Coexistence: The Ecology and Evolution of Tropical Biodiversity

This book is about tropical biology in action- how biologists grapple with the ecology and evolution of the great species diversity in tropical rainforests and coral reefs. Tropical rainforests are home to 50% of all the plant and animal species on earth, though they cover only about 2% of the planet. Coral reefs hold 25% of the world's marine diversity, though they represent only 0.1 % of the world's surface. The increase in species richness from the poles to the tropics has remained enigmatic to naturalists for more than 200 years. How have so many species evolved in the tropics? How can so many species coexist there? At a time when rainforests and coral reefs are shrinking, when the earth is facing what has been called the sixth mass extinction, understanding the evolutionary ecology of the tropics is everyone's business. Despite the fundamental importance of the tropics to all of life on earth, tropical biology has evolved relatively slowly and with difficulties - economic, political, and environmental. This book is also about tropical science in context, situated in the complex socio-political history, and the rich rainforests and coral reefs of Panama. There are no other books on the history of tropical ecology and evolution or on the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Thus situated in historical context, Jan Sapp's aim is to understand how naturalists have studied and conceptualized the great biological diversity and entangled ecology of tropics. This book has potential to be used in tropical biology classes, ecology courses, evolutionary ecology and it could also be useful in classes on the history of biology.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments 1 The Other World 2 Legends 3 Romancing the Rainforest 4 Regeneration 5 Is Evolution Different in the Tropics? 6 Niche Construction 7 Rhythms of the Forest 8 On the Waterfronts 9 The New Deal 10 Ecology in Disequilibrium 11 The Central Enigma 12 Liberated from fashionable science 13 Territories, Taxonomy and Time on the Reef 14 Nineteen eighty-nine 15 Biodiversity in Heat 16 A Continent in the Canopy 17 At the Roots of Diversity 18 The Other World Today

About the Author :
Jan Sapp received his PhD in the history of science from the University of Montréal in 1984. He subsequently held an appointment at the University of Melbourne for 8 years, where he served as chair of the department of History and Philosophy of Science. He was visiting associate professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (1990-1991) and then Andrew Mellon Fellow at the Rockefeller University, 1991-92. He subsequently accepted an appointment at York University in Toronto, and he was Professor and Chair in the Department of Science and Technology Studies before moving to the Biology Department in 1996. Professor Sapp held the Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in the History of the Biological Sciences at the University of Québec at Montréal from 2001 to 2003 of which he remains an Associate; he returned to the Biology Department at York University. He is also a Research Associate at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama.

Review :
"This book can be recommended as additional reading, 'addressed to anyone who is interested in the ecology and evolution of life on earth'. I totally agree with this statement made by the author." -- S. Suresh Ramanan, Elsevier (GfO Ecological Society of Germany, Austria and Switzerland) "Coexistence is a fascinating chronology and reconstruction of the history of the science of tropical ecology in the Western Hemisphere.[...] [It] provides a fascinating and comprehensive overview of the evolution of tropical forest and marine ecology and their rapidly expanding research sphere. [...] it is also a fascinating chronology of a detailed and skillfully researched scientific history that both scientists and lay readers can learn from and enjoy." -- Ted Armstrong, The Canadian Field Naturalist "Coexistence provides a fascinating and comprehensive overview of the evolution of tropical forest and marine ecology and their rapidly expanding research sphere." -- Ted Armstrong, The Canadian Field-Naturalist "...it is interesting and thorough. A perfect read for first-year graduate students planning PhD fieldwork in Panama." -- Quarterly Review of Biology "Coexistence is a comprehensive synthesis of the scientific developments over the last one hundred years that have contributed to advancing our knowledge of the evolution and ecology of tropical organisms. Jan Sapp masterfully weaves a narrative about scientific innovation with a history of events in Panama and Washington that enabled the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute to emerge as a leading contributor to biodiversity research." --Dr. Ira Rubinoff, Director Emeritus, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute "Coexistence brilliantly examines how prescient leaders build great institutions that provide the freedom and support to do great science. Sapp's story of the Smithsonian in Panama and the breakthroughs achieved there in basic understanding of the remarkable species diversity of tropical forests and coral reefs captures the essence of the excitement and conflict that make for great science." --Jeremy Jackson, Professor Emeritus, Scripps Institution of Oceanography "A jewel of a book: a wonderfully written, multi-faceted history of tropical biology as seen through the lens of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the major roles of its scholars in shaping understanding of the tropics--knowledge which is essential in grasping both the very wonder and the central role of the tropics in biology." --Thomas E. Lovejoy, University Professor of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University "Sapp's Coexistence is a hybrid. It combines a centurylong history of field research centered on the Barro Colorado Island (BCI) with an overview of ideas in tropical ecology as they evolved over time.The approach works well because the author alternates drier chapters on science with livelier descriptions of often colorful characters and their doings in Panama." -- Vojtech Novotny and Katerina Sam, Conservation Biology