CBSE NEWS

New book on coevolution by biologist John Thompson

Monday, September 26, 2005

John N. Thompson, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, has now published his third book on the subject of coevolution, The Geographic Mosaic of Coevolution (University of Chicago Press, 2005).

Thompson defines coevolution as "reciprocal evolutionary change in interacting species driven by natural selection." It is one of the most important processes in the evolution and organization of life on Earth. Coevolution shapes the interactions between species, whether predators and prey, hosts and parasites, or mutually beneficial partnerships such as those between flowering plants and their pollinators. In fact, most plants and animals require coevolved interactions with other species in order to survive.