Conceptual Breakthroughs in the Evolutionary Biology of Aging continues the innovative Conceptual Breakthroughs series by providing a comprehensive outline of the major breakthroughs that built the evolutionary biology of aging as a leading scientific field. Following the evolutionary study of aging from its humble origins to the present, the book's chapters treat the field’s breakthroughs one at a time. Users will find a concise and accessible analysis of the science of aging viewed through an evolutionary lens. Building upon widely-cited studies conducted by author Michael Rose, this book covers 30 subsequent years of growth and development within the field. The book highlights key publications for those who are not experts in the field, providing an important resource for researchers. Given the prevailing interest in changing the aging process dramatically, it is a powerful tool for readers who have a vested interest in understanding its causes and future control measures.

Hundreds of animal species provide the cast of characters for these newly composed bio-limericks, arranged into 17 chapters by taxonomic group (such as Birds, Fishes, Insects) or biological subject (such as Ecology, Genetics, and Anthropology). Sometimes multiple verses on one organism or topic provide an extended story-line across successive poems. In addition, several stylistic vignettes recur throughout the book, such as: (a) "On the Farm", which ranges from barnyards to fish farms to oyster farms; and (b) "Let's Play Jeopardy", where the reader guesses an animal from poetic clues the author provides. Each little jingle can be read as a stand-alone offering a quick chuckle or biological insight. But watch out-these poetic tidbits can be as addictive as popcorn, such that some readers will feel compelled to consume each chapter and indeed the entire book at one sitting! Covering nearly every creature that any amateur or professional biologist has ever heard of, these pun-filled limericks provide humorous insight into each critter or its peculiar habits, in a sharply witty and cutely informative way.

"Conceptual Breakthroughs in Evolutionary Genetics" is a pithy, lively book occupying a special niche-the conceptual history of evolutionary genetics- not inhabited by any other available treatment. Written by a world-leading authority in evolutionary genetics, this work encapsulates and ranks 70 of the most significant paradigm shifts in evolutionary biology and genetics during the century-and-a-half since Darwin and Mendel. The science of evolutionary genetics is central to all of biology, but many students and other practitioners have little knowledge of its historical roots and conceptual developments. This book fills that knowledge gap in a thought-provoking and readable format.

This fascinating chronological journey along the many conceptual pathways to our modern understanding of evolutionary and genetic principles is a wonderful springboard for discussions in undergraduate or graduate seminars in evolutionary biology and genetics. But more than that, anyone interested in the history and philosophy of science will find much of value between its covers.
Provides a relative ranking of 70 seminal breakthroughs and paradigm shifts in the field of evolutionary biology and geneticsModular format permits ready access to each described subjectHistorical overview of a field whose concepts are central to all of biology and relevant to a broad audience of biologists, science historians, and philosophers of scienceExtensively cross-referenced with a guide to landmark papers and books for each topic

This visually appealing book recounts the history of molecular ecology and evolution as seen through the personal lens of one of its most prolific practitioners, who has studied a panorama of creatures ranging from corals, sponges, and other invertebrates to a wide variety of vertebrate animals including numerous birds, mammals, herps, and fishes. The sketches are of two types: evocative drawings of the animals themselves, and more than 230 written abstracts summarizing the author's eclectic research on ecological-genetic topics spanning the microevolutionary to macroevolutionary. With the abstracts arranged by organismal group and placed in chronological order, the chapters in this book lead readers on a fascinating historical journey into the realm of molecular genetics as applied across the past four decades to intriguing questions in ecology, evolution, animal behavior, and natural history.

