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Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > Life sciences: general issues > Evolution
Self-organisation of social systems can be observed at all levels of biological complexity, from cells to organisms and communities. Although individuals are governed by simple rules, their interactions with each other and their environment leads to complex patterns. Self-Organisation and Evolution of Social Systems investigates a broad spectrum of social systems ranging from those of simple single-celled organisms to those of very complex ones, such as humans. It examines groups of all sizes, from small as in certain species of primates, to very large as in some species of fish and social insects. This book deals with numerous aspects of their social organisation, including group formation, task-division, foraging, dominance interactions, infant protection, language and voting. It is recommended reading for all academic researchers and professionals interested in this fascinating field.
If theoretical physicists can seriously entertain canonical "standard models" even for the big-bang generation of the entire universe, why cannot life scientists reach a consensus on how life has emerged and settled on this planet? Scientists are hindered by conceptual gaps between bottom-up inferences (from early Earth geological conditions) and top-down extrapolations (from modern life forms to common ancestral states). This book challenges several widely held assumptions and argues for alternative approaches instead. Primal syntheses (literally or figuratively speaking) are called for in at least five major areas. (1) The first RNA-like molecules may have been selected by solar light as being exceptionally photostable. (2) Photosynthetically active minerals and reduced phosphorus compounds could have efficiently coupled the persistent natural energy flows to the primordial metabolism. (3) Stochastic, uncoded peptides may have kick-started an ever-tightening co-evolution of proteins and nucleic acids. (4) The living fossils from the primeval RNA World thrive within modern cells. (5) From the inherently complex protocellular associations preceding the consolidation of integral genomes, eukaryotic cell organization may have evolved more naturally than simple prokaryote-like life forms. - If this book can motivate dedicated researchers to further explore the alternative mechanisms presented, it will have served its purpose well.
Pollination is one of the most important processes in plant reproduction. It directly influences reproductive success and fitness and the genetic structure of the plant population. Methods exist to infer the pattern and distance of pollen dispersal, but direct observation of the movements of individual pollen grains during pollination is not feasible owing to their small size. Single-pollen genotyping is a novel technique for genotyping a single pollen grain. In this book, the principles, the experimental protocol, and several applications of this method in studies of plant ecology, reproductive biology, and evolutionary genetics have been described. More specifically, the information is useful for the analysis of linkage disequilibrium, intraspecific genetic variation, chromosome mapping, and the origins of polyploidy. It is also essential for achieving sustainable and optimal crop yield and is vital to agriculture and forestry. Written by pioneer researchers, the book provides novel research approaches that are proving useful in a growing number of fields. This volume is intended to encourage new and continued applications of single-pollen genotyping among many disciplines in the future.
Leo Buss expounds a general theory of development through a simple hierarchical extension of the synthetic theory of evolution. He perceives innovations in development to have evolved in ancestral organisms where the germ line was not closed to genetic variation arising during the course of ontogeny. Originally published in 1988. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
The predecessor to this book was A Guide to the Laboratory Use of the Squid Loligo pealei published by the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts in 1974. The revision of this long out of date guide, with the approval of the Marine Biological Laboratory, is an attempt to introduce students and researchers to the cephalopods and particularly the squid as an object of biological research. Therefore, we have decided to expand on its original theme, which was to present important practical aspects for using the squid as experimental animals. There are twenty two chapters instead of the original eight. The material in the original eight chapters has been completely revised. Since more than one method can be used for accomplishing a given task, some duplication of methods was considered desirable in the various chapters. Thus, the methodology can be chosen which is best suited for each reader's requirements. Each subject also contains a mini-review which can serve as an introduction to the various topics. Thus, the volume is not just a laboratory manual, but can also be used as an introduction to squid biology. The book is intended for laboratory technicians, advanced undergraduate students, graduate students, researchers, and all others who want to learn the purpose, methods, and techniques of using squid as experimental animals. This is the reason why the name has been changed to its present title. Preceding the chapters is a list of many of the abbreviations, prefixes, and suffixes used in this volume.
