Lizards in an Evolutionary Tree: Ecology and Adaptive Radiation of Anoles (Volume 10)

Organisms and Environments

by Jonathan B. Losos

Adaptive radiation, which results when a single ancestral species gives rise to many descendants, each adapted to a different part of the environment, is possibly the single most important source of biological diversity in the living world. One of the best-studied examples involves Caribbean Anolis lizards. With about 400 species, Anolis has played an important role in the development of ecological theory and has become a model system exemplifying the integration of ecological, evolutionary, and behavioral studies to understand evolutionary diversification. This major work, written by one of the best-known investigators of Anolis, reviews and synthesizes an immense literature. Jonathan B. Losos illustrates how different scientific approaches to the questions of adaptation and diversification can be integrated and examines evolutionary and ecological questions of interest to a broad range of biologists.

Genres: Evolution, Nonfiction

528 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[J.P. Drury · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best case study in evolutionary biology I've read. Losos' attention to detail is always tempered by his reflections of how biologists can approach questions about how and why organisms have diversified and adapted to varied environments.

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here's the thing. For what this book is meant to do, I think Losos did a great job. He reviewed past anoles research (extensively), noting the knowledge gaps, and speculated on what the results of past research could mean for anoles and the study of evolution as a whole. I can respect this. However, I found reading the book to be a bit grating on the psyche. While I really enjoyed parts of each chapter, I could not get over how many times he explained something about anole evolution for pages and pages before saying that he doesn't actually believe in anything he just wrote. It was very frustrating. Therefore, I think the book could have been about 200 pages shorter. Again, there were parts of the book that I really enjoyed but it also did wonders for my insomnia.