Biodiversity-the genetic variety of life-is an exuberant product of the evolutionary past, a vast human-supportive resource (aesthetic, intellectual, and material) of the present, and a rich legacy to cherish and preserve for the future. Two urgent challenges, and opportunities, for 21st-century science are to gain deeper insights into the evolutionary processes that foster biotic diversity, and to translate that understanding into workable solutions for the regional and global crises that biodiversity currently faces. A grasp of evolutionary principles and processes is important in other societal arenas as well, such as education, medicine, sociology, and other applied fields including agriculture, pharmacology, and biotechnology. The ramifications of evolutionary thought also extend into learned realms traditionally reserved for philosophy and religion. The central goal of the In the Light of Evolution (ILE) series is to promote the evolutionary sciences through state-of-the-art colloquia-in the series of Arthur M. Sackler colloquia sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences-and their published proceedings. Each installment explores evolutionary perspectives on a particular biological topic that is scientifically intriguing but also has special relevance to contemporary societal issues or challenges. This tenth and final edition of the In the Light of Evolution series focuses on recent developments in phylogeographic research and their relevance to past accomplishments and future research directions. Table of Contents Front Matter Part I: COMPARATIVE PHYLOGEOGRAPHY IN A SPATIAL SENSE 1 Comparative Phylogeography of the Ocean Planet - Brian W. Bowen, Michelle R. Gaither, Joseph D. Di Battista, Matthew Iacchei, Kimberly R. Andrews, W. Stewart Grant, Robert J. Toonen, and John C. Briggs 2 Comparative Phylogeography Clarifies the Complexity and Problems of Continental Distribution That Drove A. R. Wallace to Favor Islands - Brett R. Riddle 3 Inferring Responses to Climate Dynamics from Historical Demography in Neotropical Forest Lizards - Ivan Prates, Alexander T. Xue, Jason L. Brown, Diego F. Alvarado-Serrano, Miguel T. Rodrigues, Michael J. Hickerson, and Ana C. Carnaval 4 Comparative Phylogeography of Oceanic Archipelagos: Hotspots for Inferences of Evolutionary Process - Kerry L. Shaw and Rosemary G. Gillespie Part II: COMPARATIVE PHYLOGEOGRAPHY IN A GENOMIC SENSE 5 Effects of the Population Pedigree on Genetic Signatures of Historical Demographic Events - John Wakeley, Landra King, and Peter R. Wilton 6 The Probability of Monophyly of a Sample of Gene Lineages on a Species Tree - Rohan S. Mehta, David Bryant, and Noah A. Rosenberg 7 Phylogeographic Model Selection Leads to Insight into the Evolutionary History of Four-Eyed Frogs - Maria Tereza C. Thom and Bryan C. Carstens 8 Toward a Paradigm Shift in Comparative Phylogeography Driven by Trait-Based Hypotheses - Anna Papadopoulou and L. Lacey Knowles 9 Reticulation, Divergence, and the PhylogeographyPhylogenetics Continuum - Scott V. Edwards, Sally Potter, C. Jonathan Schmitt, Jason G. Bragg, and Craig Moritz Part III: COMPARATIVE PHYLOGEOGRAPHY IN A TAXONOMIC SENSE 10 Global Biogeography of Microbial Nitrogen-Cycling Traits in Soil - Michaeline B. Nelson, Adam C. Martiny, and Jennifer B. H. Martiny 11 Phenotypes in Phylogeography: Species' Traits, Environmental Variation, and Vertebrate Diversification - Kelly R. Zamudio, Rayna C. Bell, and Nicholas A. Mason 12 Geogenetic Patterns in Mouse Lemurs (Genus *Microcebus*) Reveal the Ghosts of Madagascar's Forests Past - Anne D. Yoder, C. Ryan Campbell, Marina B. Blanco, Mario Dos Reis, Jrg U. Ganzhorn, Steven M. Goodman, Kelsie E. Hunnicutt, Peter A. Larsen, Peter M. Kappeler, Rodin M. Rasoloarison, Jos M. Ralison, David L. Swofford, and David W. Weisrock 13 Bison Phylogeography Constrains Dispersal and Viability of the Ice-Free Corridor in Western Canada - Peter D. Heintzman, Duane Froese, John W. Ives, Andr. E. R. Soares, Grant D. Zazula, Brandon Letts, Thomas D. Andrews, Jonathan C. Driver, Elizabeth Hall, P. Gregory Hare, Christopher N. Jass, Glen MacKay, John R. Southon, Mathias Stiller, Robin Woywitka, Marc A. Suchard, and Beth Shapiro 14 Evolutionary Lessons from California Plant Phylogeography - Victoria L. Sork, Paul F. Gugger, Jin-Ming Chen, and Silke Werth 15 Human Phylogeography and Diversity - Alexander H. Harcourt Part IV: COMPARATIVE PHYLOGEOGRAPHY IN A CONCEPTUAL SENSE 16 Union of Phylogeography and Landscape Genetics - Leslie J. Rissler References Index

