Fifteen volumes and one supplement have now appeared in the series known
as Evolutionary Biology. The editors continue to seek critical reviews,
original papers, and commentaries on controversial topics. It is our aim
to publish papers primarily of greater length and depth than those
normally published by society journals and quarterlies. The editors make
every attempt to solicit manuscripts on an international scale and to
see that no facet of evolutionary biology-classical or modern-is
slighted. Manuscripts should be sent to anyone of the following: Max K.
Hecht, Department of Biology, Queens College of the City University of
New York, Flushing, New York 11367; Bruce Wallace, Department of
Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University,
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061; Ghillean T. Prance, New York Botanical
Garden, Bronx, New York 10458. The Editors vII Contents 1. Patterns of
Neotropical Plant Species Diversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 1 Alwyn H. Gentry Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . I Sites and Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . 5 Sample Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . 11 Identifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . 16 Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . 21 Structural Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . 29 Community Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Floristic
Composition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Dispersal Ecology . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Pollination Strategies . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . 42 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . 44 Appendix. Sites and Communities Studied . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 References . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 2. Evolution on a
Petri Dish: The Evolved fJ-Galactosidase System as a Model for Studying
Acquisitive Evolution in the Laboratory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . --. . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Barry G. Hall Introduction . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Approaches to
Molecular Evolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . 87 The Descriptive Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 The
Experimental Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Mechanisms for the Acquisition of
New Genetic Material. . . . . 97 The EBG System a s a Model for
Acquisitive Evolution . . . . . . . 98 The Unevolved Enzyme . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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