Over the past two decades, numerous field and experimental studies on the ecology and evolution of animal and
plant interactions have been reported by botanists, zoologists, and ecologists. This textbook offers a comprehensive
summary of this extensive and widely scattered literature, and in so doing presents the subject as a coherent,
accessible discipline. The authors describe familiar areas, such as herbivory and pollination, and discuss new
information on subjects such as seed dispersal, the genetics of coevolution, structural and chemical plant defenses,
and the implications of human use of animal and plant communities. As they explore these issues, the authors raise
provocative questions of fundamental importance: How can an earth teeming with plant-eating animals be so green?
Do plants really need animals that pollinate their flowers and disperse their seeds? What happens to tropical plant
communities when fruit-eating toucans and monkeys are killed by encroaching humans? By drawing together information
on many diverse aspects of the subject--and presenting a challenging and insightful look into the complexities
of plant and animal inter-relationships--this unique book represents a vital contribution to the ecological literature.
Table of Contents
Part I: Evolutionary Ecology
1. Adaptation and Natural Selection
2. Testing Hypotheses in Evolutionary Ecology
Part II: A Green Earth and Its Enemies: Herbivory
3. Plant Defense and Animal Offense
4. Ecology of Herbivory
5. Evolution and Herbivory
Part III: Mutualisms: Uneasy Partnerships
6. Mechanics of Mutualism
7. Ecology of Mutualism
8. Natural Selection and Mutualism
Part IV: Ancient and Modern Communities
9. Ancient Communities
10. Plants and Animals in Modern Communities