Award-winning geneticist John C. Avise guides this delightful voyage around the planet in search of answers to nature's mysteries. He demonstrates how scientists directly examine DNA to address long-standing questions about wild animals, plants, and microbes. Through dozens of stories that span the world, nature emerges as a realm where truth can be far stranger than fiction. From a 100-ton mushroom to egg-swapping birds, extinct ground sloths to microbes inside our bodies, Avise examines a cornucopia of natural-history topics and explains how today's modern genetic techniques offer novel insights.
Do armadillo litters really contain clones? When is a fig tree not just a single tree? Where have migratory whales traveled? Who are the mothers of the embryos carried by pregnant male seahorses? What insect was the world's earliest farmer? How closely related are Neanderthals to modern humans? Answers to these and many more questions are presented here in a straightforwad manner that reveals Avise's enthusiasm for uncovering nature's hidden ways. Each entry is accompanied by a beautiful illustration from Trudy Nicholson, widely recognized as one of today's leading nature artists.

Phylogeography is a discipline concerned with various relationships between gene genealogies--phylogenetics--and geography. The word "phylogeography" was coined in 1987, and since then the scientific literature has reflected an exploding interest in the topic. Yet, to date, no book-length treatment of this emerging field has appeared. "Phylogeography: The History and Formation of Species" fills that gap.

The study of phylogeography grew out of the observation that mitochondrial DNA lineages in natural populations often display distinct geographic orientations. In recent years, the field has expanded to include assessments of nuclear as well as cytoplasmic genomes and the relationships among gene trees, population demography, and organismal history, often formalized as coalescent theory. Phylogeography has connections to molecular evolutionary genetics, natural history, population biology, paleontology, historical geography, and speciation analysis.

"Phylogeography" captures the conceptual and empirical richness of the field, and also the sense of genuine innovation that phylogeographic perspectives have brought to evolutionary studies.

This book will be essential reading for graduate students and professionals in evolutionary biology and ecology as well as for anyone interested in the emergence of this new and integrative discipline.

