Synopses & Reviews
2000 Loye and Alden Miller Research Award, Cooper Ornithological Society
Review
Praise for the first edition:
"[This book] should be read by all biologists, professional and amateur."
--Natural History"A source book on its subject...of lasting value."
--New York TimesReview
[This book] should be read by all biologists, professional and amateur. -- Deborah Tannen, University Professor, Georgetown University, and author of
Review
A source book on its subject...of lasting value. -- Natural History (review of the first edition)
Synopsis
Ernst Mayr is perhaps the most distinguished biologist of the twentieth century, and Systematics and the Origin of Species may be one of his greatest and most influential books. This classic study, first published in 1942, helped to revolutionize evolutionary biology by offering a new approach to taxonomic principles and correlating the ideas and findings of modern systematics with those of other life science disciplines. This book is one of the foundational documents of the "Evolutionary Synthesis." It is the book in which Mayr pioneered his new concept of species based chiefly on such biological factors as interbreeding and reproductive isolation, taking into account ecology, geography, and life history. In his new introduction for this edition, Mayr reflects on the place of this enduring work in the subsequent history of his field.
Description
Includes bibliographical references and index.
About the Author
Ernst Mayr was Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology, Emeritus, at Harvard University. He was 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
Foreword by Theodosius Dobzhansky
Preface
Introduction, 1999
Introduction by Niles Eldredge
I. The Methods and Principles of Systematics
II. Taxonomic Characters and Their Variation
III. Phenomena of Geographic Variation
IV. Some Aspects of Geographic Variation
V. The Systematic Categories and the New Species Concept
VI. The Polytypic Species, In Nature and in Systematics
VII. The Species in Evolution
VIII. Nongeographic Speciation
IX. The Biology of Speciation
X. The Higher Categories and Evolution
Literature
Index