{"product_id":"40-years-of-evolution-darwins-finches-on-daphne-major-island-9780691160467","title":"40 Years of Evolution: Darwin's Finches on Daphne Major Island","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn important look at a groundbreaking forty-year study of Darwin's finches\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eRenowned evolutionary biologists Peter and Rosemary Grant have produced landmark studies of the Gal pagos finches first made famous by Charles Darwin. In \u003ci\u003eHow and Why Species Multiply\u003c\/i\u003e, they offered a complete evolutionary history of Darwin's finches since their origin almost three million years ago. Now, in their richly illustrated new book, \u003ci\u003e 40 Years of Evolution\u003c\/i\u003e, the authors turn their attention to events taking place on a contemporary scale. By continuously tracking finch populations over a period of four decades, they uncover the causes and consequences of significant events leading to evolutionary changes in species. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe authors used a vast and unparalleled range of ecological, behavioral, and genetic data--including song recordings, DNA analyses, and feeding and breeding behavior--to measure changes in finch populations on the small island of Daphne Major in the Gal pagos archipelago. They find that natural selection happens repeatedly, that finches hybridize and exchange genes rarely, and that they compete for scarce food in times of drought, with the remarkable result that the finch populations today differ significantly in average beak size and shape from those of forty years ago. The authors' most spectacular discovery is the initiation and establishment of a new lineage that now behaves as a new species, differing from others in size, song, and other characteristics. The authors emphasize the immeasurable value of continuous long-term studies of natural populations and of critical opportunities for detecting and understanding rare but significant events. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBy following the fates of finches for several generations, \u003ci\u003e40 Years of Evolution\u003c\/i\u003e offers unparalleled insights into ecological and evolutionary changes in natural environments.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePeter R. Grant\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003eB. Rosemary Grant\u003c\/b\u003e are both emeritus professors in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University. They are the coauthors of \u003ci\u003eHow and Why Species Multiply\u003c\/i\u003e and coeditors of \u003ci\u003eIn Search of the Causes of Evolution\u003c\/i\u003e (both Princeton).\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Princeton University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50844949020946,"sku":"9780691160467","price":69.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_0687e3bf-d2a3-42b1-84bf-a34d7e81b5db.jpg?v=1737337345","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/40-years-of-evolution-darwins-finches-on-daphne-major-island-9780691160467","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}