Feats of Strength is well worth reading for any interested student of biology: a pleasurable read and fascinating analysis of amazing examples of biological adaptation. The theme is the central concept of biology itself: the driving force of evolutionary fitness (successful transfer of genes to the next generation). The author, a scientist who obviously loves biology, provides the reader with clear and fascinating examples of evolutionary fitness, along with interesting descriptions of the research behind our understanding of these traits. Further, Lailvaux is clearly interested in asking the question “Why?” – why has this trait evolved – and in developing research methods to find the answer.
Each chapter examines a theme of biological fitness (survival and successful reproduction): “Running, Jumping, and Biting,” “Eating and Not Being Eaten,” “Lovers and Fighters,” and so on. Final chapters address the complex question of “nature versus nurture” in evolution and phenotypic expression, as well...
University of California Press