Tuyển tập các báo cáo nghiên cứu về sinh học được đăng trên tạp chí sinh học Journal of Biology đề tài: Process rather than pattern: finding pine needles in the coevolutionary haystack. | Journal of Biology BioMed Central Minireview Process rather than pattern finding pine needles in the coevolutionary haystack David R Nash Address Centre for Social Evolution Department of Biology University of Copenhagen Universitetsparken 15 DK-2100 Copenhagen Denmark. E-mail DRNash@ Published 28 May 2008 Journal of Biology 2008 7 14 doi jbiol75 The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at http content 7 5 14 2008 BioMed Central Ltd Abstract The geographic mosaic theory is fast becoming a unifying framework for coevolutionary studies. A recent experimental study of interactions between pines and mycorrhizal fungi in BMC Biology is the first to rigorously test geographical selection mosaics one of the cornerstones of the theory. Coevolution is a powerful concept in biology. It explains why cheetahs run fast and why gazelles run fast too 1 . It explains why the flowers of some orchids have extraordinarily long spurs to store their nectar and why the moths that pollinate them have extraordinarily long tongues to drink it 2 . It explains why we don t all succumb to diseases and why diseases still exist 3 . Most evolutionary change may well be revolutionary change 4 . How coevolution actually works is far from clear however if one looks into it in any depth. How is the genetic variation that is the raw material of coevolution or any other sort of evolution for that matter maintained when faster or longer is always better How can genetically homogeneous populations attacked by pathogens survive long enough to mount a revolutionary response The answers may lie in the fact that the world is not made up of single populations of organisms freely exchanging genes. Instead populations are not the same everywhere and interactions between organisms are not the same everywhere. As is clear from our own species experience with its coevolving pathogens 5 things vary geographically. It was thinking about such .
