Download Charles Darwin and the Genesis of Modern Evolutionary Thought

"malus" incorrectly capitalized on p. 546),
and some appearances of error which are
not (e.g., "practise," p. ix, the chiefly British
spelling of "practice").
It would be impossible to envelop all of
acarology in any single volume. This being
true, I anticipate that this publication will
become a major training tool for the next
generation of acarologists, become part of
every acarologist's personal library, and
will be used as a companion to entomology
texts. The work is the product of wisdom
and insight amassed from 25 yrs of lecturing on the included topics by the author.
Like a fine port wine, it benefits from expectations across time; and like a fine
cheese, from the gentle forging and nurturing of a firm hand. It is a must for all serious
scholars of arthropod biology.
Marilyn A. Houck
Department of Biological Sciences
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, TX
Analytical Population
Dynamics
T. Royama
Chapman & Hall, New York, 1993
371 pp., $49.50
ISBN 0-412-24320-2
D
ESPITE CONSIDERABLE
EFFORT,
ECOLOGISTS
still have an incomplete understanding
of the processes that cause changes in insect
population densities. Although there have
been significant advancements in the development of theoretical population models,
considerable debate still exists on how to
deduce the underlying processes that drive
the dynamics of natural populations.
Royama has been a major contributor of
important population dynamics theory and
useful analytical techniques through his numerous publications in Ecological MOllographs. In this book, he develops these
theoretical and analytical concepts in much
more detail and in a more cohesive manner
than in his previous works. As such this
book will be of considerable interest to
ecologists who study animal population
ecology. It will also be useful for advanced
students of population ecology as it represents a complete development of population theory including practical application
in the analysis of field data.
The book is divided into two major sections: (1) theoretical bases of population
dynamics and (2) analysis of classic cases. In
the first section, Royama develops a series
AMF.RICAN ENTOMOI.OGIST
•
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of linear and nonlinear population models
and explores their behavior. Over the last
50 yr, there has been considerable controversy over how density-dependent and
density-independent factors affect population regulation. Here, Royama demonstrates clearly that density dependence does
not equate with population regulation as
many previous authors have proposed. As
an alternative to simplistic notions of density dependence, he elucidates the manner in
which density-dependent and -independent
factors cause the often complex patterns of
population fluctuations.
In the latter portion of the first section
(Chapter 3), Royama demonstrates how his
theoretical foundation can be used to formulate analytical tools to elucidate the processes underlying the dynamics of natural
populations. This section is the most extensive development to date of time series
analysis techniques as analytical tools in
animal ecology. These methods are likely to
be widely applied in the future, though long
time series of population densities are necessary for their application.
Perhaps the only bothersome aspect of
this first section is that Royama makes
almost no reference to closely related
works. For example, there are few, if any,
references to the numerous publications
concerning the relationship between temporal or spatial density-dependence and
population regulation. Thus, the task of
relating the theory and analytical tools presented in this book to the many published
works on the subject is left up to the reader.
While this does place some burden on the
reader, it may be advantageous to new students in that they are able to start from a
clean slate and are free of the often contradictory conclusions of previous authors.
In the second section, Royama presents
detailed analyses of the population processes governing the dynamics of selected animal populations. These analyses include an
excellent summary of the well-studied
Canadian lynx-snowshoe hare system and
an updated summary of Royama's previously published analysis of spruce bud worm dynamics. These case studies serve to illustrate
the analytical techniques that can be used to
deduce the processes that determine the
dynamical patterns of animal densities.
Royama not only uses many analytical
methods derived from the theoretical material presented in the first section but also
presents many additional techniques, such
as methods for life table analysis.
Royama states that the book was written
to spark the interest of readers so they might
analyze population data in meaningful
ways. The analytical techniques presented
require extensive quantities of population
data. As such, this book may also serve to
convince scientists that extensive and longterm data sets are necessary in order to make
meaningful conclusions about the processes
that generate population fluctuations.
Andrew Liebhold
USDA Forest Service
Morgantown, WV
One Long Argument:
Charles Darwin and the
Genesis of Modern
Evolutionary Thought
Ernst Mayr
Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA,
1991
195 pp., $19.95
ISBN 0-674-63905
T
HIs BOOK, INTENDED FOR THE NONSPECIALIST,
synthesizes Mayr's views on "the role of
Darwin's thought in the history of ideas" (p.
viii). It analyzes the scientific content of
Darwin's evolutionary theories, evaluates
their sources, and traces their fortunes
through the subsequent history of biological thought.
Mayr's opening thesis is that much misunderstanding has resulted from failure to
recognize that Darwin's theory of evolution
is actually a complex of distinct subtheories
that have had very different histories. These
include: evolution itself (transformation
over time), common descent of all organisms from a single ancestor, multiplication
of species as the source of organic diversity,
gradual (as opposed to saltational) evolutionary change, and natural selection. Mayr
argues that Darwin and his early supporters
were unified and most sharply distinguished from their opponents by acceptance of evolution and common descent.
However, the remaining postulates were
controversial even within the early Darwinian camp, engendering a debate, particularly over the importance of natural
selection, that has driven much of evolutionary biology ever since.
A recurrent motif is the influence of
"external" factors on evolutionary thought.
Mayr regards the philosophical climate
(Zeitgeist) as having strongly delayed, rather than fostered, publication and acceptance
of Darwin's theories, and indeed portrays
the latter as having generated a broad
intellectual revolution. Common descent
aroused profound opposition because it
challenged basic elements of the prevailing
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