Phylogeography: The History and Formation of Species

Phylogeography is a growth area of evolutionary biology. John Avise coined the term ‘phylogeography’ in 1987 and has been the prime mover in promoting the successful development of the field ever since. It is therefore to be welcomed that he has written this book which reviews the history of phylogeography, the fundamental principles of the field, and the current and future value of phylogeography within biogeography and evolutionary biology… I was very impressed by the manner in which Avise communicates the fundamentals of phylogeographic theory. He introduces much of this theory early on but elegantly extends concepts as necessary later in the book. He is exceptionally clear in discussing coalescence, lineage sorting, gene trees, species trees, differing consequences of nuclear vs. mitochondrial markers, etc.… A very good book… It deserves considerable success. -- Jeremy B. Searle * Heredity * Phylogeography is an enjoyable and gap-filling synopsis that introduces an actively developing research area. Given its alleged integrative function, [this] book is clearly set apart from other current treatments on population genetics and phylogenetic biology… For graduate students and professionals, [this book is] a very amenable read and a valuable reference source for further inquiry. -- Hans Peter Comes * Plant Systematics and Evolution * Avise founded the study of phylogeography, and the field has become an extremely active area in evolutionary biology. While most of the studies are of species of animals, there is a substantial number on humans, and some on plants. I doubt that anyone could have created a book on phylogeography that would be as authoritative and insightful. Avise not only compiles the literature for the reader, he summarizes many of the best studies, and then directs future studies by indicating where the field is shallow, and where the field needs to go. His writing style is easy to read, direct and clear. This is a fine book. -- Jeffry B. Mitton, University of Colorado at Boulder Phylogeography is a wonderful work and will be a benchmark contribution. The writing style is simple and direct, the content fabulous and the perspective illuminating. It will be a valuable resource for graduate students and other professionals in the field of population genetics, but it should interest all biologists. -- Stephen Palumbi, Harvard University