Coordination in Human and Primate Groups presents one of the first collections of the different approaches and methods used to assess coordination processes in groups. Written by psychologists and primatologists, the book represents a broad range of coordination research fields such as social psychology, work and organizational psychology, medicine, primatology, and behavioural ecology. It is designed for researchers and practitioners interested in understanding the behavioural aspects of group coordination.
How do we understand and explain the apparent dichotomy between plasticity and robustness in the context of development? Can we identify these complex processes without resorting to 'either/or' solutions? Written by two leaders in the field, this is the first book to fully unravel the complexity of the subject, explaining that the epigenetic processes generating plasticity and robustness are in fact deeply intertwined. It identifies the different mechanisms that generate robustness and the various forms of plasticity, before considering the functional significance of the integrated mechanisms and how the component processes might have evolved. Finally, it highlights the ways in which epigenetic mechanisms could be instrumental in driving evolutionary change. Essential reading for biologists and psychologists interested in epigenetics and evolution, this book is also a valuable resource for biological anthropologists, sociobiologists, child psychologists and paediatricians.
In very general terms, "scaling" can be defined as the structural and func tional consequences of differences in size (or scale) among organisms of more or less similar design. Interest in certain aspects of body size and scaling in primate biology (e. g., relative brain size) dates to the turn of the century, and scientific debate and dialogue on numerous aspects of this general subject have continued to be a primary concern of primatologists, physical an thropologists, and other vertebrate biologists up to the present. Indeed, the intensity and scope of such research on primates have grown enormously in the past decade or so. Information continues to accumulate rapidly from many different sources, and the task of synthesizing the available data and theories on any given topic is becoming increasingly formidable. In addition to the formal exchange of new ideas and information among scientific experts in specific areas of scaling research, two of the major goals of this volume are an assessment of our progress toward understanding various size-related phe nomena in primates and the identification of future prospects for continuing advances in this realm. Although the subject matter and specific details of the issues considered in the 20 chapters that follow are very diversified, all topics share the same fundamental and unifying biological theme: body size variation in primates and its implications for behavior and ecology, anatomy and physiology, and evolution."
More than 25 years ago, the first major review of primate communication appeared (Altmann, 1967). Since then, information on the communicative abilities of primates increased rapidly, resulting, 15 years later, in the appearance of the first volume in which signaling systems were analyzed in a broader variety of primate groups within an evolutionary perspective (Snowdon, Brown and Petersen, 1982). Seven years later, the first volume dedicated solely to primate vocal communication appeared (Todt, Goedeking and Symmes, 1988) and another four years later a volume followed in which nonverbal vocal communication in non-human primates and human infants was compared (Papousek, Jurgens and Papousek, 1992). None of these volumes, however, provided information about current technical advances in the field of bioacoustics, especially in digital sound analyzing systems, which offer primatologists, anthropologists and linguists nowadays a variety of rapid methods for analyzing human speech and non-human primate vocalizations in a quantitative and comparative way. Choosing the right method is difficult if a synopsis of these tools is lacking. Furthermore, information was particularly lacking on the natural signaling systems of two important primate groups, the prosimians and the apes. Likewise, new and unexpected insights into the ontogeny and evolution of vocal communication were gained during the past few years by the use of highly sophisticated sound analysis and statistical techniques.
