The biology of biodiversity

When the 1998 "International Prize for Biology" was awarded for outstanding research in the biology of biodiversity, the honor went to Harvard University Professor Otto T. Solbrig, one of the authors of this volume. As the world becomes increasingly aware of the crisis and urgency of conservation in biodiversity, this book could not be more timely. Understanding of the biodiversity of plants, animals, and humans remains incomplete, but new multidisciplinary approaches-phylogenetic, ecological, molecular developmental, and genetic-have revealed essential underlying aspects of the science. These and other breakthroughs are presented in the papers collected here from scientists at the forefront of biodiversity research. While the focus of their work is on the evolutionary and ecological implications of biodiversity, basic concepts and data also are provided. The book is thus a valuable source both in research and in the utilization and conservation of biodiversity.