Coexistence: The Ecology and Evolution of Tropical Biodiversity is about tropical biology in action – how biologists grapple with the ecology and evolution of the great species diversity in tropical rainforests and coral reefs. Tropical rainforests are home to 50% of all the plant and animal species on earth, though they cover only about 2% of the planet. Coral reefs hold 25% of the world's marine diversity, though they represent only 0.1% of the world's surface. The increase in species richness from the poles to the tropics has remained enigmatic to naturalists for more than 200 years. How have so many species evolved in the tropics? How can so many species coexist there?

At a time when rainforests and coral reefs are shrinking, when the earth is facing what has been called the sixth mass extinction, understanding the evolutionary ecology of the tropics is everyone's business. Despite the fundamental importance of the tropics to all of life on earth, tropical biology has evolved relatively slowly and with difficulties – economic, political, and environmental. Coexistence: The Ecology and Evolution of Tropical Biodiversity is also about tropical science in context, situated in the complex socio-political history, and the rich rainforests and coral reefs of Panama. There are no other books on the history of tropical ecology and evolution or on the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Thus situated in historical context, Jan Sapp's aim is to understand how naturalists have studied and conceptualized the great biological diversity and entangled ecology of tropics. This book has potential to be used in tropical biology classes, ecology courses, evolutionary ecology and it could also be useful in classes on the history of biology.

"A jewel of a book: a wonderfully written, multi-faceted history of tropical biology as seen through the lens of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the major roles of its scholars in shaping understanding of the tropics – knowledge which is essential in grasping both the very wonder and the central role of the tropics in biology."
– Thomas E. Lovejoy, University Professor of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University

"Coexistence is a comprehensive synthesis of the scientific developments over the last one hundred years that have contributed to advancing our knowledge of the evolution and ecology of tropical organisms. Jan Sapp masterfully weaves a narrative about scientific innovation with a history of events in Panama and Washington that enabled the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute to emerge as a leading contributor to biodiversity research."
– Dr. Ira Rubinoff, Director Emeritus, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

"Coexistence brilliantly examines how prescient leaders build great institutions that provide the freedom and support to do great science. Sappa's story of the Smithsonian in Panama and the breakthroughs achieved there in basic understanding of the remarkable species diversity of tropical forests and coral reefs captures the essence of the excitement and conflict that make for great science."
– Jeremy Jackson, Professor Emeritus, Scripps Institution of Oceanography