Form and function in developmental evolution /
Form & Function in Developmental Evolution
edited by Manfred D. Laubichler, Jane Maienschein.
- Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2009.
- 1 online resource (xviii, 234 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).
- Cambridge studies in philosophy and biology .
- Cambridge studies in philosophy and biology. .
Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).
Form and function in evo devo : historical and conceptual reflections / Deducing plant function from organic form : challenges and pitfalls / Evolution in the light of embryos : seeking the origins of novelties in ontogeny / A focus on both form and function in examining selection versus constraint / Innovation and diversity in functional morphology / The developmental evolution of avian digit morphology : an update / Functional analysis and character transformation / The nature of constraints / Toward a mechanistic evo devo / Manfred D. Laubichler -- Karl J. Niklas -- Rudolf A. Raff and Elizabeth C. Raff -- Paul M. Brakefield -- Peter C. Wainwright -- Günter P. Wagner -- Richard A. Richards -- Roger Sansom -- Andrew L. Hamilton.
This book represents an effort to understand very old questions about biological form, function, and the relationships between them. The essays collected here reflect the diversity of approaches in evolutionary developmental biology (Evo Devo), including not only studies by prominent scientists whose research focuses on topics concerned with evolution and development, but also historically and conceptually oriented studies that place the scientific work within a larger framework and ask how it can be pushed further. Topics under discussion range from the use of theoretical and empirical biomechanics to understand the evolution of plant form, to detailed studies of the evolution of development and the role of developmental constraints on phenotypic variation. The result is a rich and interdisciplinary volume that will begin a wider conversation about the shape of Evo Devo as it matures as a field.