This book was first published in 2004. Unraveling the origin of biodiversity is fundamental for understanding our biosphere. This book clarifies how adaptive processes, rather than geographic isolation, can cause speciation. Adaptive speciation occurs when biological interactions induce disruptive selection and the evolution of assortative mating, thus triggering the splitting of lineages. Internationally recognized leaders in the field explain exciting developments in modeling speciation, together with celebrated examples of rapid speciation by natural selection. Written for students and researchers in biology, physics, and mathematics, this book is a groundbreaking treatment of modern speciation science.

"In the pile of recent speciation books that sit on the researcher's desk, this volume will be well worn with handwritten notes in the margins. Expect to highlight ideas for new directions in research, scribble exclamation points where known systems have been stretched thin to accommodate new ideas, and renew the appreciation for the importance of frequency-dependent selection." The Quarterly Review of Biology, Frank A. von Hippel

"...the utility of this book is great. It provides an overview of speciation theory from several points of view and provides summaries of some of the best empirical research programs on speciation." - Ecoscience, Patrik Nosil, Simon Fraser University