Synopses & Reviews
Review
"Ernst Mayr not only ranks among the great evolutionary biologists of this century; he is also one of the best writers. This collection is of lasting importance."
--E. O. Wilson"Mayr has shown himself to be a true follower of Darwin, Wallace, and Huxley. His writings are lively and critical, and they provide remarkable insight into the development of the field."
--Peter H. Raven, Science"The range of topics covered in these essays is awesome when one realizes that they are the product of a single mind."
--Francisco J. Ayala, SciencesReview
Mayr has shown himself to be a true follower of Darwin, Wallace, and Huxley. His writings are lively and critical, and they provide remarkable insight into the development of the field. Peter H. Raven
Review
The range of topics covered in these essays is awesome when one realizes that they are the product of a single mind. Science
Review
Ernst Mayr not only ranks among the great evolutionary biologists of this century; he is also one of the best writers. This collection is of lasting importance. Francisco J. Ayala - Sciences
Synopsis
The diversity of living forms and the unity of evolutionary processes are themes that have permeated the research and writing of Ernst Mayr, a Grand Master of evolutionary biology. The essays collected here are among his most valuable and durable: contributions that form the basis for much of the contemporary understanding of evolutionary biology.
About the Author
Ernst Mayr is Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology, Emeritus, at Harvard University. He is also the recipient of numerous honorary degrees and awards, including the Crafoord Prize for Biology, the National Medal of Science, the Balzan Prize, and the Japan Prize.
Table of Contents
General Introduction
I. EVOLUTION
Introduction: Darwin Vindicated
Basic Concepts of Evolutionary Biology
The Evolution of Living Systems
Typological versus Population Thinking
Accident or Design: The Paradox of Evolution
Selection and Directional Evolution
Population Size and Evolutionary Parameters
From Molecules to Organic Diversity
Sexual Selection and Natural Selection
The Emergence of Evolutionary Novelties
II. SPECIATION
Introduction
Darwin and Isolation
Darwin, Wallace, and the Origin of Isolating Mechanisms
Karl Jordan on Speciation
Sympatric Speciation
Bird Speciation in the Tropics
Change of Environment and Speciation
Geographical Character Gradients and Climatic Adaptation
III. HISTORY OF BIOLOGY
Introduction
Lamarck Revisited
Agassiz, Darwin, and Evolution
The Nature of the Darwinian Revolution
Karl Jordan on the Theory of Systematics and Evolution
Where Are We?
The Recent Historiography of Genetics
IV. PHILOSOPHY OF BIOLOGY
Introduction
Cause and Effect in Biology
Explanatory Models in Biology
Theory Formation in Developmental Biology
Teleological and Teleonomic: A New Analysis
V. THEORY OF SYSTEMATICS
Introduction
The Challenge of Diversity
The Role of Systematics in Biology
Theory of Biological Classification
Cladistic Analysis or Cladistic Classification
VI. THE SPECIES
Introduction
Toward a Modern Species Definition
Karl Jordan and the Biological Species Concept
Species Concepts and Definitions
Sibling or Cryptic Species among Animals
The Biological Meaning of species
VII. MAN
Introduction
Taxonomic Categories in Fossil Hominids
VIII. BIOGEOGRAPHY
Introduction
What Is a Fauna?
History of the North American Bird Fauna
Inferences Concerning the Tertiary North American Bird Faunas
The Origin and History of the Polynesian Bird Fauna
Land Bridges and Dispersal Facilities
Wallace's Line in the Light of Recent Zoogeographic Studies
Fragments of a Papuan Ornithogeography
The Ornithogeography of the Hawaiian Islands
The Nature of Colonization of Birds
IX. BEHAVIOR
Introduction
Behavior and Systematics
Behavior Programs and Evolutionary Strategies
INDEX