti-predator defence, and an Associate Editor of The American Naturalist, Tom has a wide range of teaching and research interests, especially in entomology and evolutionary theory. Dr Dave Wilkinson has authored and co-authored over 80 scientific publications in biology, environmental science, archaeology and the history of science. He authored a previous award winning book for Oxford University Press,"Fundamental Processes in Ecology; an Earth systems approach". He has wide research and teaching interests in biology and environmental sciences.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Acknowledgements xiii

1 Why Do We Age? 1

2 Why Sex? 25

3 Why Cooperate? 49

4 Why Species? 71

5 Why are the Tropics so Diverse? 99

6 Is Nature Chaotic? 125

7 Why is the World Green? 149

8 Why is the Sea Blue? 171

9 When did We Start to Change Things? 187

10 How will the Biosphere End? 213

11 General Conclusions 229

Species List 233

Glossary 237

The Geological Time Scale 246

Bibliography 249

Index 287

Editorial Reviews

"It is perhaps both frustrating and fascinating that long-standing questions — such as Why Sex?, Why Do We Age?, Why Cooperate?, Why is the World Green?, and Why are the Tropics so Diverse? — do not have completely solid answers. But clearly much has been learned in the attempts to pin these questions down and lay them open to empirical attack. This feeling comes through in this book by Thomas Sherratt and David Wilkinson. They do a brilliant job. The authors show a special gift for getting directly to the crux of the conceptual biscuit, and then walking their readers through the theoretical and empirical nuances."—The Quarterly Review of Biology

"The serious fun of Big Questions in Ecology and Evolution comes from considering the child-like "why?" Unlike the average responses to questions posed by children, here Sherratt and Wilkinson offer answers as good as science currently can deliver. The chapters on topics with which I was familiar I found well written, and those I knew nothing about beforehand were eye-opening."—Science

"Paul Colinvauz's 1978 book Why Big Fierce Animals are Rare was the inspiration for this book. The authors have not tried to write an update of Colinvaux's book but rather to follow its example of asking current big questions but on a wider topic - including evolutionary ecology. And the answer is there there is no simple over-arching answer; an important lesson for students to learn - that ecological and evolutionary answers are often not clear cut and it is about weighing up which factors have what effect. Not a light read, but well worth spending time with."—Bulletin of the British Ecological Society"

From the Publisher