Molds, Molecules, and Metazoa Growing Points in Evolutionary Biology

About this book

A reprint of a classical work in the Princeton Legacy Library. Originally published in 1992.

Through an integration of systematics, genetics, and related disciplines, the Modern Synthesis of Evolutionary Biology came into being over fifty years ago. Knowledge of evolution has since been transformed by several revolutions: the way we interpret the fossil record has been radically affected by theories of continental drift and asteroid impacts; the way we classify organisms has been influenced by the development of cladistics. Perhaps the most dramatic revolution has been the explosion in molecular biology of information about the genome. Aiming to capture the excitement of modern evolutionary biology, six prominent scientists here explore important issues and problems in their areas of specialization and identify the most promising directions of future research.

The scope of Molds, Molecules and Metazoa ranges from macroevolutionary patterns in the Precambrian to molecular evolution of the genome. Major themes include the origin and maintenance of variation and the causes of evolutionary change. Chapters on paleontology, ecology, behavior, development, and cell and molecular biology are contributed by Jim Valentine, Graham Bell, Mary Jane West Eberhard, Leo Buss, Marc Kirschner, and Marty Kreitman. Molds, Molecules and Metazoa contains an introductory chapter by John Bonner, whose seminal work is honored here.

Contents

List of Contributors    
Preface    

1    Evolution and the Rest of Biology    3
2    Lessons from the History of Life    17
3    Five Properties of Environments    33
4    Behavior and Evolution    57
5    The Middle Ground of Biology: Themes in the Evolution of Development    77
6    Evolution of the Cell    99
7    Will Molecular Biology Solve Evolution?    127
8    Overview: Variation and Change    151

References    159
Index    175

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