Interaction and Coevolution

“It is not only the species that change evolutionarily through interactions . . . the interactions themselves also change.” Thus states John N. Thompson in the foreword to __Interaction and Coevolution__, the first title in his series of books exploring the relentless nature of evolution and the processes that shape the web of life. Originally published in 1982 more as an idea piece—an early attempt to synthesize then academically distinct but logically linked strands of ecological thought and to suggest avenues for further research—than as a data-driven monograph, __Interaction and Coevolution__ would go on to be considered a landmark study that pointed to the beginning of a new discipline. Through chapters on antagonism, mutualism, and the effects of these interactions on populations, speciation, and community structure, Thompson seeks to explain not only how interactions differ in the selection pressures they exert on species, but also when interactions are most likely to lead to coevolution. In this era of climate change and swiftly transforming environments, the ideas Thompson puts forward in __Interaction and Coevolution__ are more relevant than ever before. Evolutionary ecology, interaction, and coevolution The coevolutionary perspective The development of the coevolutionary perspective Parasitism, grazing, and predation Modes of feeding Specialization on hosts and prey Patterns of defense Ecological genetics of coevolution in antagonists Competition and coevolution Inferred competition Inferred coevolution Probability of encounter Competition for mutualists Competitive hierarchies Nonhierarchies Antagonism and mutualism Mutualism from antagonism The unit of interaction Life histories, habitat, and mutualism Intermediate survival and disturbance Stress and mutualism Social behavior and mutualism Evolution of mutual dependence Visitors and hosts Visitors Hosts Interaction and speciation Cospeciation Tempo in cospeciation Antagonism and speciation Mutualism and speciation Is pollination a special case? The interaction structure of communities The evolutionary units of interaction The growth of interactions The ripple effects of interactions The patch dynamics of interactions.