Two Centuries of Darwin is the outgrowth of an Arthur M. Sackler Colloquium, sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences on January 16-17, 2009. In the chapters of this book, leading evolutionary biologists and science historians reflect on and commemorate the Darwinian Revolution. They canvass modern research approaches and current scientific thought on each of the three main categories of selection (natural, artificial, and sexual) that Darwin addressed during his career. Although Darwin's legacy is associated primarily with the illumination of natural selection in The Origin, he also contemplated and wrote extensively about what we now term artificial selection and sexual selection. In a concluding section of this book, several science historians comment on Darwin's seminal contributions. Two Centuries of Darwin is the third book of the In the Light of Evolution series. Each installment in the series explores evolutionary perspectives on a particular biological topic that is scientifically intriguing but also has special relevance to contemporary societal issues or challenges. The ILE series aims to interpret phenomena in various areas of biology through the lens of evolution and address some of the most intellectually engaging, as well as pragmatically important societal issues of our times. Table of Contents Front Matter Part I: NATURAL SELECTION, OR ADAPTATION TO NATURE 1 Natural Selection inAction During Speciation--Sara Via 2 Adaptive Radiations:From Field to Genomic Studies--Scott A. Hodges and Nathan J. Derieg 3 Genetics and Ecological Speciation--Dolph Schluter and Gina L. Conte 4 Cascades of Convergent Evolution: The Corresponding Evolutionary Histories of Euglenozoans and Dinoflagellates--Julius Luke?, Brian S. Leander, and Patrick J. Keeling Part II: ARTIFICIAL SELECTION, OR ADAPTATION TO HUMAN DEMANDS 5 From Wild Animals to Domestic Pets, an Evolutionary View of Domestication--Carlos A. Driscoll, David W. Macdonald, and Stephen J. O'Brien 6 Tracking Footprints of Maize Domestication and Evidence for a Massive Selective Sweep on Chromosome 10--Feng Tian, Natalie M. Stevens, and Edward S. Buckler IV 7 Human-Induced Evolution Caused by Unnatural Selection Through Harvest of Wild Animals--Fred W. Allendorf and Jeffrey J. Hard 8 In the Light of Directed Evolution: Pathways of Adaptive Protein Evolution--Jesse D. Bloom and Frances H. Arnold Part III: SEXUAL SELECTION, OR ADAPTATION TO MATING DEMANDS 9 Mate Choice and Sexual Selection: What Have We Learned Since Darwin?--Adam G. Jones and Nicholas L. Ratterman 10 Sexual Selection and Mating Systems--Stephen M. Shuster 11 Reproductive Decisions Under Ecological Constraints: It's About Time--Patricia Adair Gowaty and Stephen P. Hubbell 12 Postcopulatory Sexual Selection: Darwin's Omission and Its Consequences--William G. Eberhard Part IV: THE DARWINIAN LEGACY, 150 YEARS LATER 13 Darwin and the Scientific Method--Francisco J. Ayala 14 The Darwinian Revolution: Rethinking Its Meaningand Significance--Michael Ruse 15 Did Darwin Write *the Origin* Backwards?--Elliott Sober 16 Darwin's Place in the History of Thought: A Reevaluation--Robert J. Richards 17 Darwin's "Strange Inversion of Reasoning"--Daniel Dennett References Index

