Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Biology

The imprint of evolution permeates the life sciences, from the history of life captured in the fossil record to the inner workings of cells, the dynamics of development, and the structure of the genetic code. This brings into focus a challenge for biologists - how to be adequately conversant in the broad and diverse field of Evolution?Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Biology offers a solution: a carefully curated collection of chapters covering all key topics in the field, allowing readers to apply evolutionary thinking to their specific areas of interest.

This encyclopedia includes introductory chapters covering fundamental topics, mostly designed for students, and more focused chapters serving more experienced professionals. Each chapter links concepts to specific systems and examples, with a set chapter structure to ensure ease of navigation across the volumes.New or expanded topics in the second edition include human evolution (e.g., cultural evolution, human adaptation, language), paleontology (Eoarchean and the origins of life, mass extinction events, punctuated equilibrium), evolution of behavior (game theory, kin selection, optimality), epigenetics, and metagenomics (human microbiomes, diversification of viruses).This essential resource is sure to engage with a broad and diverse readership across the educational hierarchy, showing the central position occupied by evolutionary biology in the life sciences.