Evolution beyond selection: how differentiation and divergent mutation offer a new framework for understanding life's history.
The book argues that evolution is driven more by a defined law and divergence than by natural selection alone. It presents differentiation as a key mechanism, with many test cases and predictions that the author believes align with the facts. The discussion spans how this view reshapes ideas about age, area, and the distribution of plants and other organisms.
Readers will encounter a clear contrast between two theories, a discussion of how predictions can be made and tested, and a look at what this means for understanding geography, morphology, and the rise of new forms. The material emphasizes why certain patterns in nature may be better explained by divergent mutation and mathematical reasoning than by selection alone.
- A framework that favors differentiation and divergent mutation as drivers of evolution
- Arguments tied to test cases and predictions across plant groups
- Explanations of how evolution can move in what is described as a downward direction from family to variety
- Connections to geography, distribution, and the larger patterns of biodiversity
Ideal for readers of evolutionary biology and plant science interested in alternative explanations for how evolution unfolds.