This volume celebrates the contributions of Dr. Eugene Gaffney to the study of turtles, through a diverse and complementary collection of papers that showcases the latest research on one of the most intriguing groups of reptiles. A mix of focused and review papers deals with numerous aspects of the evolutionary history of turtles, including embryonic development, origins, early diversification, phylogenetic relationships, and biogeography. Moreover it includes reports on important but poorly understood fossil turtle assemblages, provides historical perspectives on turtle research, and documents disease and variation in turtles. With its broad scope, which includes descriptions of material and new taxa from Australia, Asia, and Europe, as well as North and South America, this work will be an essential resource for anyone interested in the morphology and evolution of turtles. "This volume's breadth of time, geography, and taxonomic coverage makes it a major contribution to the field and a 'must have' for all vertebrate paleontologists.", James F. Parham, California State University, CA, USA "A comprehensive and sweeping overview of turtle evolution by the top experts in the field that will interest everyone curious about these unique reptiles." Jason S. Anderson, University of Calgary, Canada "An invaluable addition to the literature that covers the full spectrum of approaches toward understanding the evolution of these noble creatures." Ann C. Burke, Wesleyan University, CT , USA "A truly comprehensive volume that both the student of fossil turtles, as well as the general reader interested in these enigmatic creatures, will find fascinating." Tyler Lyson, Yale University, CT, USA
Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913) was a British naturalist, explorer, geographer and biologist, best remembered as the co-discoverer, with Darwin, of natural selection. His extensive fieldwork and advocacy of the theory of evolution led to him being considered one of the nineteenth century's foremost biologists. He was later moved by a variety of personal experiences to examine the concept of spirituality, but his exploration into the potential for compatibility between spiritualism and natural selection alienated him from the scientific community. He was also a social activist, highly critical of unjust social and economic systems in nineteenth-century Britain, and one of the first prominent scientists to express concern over the environmental impact of human activity. This autobiography was first published in 1905. Volume 1 covers his childhood, his early social activism, and his expeditions to the Amazon and the Malay archipelago, which established his reputation.
Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913) was a British naturalist, explorer, geographer and biologist, best remembered as the co-discoverer, with Darwin, of natural selection. His extensive fieldwork and advocacy of the theory of evolution led to him being considered one of the nineteenth century's foremost biologists. He was later moved by a variety of personal experiences to examine the concept of spirituality, but his exploration into the potential for compatibility between spiritualism and natural selection alienated him from the scientific community. He was also a social activist, highly critical of unjust social and economic systems in nineteenth-century Britain, and one of the first prominent scientists to express concern over the environmental impact of human activity. This autobiography was first published in 1905. Volume 2 deals with his many eminent acquaintances, including Darwin and Huxley, his lecture tour in America, and his involvement with spiritualism and with social activism.
This text is intended for an introductory course in bio metabolism concludes with photosynthesis. The last sec chemistry. While such a course draws students from vari tion of the book, Part IV, TRANSFER OF GENETIC INFOR ous curricula, all students are presumed to have had at MATION, also opens with an introductory chapter and then least general chemistry and one semester of organic chem explores the expression of genetic information. Replica istry. tion, transcription, and translation are covered in this or My main goal in writing this book was to provide stu der. To allow for varying student backgrounds and for pos sible needed refreshers, a number of topics are included as dents with a basic body of biochemical knowledge and a thorough exposition of fundamental biochemical con four appendixes. These cover acid-base calculations, principles of cepts, including full definitions of key terms. My aim has of organic chemistry, tools biochemistry, and been to present this material in a reasonably balanced oxidation-reduction reactions. form by neither deluging central topics with excessive de Each chapter includes a summary, a list of selected tail nor slighting secondary topics by extreme brevity. readings, and a comprehensive study section that consists Every author of an introductory text struggles with of three types of review questions and a large number of the problem of what to include in the coverage. My guide problems.
When I first proposed a series entitled Current Mammalogy to the pub lishers, they were reluctant to undertake such a project because they viewed the field of mammology as overly fragmented. At first I found this idea to be difficult to accept; however, upon reflection, I came near to agreeing with it. Although many of us work on mammals, we gen erally feel more allegiance to our specialties, such as systematics, ge netics, cytogenetics, ecology, behavior, pest control, paleontology, wildlife management, primatology, and marine mammalogy, than we do to the general field of mammalogy. However, rather than becoming discour aged from pursuing this project, I became more certain than ever that a series such as Current Mammalogy was needed. We hope to make this series a place where specialists can present their ideas not only to other members of their specialty, but to those outside the area as well. Hopefully, this exchange of ideas will be a mutually beneficial exercise. The Editorial Board of Current Mammalogy has decided to keep the range of subjects in each volume as broad as possible rather than concentrating on one or two topics, in the hope that this will keep the series as useful as possible to the broadest range of readers."
