In Alien Species and Evolution , biologist George W. Cox reviews and synthesizes emerging information on the evolutionary changes that occur in plants, animals, and microbial organisms when they colonize new geographical areas, and on the evolutionary responses of the native species with which alien species interact. The book is broad in scope, exploring information across a wide variety of taxonomic groups, trophic levels, and geographic areas. It examines theoretical topics related to rapid evolutionary change and supports the emerging concept that species introduced to new physical and biotic environments are particularly prone to rapid evolution. The author draws on examples from all parts of the world and all major ecosystem types, and the variety of examples used gives considerable insight into the patterns of evolution that are likely to result from the massive introduction of species to new geographic regions that is currently occurring around the globe. Alien Species and Evolution is the only state-of-the-art review and synthesis available of this critically important topic, and is an essential work for anyone concerned with the new science of invasion biology or the threats posed by invasive species. "Cox convincingly makes the case that evolution is central to any understanding of invasions..." ― Nature "Cox has written a must-have book." ― CHOICE George W. Cox is Emeritus Professor of Ecology at San Diego State University. He is active in research and writing in ecology, conservation biology, and ornithology and is a life-long student of birds and their migrations. Alien Species and Evolution The Evolutionary Ecology of Exotic Plants, Animals, Microbes, and Interacting Native Species By George W. Cox ISLAND PRESS Copyright © 2015 Island Press All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-55963-009-2 Contents About Island Press, Title Page, Copyright Page, Preface, Part I. - Basic Concepts of Alien Invasion and Evolution, 1. - Alien Species and Accelerated Evolution, 2. - Adaptation of Alien Species for Dispersal and Establishment, 3. - Founder Effects and Exotic Variability, 4. - Introduction Sources, Cryptic Species, and Invasion Routes, Part II. - Processes of Evolutionary Change and Adaptation, 5. - Hybridization and Evolution of Exotics, 6. - Hybridization and Transgenic Organisms, 7. - Invasion Resistance of Native Communities, 8. - Adaptation of Alien Species to New Habitats, Part III. - Evolutionary Interaction of Aliens and Natives, 9. - Evolutionary Adaptation by Alien Herbivores, 10. - Evolutionary Adaptation by Alien Predators and Parasites, 11. - Adaptation of Alien Diseases to Hosts and Vectors, 12. - Adaptation of Plants to Alien Herbivores and Diseases, 13. - Adaptation of Native Herbivores to Alien Plants, 14. - Adaptation of Animals to Alien Predators, Parasites, and Disease Agents, 15. - Accumulation of Herbivores, Predators, and Parasites by Alien Species, Part IV. - Global Evolutionary Consequences of Alien Invasions, 16. - Alien Species as Agents of Extirpation and Extinction, 17. - Evolutionary Ecology of Alien Biological Control Agents, 18. - Counteradaptation and Integration into the Biotic Community, 19. - Dispersing Aliens and Speciation, 20. - Permanently Altered Biotic Communities, Literature Cited, Glossary, Index, Island Press Board of Directors, CHAPTER 1 Alien Species and Accelerated Evolution "A growing appreciation that organic evolution, like mountain building, is an ongoing rather than simply historical process has stimulated an infusion of evolutionary thinking into mainstream ecology. Foremost among the factors that have fostered this development are reports of remarkable adaptive evolution known to have taken place in recent decades...." —CARROLL ET AL. (2001) Potato late blight ( Phytophthora infestans ) is a fungal disease of the Irish potato ( Solanum tuberosum ) and its relatives. The potato itself was domesticated in the Andean region of South America, whereas the blight fungus is believed to be native to the Toluca Valley of Mexico. The potato was introduced to Europe in the 1500s, and became a major food plant in Ireland and many other countries. A strain of the blight fungus somehow reached western Europe in the mid- 1840s, where, coupled with weather conditions favorable to its development, it decimated potato crops. In Ireland, the almost total loss of the potato crop led to famine, in which 1.5 million people died and many more were forced to emigrate. Closely related strains of the fungus have since invaded all major potato-growing areas of the world. In the twentieth century, these strains have been more or less controlled by a combination of resistant potato varieties, fungicidal treatments, and sanitation. Prior to the 1980s, strains of the blight fungus affecting potato and tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum ) crops were of a single mating type, which reproduced asexually and showed l