Adaptive radiation is the evolution of diversity within a rapidly multiplying lineage. It can cause a single ancestral species to differentiate into an impressively vast array of species inhabiting a variety of environments. Much of life's diversity has arisen during adaptive radiations. Some of the most famous recent examples include the East African cichlid fishes, the Hawaiian silverswords, and of course, Darwin's Galapagos finches,. This book evaluates the causes of adaptive radiation. It focuses on the 'ecological' theory of adaptive radiation, a body of ideas that began with Darwin and was developed through the early part of the 20th Century. This theory proposes that phenotypic divergence and speciation in adaptive radiation are caused ultimately by divergent natural selection arising from differences in environment and competition between species. In The Ecology of Adaptive Radiation the author re-evaluates the ecological theory, along with its most significant extensions and challenges, in the light of all the recent evidence. This important book is the first full exploration of the causes of adaptive radiation to be published for decades, written by one of the world's best young evolutionary biologists.

Author Biography

Dolph Schluter is Professor of Zoology at the University of British Columbia, Canada. The recipient of several awards and fellowships, in 1997 he was given the President's Award of the American Society of Naturalists, and in 1999 he was made a fellow of the Royal Society of London. Professor Dolph Schluter Zoology Department University of British Columbia 6270 University Boulevard Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4 Canada 1-604-822-2387 (tel) 1-604- 822-2416 (fax) schluter@zoology.ubc.ca