William E Kunin

The Biology of Rarity: Causes and Consequences of Rare-common Differences - Population and Community Biology Series William E Kunin

Marc Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index. Review Quotes: ...the content is excellent, with the editors contributing the bulk of the material...there is much original and useful material for most ecologist, and I can thoroughly recommend it.' Journal of Animal EcologyTable of Contents: Part One: Rarity and rare-common differences. Introduction: on the causes and consequences of rare-common differences. Rare-common differences: an overview. What is rarity. Who is rare: Artefacts and complexities of rarity determination. Part Two: Mechanisms creating rare-common differences. Who gets the short bits of the broken stick? Speciation and rarity: separating cause from consequence. How do rare species avoid extinction: A paleontological view. Extinction risk and rarity on an ecological timescale. Population biology and rarity: on the complexity of density dependence in insect-plant interactions. Genetic consequences of different patterns of distribution and abundance. Evolved consequences of rarity. Rarity and evolution: some theoretical considerations. Part Three: Future directions. Predicting and understanding rarity: the comparative approach. Concluding comments. Index. Publisher Marketing: Most of what we know about the biological world comes from the study of common species, but most species are rare. The bias in our knowledge-base is of particular concern because rare and common species may, and indeed often do, differ in more ways than just their abundance patterns. The editors of this volume had previously reported in the literature a repeated pattern of low dispersal abilities, high levels of self-compatibility, and low reproductive effort among rare species. The purpose of this volume is to further document the existence of rare-common differences and to elucidate the various processes that may contribute to their creation. Rare species and the subject of rarity itself have gained increasing attention in recent years. This book addresses an aspect of their biology, bringing insights from a variety of disciplines to bear on the causes and implications of differences between rare and common species. The book should interest not only those concerned with rare species but also those of more theoretical leanings, as it addresses the fundamental question of how various ecological and evolutionary processes can contribute to the formation of pattern.

Contributor Bio:  Gaston, Kevin J Kevin J. Gaston is Professor of Biodiversity and Conservation in the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield. He has 20 years of research experience in environmental science, conducting studies both in the UK and overseas on a wide range of topics, including conservation prioritisation, ecosystem services, invasive species, people-wildlife interactions, and urban ecology.