"Simon Levin, a Princeton biologist and member of the Santa Fe Institute's Science Board, draws on the science of complexity to shed light on the evolution and maintenance of biodiversity on our planet. Fragile Dominion explores six critical questions: What patterns exist in nature? What is the role of environment and history in shaping these patterns? How do ecosystems assemble themselves? How does evolution shape these assemblages? What is the relationship between an ecosystem's structure and how it functions? And, finally, does evolution increase or decrease the resiliency of an ecosystem?" "The challenge, as Levin points out, is to harness the natural forces that organize the biosphere rather than fruitlessly try to resist them. A deeply original work on one of the most pressing issues of our time, Fragile Dominion is a powerful appeal to understand and protect the global "commons.""--BOOK JACKET.