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The classical theory of natural selection, as developed by Fisher, Haldane, and 'Wright, and their followers, is in a sense a statistical theory. By and large the classical theory assumes that the underlying environment in which evolution transpires is both constant and stable - the theory is in this sense deterministic. In reality, on the other hand, nature is almost always changing and unstable. We do not yet possess a complete theory of natural selection in stochastic environ ments. Perhaps it has been thought that such a theory is unimportant, or that it would be too difficult. Our own view is that the time is now ripe for the development of a probabilistic theory of natural selection. The present volume is an attempt to provide an elementary introduction to this probabilistic theory. Each author was asked to con tribute a simple, basic introduction to his or her specialty, including lively discussions and speculation. We hope that the book contributes further to the understanding of the roles of "Chance and Necessity" (Monod 1971) as integrated components of adaptation in nature.
List of contents
Introduction: Historical Remarks.- Fitness in Random Environments.- Density Dependent Life History Evolution in Fluctuating Environments.- Life History Evolution and Population Dynamics in Variable Environments: Some Insights from Stochastic Demography.- Plasticity in Fluctuating Environments.- Optimization and ESS Analysis for Populations in Stochastic Environments.- Are Variable Environments Stochastic? A Review of Methods to Quantify Environmental Predictability.- Modeling Selection on Conditional Strategies in Stochastic Environments.- Coexistence in Stochastic Environments Through a Life History Trade Off in Drosophila.- The Equilibrium Distribution of Optimal Search and Sampling Effort of Foraging Animals in Patchy Environments.- List of Contributors.
