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This book argues that organisms and their interactions create and maximize biodiversity. The evidence for this autocatalytic hypothesis has been collated and integrated into this provocative argument. Natural selection favors the increase of biodiversity. Organisms can be causative agents contributing to major macroevolutionary transitions. Species tend to have a net positive effect on biodiversity. All species are ecosystem engineers. Mutualism and commensalism are common and fundamental, and these coevolved interspecific interactions frequently generate enormous increases in biodiversity. Competition generally does not decrease biodiversity, and often leads to evolutionary innovation. Plants are ecosystem engineers that have made Earth more favorable to life and increased diversity in many ways. Herbivores and predators increase the diversity of the species they consume, and are necessary for ecosystem stability. Decomposers are essential to ecosystem health. All these examples illustrate the focus of this book - that organisms and their interactions stimulate biodiversity, and ecosystems maximize it.
Key Features
¿ Describes a hypothesis that life itself generates higher biodiversity
¿ Suggests a highly modified version of the established paradigm in population biology and evolution
¿ Asserts that all species are ecosystem engineers with a net positive effect on biodiversity and their ecosystems
¿ Suggests that mutualism and commensalism are the rule
¿ Presents a novel view likely to elicit deeper discussions of biodiversity
Related Titles
Dewdney, A. K. Stochastic Communities: A Mathematical Theory of Biodiversity (ISBN
978-1-138-19702-2)
Curry, G. B. and C. J. Humphries, eds. Biodiversity Databases: Techniques, Politics, and
Applications (ISBN 978-0-367-38916-1)
Pullaiah, T, ed. Global Biodiversity. 4 Volume Set (ISBN 978-1-77188-751-9)
Sommario
1. Introduction: Overview and Summary of the Life Generates Biodiversity Theory. 2. Life is Spectacularly Diverse. 3. Life Regulates Greenhouse Gas Levels and Global Temperature, while Conserving Carbon. 4. Life Created the Atmosphere's Oxygen. 5. Life Built the Soil into an Ideal Ecosystem for Life. 6. Plants Profoundly Altered the Landscape, Favoring Biology. 7. Mutualism between Species Structures Ecosystems and Caused the Evolution of High Biodiversity. 8. Commensalism Maintains High Biodiversity. 9. Predation and Parasitism Greatly Increase the Number of Species. 10. Seemingly Paradoxically, Even Competition Tends to Increase or at least Maintain Biodiversity. 11. The Microbiome and the Hologenome Theory of Evolution. 12. Viruses Create High Biodiversity. 13. Ecosystems Interact, and Help Each Other, like Mutualistic Species. 14. Life Drove the Great Increase in Biodiversity Seen in the History of Life. 15. Altruism and Co-operation are Darwinian, Common, and Adaptive, and Maintain Biodiversity. 16. Horizontal Gene Transfer Causes Macroevolutionary Leaps. 17. The Origin of Life on Earth was Highly Probable, and Systems Tend to Increase in Complexity. 18. The Earth and Solar System Act as a System to Favor Life. 19. Possible Unifying Mechanisms for Life Generates Biodiversity Theory. 20. Environmental and Other Implications of the Life Generates Biodiversity Theory.
Info autore
David Seaborg is an evolutionary biologist who showed thatorganisms evolve by feedback and the genetic code commonto most organisms is not optimal for evolution. He is consideredby many to be the world's leading expert on biodiversity. He isfounder and president of the World Rainforest Fund (worldrainforest.org), a non-profit dedicated to saving the world's rainforests.
Riassunto
Life maximizes biodiversity; this is the hypothesis of this book. An atmosphere favorable for life, including high oxygen and the ozone layer, and favorable nitrogen and carbon dioxide levels stimulated increases in biodiversity. This observations and others suggest that life has created a positive feedback loop stimulating biodiversity.
