The vertebrate integument arose about 450 million years ago as
an armour of dermal bony plates in small, jawless fish-like
creatures, informally known as the ostracoderms. This book reviews
the major changes that have occurred in the vertebrate integument
from its beginnings to the present day. Critical questions
concerning the origin, structure and functional biology of the bony
integument are discussed and intrinsically linked to major steps in
vertebrate evolution and phylogeny the origin of jaws and the
origin of teeth. The discussions include the origins of
mineralization of major vertebrate skeletal components such as the
dermatocranium, branchial arches and vertebral column. The advances
that led to the origin of modern fishes and their phylogenetic
development are reviewed and include the evolution of fins and
replacement of the bony plates with several types of dermal scales.
The evolution of reptiles saw a major transformation of the
integument, with the epidermis becoming the protective outermost
layer, from which the scales arose, while the dermis lay below
it.The biological significance of the newly-evolved -keratin in
reptilian scales, among the toughest natural materials known, is
discussed in the context of its major contribution to the great
success of reptiles and to the evolution of feathers and avian
flight. The dermis in many vertebrates is strengthened by layers of
oppositely oriented cross-fibres, now firmly entrenched as a design
principle of biomechanics. Throughout the book conventional ideas
are discussed and a number of new hypotheses are presented in light
of the latest developments. The long evolutionary history of
vertebrates indicates that the significance of the Darwinian
concept of survival of the fittest may be overstated, including in
our own mammalian origins and that chance often plays a major role
in evolutionary patterns. Extensive illustrations are included to
support the verbal descriptions.
Professor Theagarten Lingham-Soliar is in the Department of Life
Sciences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal."
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