That humans originated from Africa is well-known. However, this is widely regarded as a chance outcome, dependant simply on where our common ancestor shared the land with where the great apes lived. This volume builds on from the 'Out of Africa' theory, and takes the view that it is only in Africa that the evolutionary transitions from a forest-inhabiting frugivore to savanna-dwelling meat-eater could have occurred. This book argues that the ecological circumstances that shaped these transitions are exclusive to Africa. It describes distinctive features of the ecology of Africa, with emphasis on savanna grasslands, and relates them to the evolutionary transitions linking early ape-men to modern humans. It shows how physical features of the continent, especially those derived from plate tectonics, set the foundations. This volume adequately conveys that we are here because of the distinctive features of the ecology of Africa.
A controversial figure, Sir Francis Galton (1822 1911), biostatistician, human geneticist, eugenicist, and first cousin of Charles Darwin, is famed as the father of eugenics. Believing that selective breeding was the only hope for the human race, Galton undertook many investigations of human abilities and devoted the last few years of his life to promoting eugenics. Although he intended his studies to work positively, for eradicating hereditary diseases, his research had a hugely negative impact on the world which subsequently bestowed on Galton a rather sinister reputation. Written by Galton's colleague, eugenicist and statistician Karl Pearson (1857 1936), this four-volume biography pieces together a fascinating life. First published in 1914, Volume 1 covers the years from Galton's birth in 1822 to his marriage to Louisa Jane Butler in 1853. Pearson himself was later appointed the first Galton professor of eugenics at University College London.
A controversial figure, Sir Francis Galton (1822 1911), biostatistician, human geneticist, eugenicist, and first cousin of Charles Darwin, is famed as the father of eugenics. Believing that selective breeding was the only hope for the human race, Galton undertook many investigations of human abilities and devoted the last few years of his life to promoting eugenics. Although he intended his studies to work positively, for eradicating hereditary diseases, his research had a hugely negative impact on the world which subsequently bestowed on Galton a rather sinister reputation. Written by Galton's colleague, eugenicist and statistician Karl Pearson (1857 1936), this four-volume biography pieces together a fascinating life. First published in 1924, Volume 2 focuses on Galton's 'researches of middle life', including his anthropological research and psychological experiments. Pearson himself was later appointed the first Galton professor of eugenics at University College London.
A controversial figure, Sir Francis Galton (1822 1911), biostatistician, human geneticist, eugenicist, and first cousin of Charles Darwin, is famed as the father of eugenics. Believing that selective breeding was the only hope for the human race, Galton undertook many investigations of human abilities and devoted the last few years of his life to promoting eugenics. Although he intended his studies to work positively, for eradicating hereditary diseases, his research had a hugely negative impact on the world which subsequently bestowed on Galton a rather sinister reputation. Written by Galton's colleague, eugenicist and statistician Karl Pearson (1857 1936), this four-volume biography pieces together a fascinating life. First published in 1930, the first part of Volume 3 focuses on Galton's later research on correlation, personal identification, and eugenics. Pearson himself was later appointed the first Galton professor of eugenics at University College London.
A controversial figure, Sir Francis Galton (1822 1911), biostatistician, human geneticist, eugenicist, and first cousin of Charles Darwin, is famed as the father of eugenics. Believing that selective breeding was the only hope for the human race, Galton undertook many investigations of human abilities and devoted the last few years of his life to promoting eugenics. Although he intended his studies to work positively, for eradicating hereditary diseases, his research had a hugely negative impact on the world which subsequently bestowed on Galton a rather sinister reputation. Written by Galton's colleague, eugenicist and statistician Karl Pearson (1857 1936), this four-volume biography pieces together a fascinating life. First published in 1930, this second part of Volume 3 includes records of Galton's travels and occupations, and recollections of friends and family. Pearson himself was later appointed the first Galton professor of eugenics at University College London.