Biodiversity-the genetic variety of life-is an exuberant product of the evolutionary past, a vast human-supportive resource (aesthetic, intellectual, and material) of the present, and a rich legacy to cherish and preserve for the future. Two urgent challenges, and opportunities, for 21st-century science are to gain deeper insights into the evolutionary processes that foster biotic diversity, and to translate that understanding into workable solutions for the regional and global crises that biodiversity currently faces. A grasp of evolutionary principles and processes is important in other societal arenas as well, such as education, medicine, sociology, and other applied fields including agriculture, pharmacology, and biotechnology. The ramifications of evolutionary thought also extend into learned realms traditionally reserved for philosophy and religion. The central goal of the In the Light of Evolution (ILE) series is to promote the evolutionary sciences through state-of-the-art colloquia-in the series of Arthur M. Sackler colloquia sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences-and their published proceedings. Each installment explores evolutionary perspectives on a particular biological topic that is scientifically intriguing but also has special relevance to contemporary societal issues or challenges. This book is the outgrowth of the Arthur M. Sackler Colloquium "Cooperation and Conflict," which was sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences on January 7-8, 2011, at the Academy's Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center in Irvine, California. It is the fifth in a series of colloquia under the general title "In the Light of Evolution." The current volume explores recent developments in the study of cooperation and conflict, ranging from the level of the gene to societies and symbioses. Humans can be vicious, but paradoxically we are also among nature's great cooperators. Even our great conflicts-wars-are extremely cooperative endeavors on each side. Some of this cooperation is best understood culturally, but we are also products of evolution, with bodies, brains, and behaviors molded by natural selection. How cooperation evolves has been one of the big questions in evolutionary biology, and how it pays or does not pay is a great intellectual puzzle. The puzzle of cooperation was the dominant theme of research in the early years of Darwin's research, whereas recent work has emphasized its importance and ubiquity. Far from being a rare trait shown by social insects and a few others, cooperation is both widespread taxonomically and essential to life. The depth of research on cooperation and conflict has increased greatly, most notably in the direction of small organisms. Although most of In the Light of Evolution V: Cooperation and Conflict is about the new topics that are being treated as part of social evolution, such as genes, microbes, and medicine, the old fundamental subjects still matter and remain the object of vigorous research. The first four chapters revisit some of these standard arenas, including social insects, cooperatively breeding birds, mutualisms, and how to model social evolution. Table of Contents Front Matter Part I: THE FUNDAMENTALS OFEVOLUTIONARY COOPERATION 1 Expanded Social Fitness and Hamilton's Rule for Kin, Kith, and Kind--DAVID C. QUELLER 2 Evolutionary Transitions in Bacterial Symbiosis--JOEL L. SACHS, RYAN G. SKOPHAMMER, and JOHN U. REGUS 3 Kinship, Greenbeards, and Runaway Social Selection in the Evolution of Social Insect Cooperation--PETER NONACS 4 Spatiotemporal Environmental Variation, Risk Aversion, and the Evolution of Cooperative Breeding as a Bet-Hedging Strategy--DUSTIN R. RUBENSTEIN Part II: COOPERATION WRIT SMALL: MICROBES 5 Endemic Social Diversity Within Natural Kin Groups of a Cooperative Bacterium--SUSANNE A. KRAEMER and GREGORY J. VELICER 6 Evolution of Restraint in a Structured RockPaperScissors Community--JOSHUA R. NAHUM, BRITTANY N. HARDING, and BENJAMIN KERR 7 Social Evolution in Multispecies Biofilms--SARA MITRI, JOO B. XAVIER, and KEVIN R. FOSTER Part III: REAL SELFISH (AND COOPERATIVE) GENES 8 Molecular Evolutionary Analyses of Insect Societies--BRIELLE J. FISCHMAN, S. HOLLIS WOODARD, and GENE E. ROBINSON 9 Evolution of Cooperation and Control of Cheating in a Social Microbe--JOAN E. STRASSMANN and DAVID C. QUELLER 10 Selfish Genetic Elements, Genetic Conflict, and Evolutionary Innovation--JOHN H. WERREN Part IV: SOCIALITY AND MEDICINE 11 The Evolution of Drug Resistance and the Curious Orthodoxy of Aggressive Chemotherapy--ANDREW F. READ, TROY DAY, and SILVIE HUIJBEN 12 Genomic Imprinting and the Evolutionary Psychology of Human Kinship--DAVID HAIG 13 Pathology from Evolutionary Conflict, with a Theory of X Chromosome Versus Autosome Conflict over Sexually Antagonistic Traits--STEVEN A. FRANK and BERNARD J. CRESPI Part V: ARE HUMANS DIFFERENT? 14 Cooperation and Competition in a Cliff-Dwelling People--BEVERLY I. STRASSMANN 15 Extent and Limits of Cooperation in Animals--DOROTHY L. CHENEY 16 Evolutionary Foundations of Human Prosocial Sentiments--JOAN B. SILK and BAILEY R. HOUSE 17 The Cultural Niche: Why Social Learning Is Essential for Human Adaptation--ROBERT BOYD, PETER J. RICHERSON, and JOSEPH HENRICH References Index

