Origins and development of adaptation -- Contents -- Chairman's introduction -- Adaptation of plants to soils containing toxic metals-a test for conceit -- Discussion -- Adaptation of plants to mineral stress in problem soils -- Discussion -- Plant-plant interactions -- Discussion -- Adaptation of plants to atmospheric pollutants -- Discussion -- Evolution of herbicide-resistant weeds -- Discussion -- GENERAL DISCUSSION Relative fitness and the stability of resistance -- Phytoalexins and disease-resistance mechanisms from a perspective of evolution and adaptation -- Discussion -- Insect-plant interactions: endocrine defences -- Discussion -- Insect-plant adaptations -- Discussion -- Adaptation of insects to insecticides -- Discussion -- Biochemical mechanisms of resistance to insecticides -- Discussion -- Adaptation of fungi to fungitoxic compounds -- Discussion -- Bacterial resistance to antibiotics -- Discussion -- Evolutionary relationships among genes for antibiotic resistance -- Discussion -- Accessory DNAs in the bacterial gene pool: playground for coevolution -- Discussion -- FINAL GENERAL DISCUSSION -- Chairman's closing remarks -- Index to contributors -- Subject index.