Renowned researchers summarize the current knowledge on ammonoid paleobiology. The book begins with a description of the systematic position of the Ammonoidea within the Cephalopoda, providing the phylogenetic framework for the rest of the book. Following discussions include soft- and hard-part morphology of ammonoids, rate of growth and ontogeny, and taphonomy and ecology. Closing chapters explore the distribution of ammonoids in time and space as well as their extinction at the end of the Cretaceous. With its diverse viewpoints and new material, this resource will benefit researchers and graduate students in paleontology, marine biology, and evolutionary biology.
The prefrontal cortex makes up almost a quarter of the human brain, and it expanded dramatically during primate evolution. The Neurobiology of the Prefrontal Cortex presents a new theory about its fundamental function. In this important new book, the authors argue that primate-specific parts of the prefrontal cortex evolved to reduce errors in foraging choices, so that particular ancestors of modern humans could overcome periodic food shortages. These developments laid the foundation for working out problems in our imagination, which resulted in the insights that allow humans to avoid errors entirely, at least at times. In the book, the authors detail which parts of the prefrontal cortex evolved exclusively in primates, how its connections explain why the prefrontal cortex alone can perform its function, and why other parts of the brain cannot do what the prefrontal cortex does. Based on an analysis of its evolutionary history, the book uses evidence from lesion, imaging, and cell-recording experiments to argue that the primate prefrontal cortex generates goals from a current behavioural context and that it can do so on the basis of single events. As a result, the prefrontal cortex uses the attentive control of behaviour to augment an older general-purpose learning system, one that evolved very early in the history of animals. This older system learns slowly and cumulatively over many experiences based on reinforcement. The authors argue that a new learning system evolved in primates at a particular time and place in their history, that it did so to decrease the errors inherent in the older learning system, and that severe volatility of food resources provided the driving force for these developments. Written by two leading brain scientists, The Neurobiology of the Prefrontal Cortex is an important contribution to our understanding of the evolution and functioning of the human brain.
The past decade has seen a steady increase in studies oflemur behavior and ecology. As a result, there is much novel information on newly studied populations, and even newly discovered species, that has not yet been published or summarized. In fact, lemurs have not been the focus of an international symposium since the Prosimian Biology Conference in London in 1972. Moreover, research on lemurs has reached a new quality by addressing general issues in behavioral ecology and evolutionary biology. Although lemurs provide important comparative information on these topics, this aspect of research on lemurs has not been reviewed and compared with similar studies in other primate radiations. Thus, as did many in the field, we felt that the time was ripe to review and synthesize our knowledge of lemur behavioral ecology. Following an initiative by Gerry Doyle, we organized a symposium at the XIVth Congress of the International Primatological Society in Strasbourg, France, where 15 contributions summarized much new information on lemur social systems and their ecological basis. This volume provides a collection of the papers presented at the Strasbourg symposium (plus two reports from recently completed field projects). Each chapter was peer-reviewed, typically by one "lemurologist" and one other biologist. The first three chapters present novel information from the first long-term field studies of three enigmatic species. Sterling describes the social organization of Daubentonia madagascariensis, showing that aye-aye ranging patterns deviate from those of all other nocturnal primates.