In December 2006, the National Academy of Sciences sponsored a colloquium (featured as part of the Arthur M. Sackler Colloquia series) on "Adaptation and Complex Design" to synthesize recent empirical findings and conceptual approaches toward understanding the evolutionary origins and maintenance of complex adaptations. Darwin's elucidation of natural selection as a creative natural force was a monumental achievement in the history of science, but a century and a half later some religious believers still contend that biotic complexity registers conscious supernatural design. In this book, modern scientific perspectives are presented on the evolutionary origin and maintenance of complex phenotypes including various behaviors, anatomies, and physiologies. After an introduction by the editors and an opening historical and conceptual essay by Francisco Ayala, this book includes 14 papers presented by distinguished evolutionists at the colloquium. The papers are organized into sections covering epistemological approaches to the study of biocomplexity, a hierarchy of topics on biological complexity ranging from ontogeny to symbiosis, and case studies explaining how complex phenotypes are being dissected in terms of genetics and development. Table of Contents Front Matter Part I: INTRODUCTORY ESSAY 1 Darwin's Greatest Discovery: Design Without Designer--FRANCISCO J. AYALA Part II: EPISTEMOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO BIOCOMPLEXITY ASSESSMENT 2 Functional Information and the Emergence of Biocomplexity--ROBERT M. HAZEN, PATRICK L. GRIFFIN, JAMES M. CAROTHERS, and JACK W. SZOSTAK 3 The Theory of Facilitated Variation--JOHN GERHART and MARC KIRSCHNER 4 Between ''Design'' and ''Bricolage'': Genetic Networks, Levels of Selection, and Adaptive Evolution--ADAM S. WILKINS 5 The Frailty of Adaptive Hypotheses for the Origins of Organismal Complexity--MICHAEL LYNCH Part III: FROM INDIVIDUAL ONTOGENY TO SYMBIOSIS: A HIERARCHY OF COMPLEXITY 6 Emerging Principles of Regulatory Evolution--BENJAMIN PRUD'HOMME, NICOLAS GOMPEL, and SEAN B. CARROLL 7 Evolution of Individuality During the Transition from Unicellular to Multicellular Life--RICHARD E. MICHOD 8 Insect Societies as Divided Organisms: The Complexities of Purpose and Cross-Purpose--JOAN E. STRASSMANN and DAVID C. QUELLER 9 Symbiosis as an Adaptive Process and Source of Phenotypic Complexity--NANCY A. MORAN Part IV: CASE STUDIES: DISSECTING COMPLEX PHENOTYPES 10 Adaptive Evolution of Color Vision as Seen Through the Eyes of Butterflies--FRANCESCA D. FRENTIU, GARY D. BERNARD, CRISTINA I. CUEVAS, MARILOU P. SISON-MANGUS, KATHLEEN L. PRUDIC, and ADRIANA D. BRISCOE 11 Plant Domestication, a Unique Opportunity to Identify the Genetic Basis of Adaptation--JEFFREY ROSS-IBARRA, PETER L. MORRELL, and BRANDON S. GAUT 12 An Experimental Test of Evolutionary Trade-Offs During Temperature Adaptation--ALBERT F. BENNETT and RICHARD E. LENSKI 13 Two Routes to Functional Adaptation: Tibetan and Andean High-Altitude Natives--CYNTHIA M. BEALL 14 On the Origin and Evolutionary Diversification of Beetle Horns--DOUGLAS J. EMLEN, LAURA CORLEY LAVINE, and BEN EWEN-CAMPEN Part V: CONCLUDING ESSAY 15 Biological Design in Science Classrooms--EUGENIE C. SCOTT and NICHOLAS J. MATZKE References Index

