Geographic Mosaic Co-evolution
John Thompson's theory (1999): co-evolving species experience different selection pressures in different locations, creating a mosaic of local adaptations.
John Thompson's theory (1999): co-evolving species experience different selection pressures in different locations, creating a mosaic of local adaptations. In some locations, interactions are mutualistic; in others, antagonistic. The Greya moth and Lithophragma plant system (western North America) shows this: in some populations the relationship is mutualistic (moths pollinate plants), in others parasitic (moths lay eggs but don't pollinate). This creates geographic variation in adaptations.
Business Application of Geographic Mosaic Co-evolution
Geographic mosaic explains why competitive dynamics vary by market: the same competitors may be fierce rivals in one region but cooperative in another, depending on local conditions, regulations, and market structures.