It is with pleasure that the editors dedicate this volume to William Camp bell Steere, one of the founding editors of Evolutionary Biology. As Dr. Steere approaches his eightieth birthday we include in the volume a brief biography and a complete bibliography of his publications in celebration of his contributions to the biological sciences. The Editors Ix Contents 1. William Campbell Steere: An Outline of His Life and Continuing Career . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 William R. Buck Bibliography of Publications of William Campbell Steere 5 2. Biochemical Systematics: II. A Reprise ....... . . . . . . . .. . . 25 David E. Giannasi and Daniel J. Crawford Introduction ........................................ 25 Micromolecules ..................................... 28 Flavonoids ....................................... 28 Terpenoids ....................................... 49 Alkaloids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 83 . . . . . . . . . Other Micromolecules of Chemosystematic Interest .. . . . . .. . 92 Micromolecules of Specific Plant Groups ................. 96 Lichens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 104 . . . . . . . . . . New Approaches in Micromolecular Chemosystematics ...... 112 C Metabolism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 118 . . . . . . . . 4 Paleobiochemistry .................................. 120 Micromolecules: Biological and Evolutionary Considerations ................................. 127 Macromolecules ..................................... 132 Electrophoresis .................................... 133 Amino Acid Sequences .............................. 155 Serology ......................................... 167 Nucleic Acids ..................................... 182 Conclusions and Future Prospects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 209 . . . . Micromolecules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 209 . . . . . . . . Macromolecules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 211 . . . . . . . . References ......................................... 213 xl xii Contents 3. Species Selection As a Causal Process ......... . . . . . . .. . . 249 Norman L. Gilinsky Introduction ........................................ 249 Differential Rates of Extinction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 251 . . . . . Differential Rates of Speciation: General Problems ........... 252 Differential Rates of Speciation: A Case for Reducibility ....... 254 Differential Rates of Speciation: A Case for Irreducibility Speciation via the Founder Principle . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 257 . . . Discussion ......................................... 262 Possible Examples of Species Selection: Hawaiian Drosophilidae ............................ 262 Possible Examples of Species Selection: Tertiary Neogastropoda ............................ 263 The Snail Example: Another Viewpoint ..... . . . . . . . . .. . . 267 . Species Selection and Randomness ..................... 268 Species Selection and Punctuated Equilibria . . . . . . . . . .. . . 269 . ."
For the first time, a synthesis on the research work done in Europe on all Bark And Wood Boring Insects In Living Trees (BAWBILT) is presented. As final product of a four-year research project gathering together 100 scientists from 24 countries, the book is the fruit of a real collective synthesis in which all European specialists have participated. It reviews and comments on all the European literature, while considering the biological (trees, insects, associated organisms, and their relationships) and forest management aspects. However, although focused on the European forest, it also compares the available information and interpretations to those concerning similar species in other continents. It ends with propositions of research priorities for Europe. The book is directed to all scientists and students concerned with forest entomology and ecology, as well as to forest managers and all scientific public interested in forest biology.
This book focuses on sensing and the evolution of animals. Using the five senses (visual, auditory, and olfactory perception, and taste and touch), animals can receive environmental stimuli and respond to them. Changes in these sensitivities might cause changes in aspects of animals lives such as habitat, activity timing, and diet and vice versa. Recent advances in genome and molecular analysis enable us to investigate certain changes in the receptors or mechanisms involved in sensing and provide clues for understanding the evolution of animals related to those changes. The first chapter deals with the molecular evolution of opsins. In addition to the well-known function of opsins as visual receptors, opsins can be related to non-visual photoreception such as photoentrainment of circadian rhythm, photoperiodism, and background adaptation. Molecular phylogenic studies reveal that all opsin genes have evolved from one ancient opsin gene. The evaluation of the functions of each extant opsin protein based on the molecular features enables us to predict the molecular evolution and diversification of opsins during the evolution of animals. These studies shed light on which amino-acid substitutions cause the functional diversification of opsins and how they have influenced the evolution of animals. The second chapter has to do with bitter taste perception, a key detection mechanism against the ingestion of bioactive substances. Genetic and behavioral evidence reveal the existence of "non-taster" Japanese macaques for specific bitter compounds, which originated in a restricted region of Japan. This finding might provide a clue for elucidating the ecological, evolutionary, and neurobiological aspects of bitter taste perception of primates. The third chapter presents an extreme example of the evolution of olfaction, namely, that fully aquatic amniotes have generally reduced their olfactory capacity considerably compared to their terrestrial relatives. Interestingly, the remaining olfactory abilities are quite different among three fully aquatic amniotes investigated: toothed whales have no nervous system structures that mediate olfaction, but baleen whales can smell in air, and it has been suggested that sea snakes smell underwater." |
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