Abstract
Beyond Equilibria: Historical Approaches to Ecology and Evolution argues for the importance of an historical perspective in ecological and evolutionary research. Such a viewpoint, author Hamish Spencer contends, is especially fruitful in theoretical studies. Moreover, he proposes that recognizing the different ways in which history can impact study systems, “flavors” in his terminology, prompts researchers to ask different but insightful questions. Different chapters of the book illustrate the use of various of these flavors in understanding different problems in ecology and evolution. Using appropriate flavors illuminates different aspects of the study systems, which can lead to the resolution of matters previously appearing paradoxical. For instance, taking an historical viewpoint and using the flavor of contingency can explain empirical observations that foraging fish in a patchy environment are found more often than expected at poorer feeding sites. Similarly, the recognition that genetic variation can build up over time—history as construction—shows that several arguments against the role of natural selection in maintaining that variation are erroneous.