The central goal of the In the Light of Evolution (ILE) series is to promote the evolutionary sciences through state-of-the-art colloquia-in the series of Arthur M. Sackler colloquia sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences-and their published proceedings. Each installment explores evolutionary perspectives on a particular biological topic that is scientifically intriguing but also has special relevance to contemporary societal issues or challenges. This book is the outgrowth of the Arthur M. Sackler Colloquium "Brain and Behavior," which was sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences on January 20-21, 2012, at the Academy's Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center in Irvine, CA. It is the sixth in a series of Colloquia under the general title "In the Light of Evolution." Specifically, In Light of Evolution: Brain and Behavior focuses on the field of evolutionary neuroscience that now includes a vast array of different approaches, data types, and species. This volume is also available for purchase with the In the Light of Evolution six-volume set. Table of Contents Front Matter Part I: EVOLUTIONARY ORIGINS OF NEURONS AND NERVOUS SYSTEMS 1 Functionalization of a Protosynaptic Gene Expression Network--Cecilia Conaco, Danielle S. Bassett, Hongjun Zhou, Mary Luz Arcila, Sandie M. Degnan, Bernard M. Degnan, and Kenneth S. Kosik 2 Adaptive Evolution of Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels: The First 800 Million Years--Harold H. Zakon 3 Evolution of Centralized Nervous Systems: Two Schools of Evolutionary Thought--R. Glenn Northcutt Part II: DEVELOPMENTAL AND ADULT VARIATION IN NEURAL ORGANIZATION 4 Evolving Specialization of the Arthropod Nervous System--Erin Jarvis, Heather S. Bruce, and Nipam H. Patel 5 Expansion, Folding, and Abnormal Lamination of the Chick Optic Tectum After Intraventricular Injections of FGF2--Luke D. McGowan, Roula A. Alaama, Amanda C. Freise, Johnny C. Huang, Christine J. Charvet, and Georg F. Striedter 6 Cortical Evolution in Mammals: The Bane and Beauty of Phenotypic Variability--Leah A. Krubitzer and Adele M. H. Seelke 7 Evolution of Columns, Modules, and Domains in the Neocortex of Primates--Jon H. Kaas 8 The Remarkable, Yet Not Extraordinary, Human Brain as a Scaled-Up Primate Brain and Its Associated Cost--Suzana Herculano-Houzel Part III: FROM NEURAL CIRCUIT EVOLUTION TO ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR 9 Homology and Homoplasy of Swimming Behaviors and Neural Circuits in the Nudipleura (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Opisthobranchia)--James M. Newcomb, Akira Sakurai, Joshua L. Lillvis, Charuni A. Gunaratne, and Paul S. Katz 10 Shared Developmental and Evolutionary Origins for Neural Basis of VocalAcoustic and PectoralGestural Signaling--Andrew H. Bass and Boris P. Chagnaud 11 To Flock or Fight: Neurochemical Signatures of Divergent Life Histories in Sparrows--James L. Goodson, Leah C. Wilson, and Sara E. Schrock 12 From Chemotaxis to the Cognitive Map: The Function of Olfaction--Lucia F. Jacobs 13 Evolution of Brains and Behavior for Optimal Foraging: A Tale of Two Predators--Kenneth C. Catania Part IV: PHYLOGENY OF HUMAN BRAINS AND HUMAN MINDS 14 Human Brain Evolution: From Gene Discovery to Phenotype Discovery--Todd M. Preuss 15 Integration of Faces and Vocalizations in Ventral Prefrontal Cortex: Implications for the Evolution of Audiovisual Speech--Lizabeth M. Romanski 16 Math, Monkeys, and the Developing Brain--Jessica F. Cantlon 17 A Hierarchical Model of the Evolution of Human Brain Specializations--H. Clark Barrett Epilogue: A TANGLED MULTILAYERED WEB References Index

The current extinction crisis is of human making, and any favorable resolution of that biodiversity crisis-among the most dire in the 4-billion-year history of Earth-will have to be initiated by mankind. Little time remains for the public, corporations, and governments to awaken to the magnitude of what is at stake. This book aims to assist that critical educational mission, synthesizing recent scientific information and ideas about threats to biodiversity in the past, present, and projected future. This is the second volume from the In the Light of Evolution series, based on a series of Arthur M. Sackler colloquia, and designed to promote the evolutionary sciences. Each installment explores evolutionary perspectives on a particular biological topic that is scientifically intriguing but also has special relevance to contemporary societal issues or challenges. Individually and collectively, the ILE series aims to interpret phenomena in various areas of biology through the lens of evolution, address some of the most intellectually engaging as well as pragmatically important societal issues of our times, and foster a greater appreciation of evolutionary biology as a consolidating foundation for the life sciences. Table of Contents Front Matter Part I: Contemporary Patterns and Processes in Animals 1 Ecological Extinction and Evolution in the Brave New Ocean--JEREMY B. C. JACKSON 2 Are We in the Midst of the Sixth Mass Extinction? A View from the World of Amphibians--DAVID B. WAKE and VANCE T. VREDENBURG 3 Patterns of Biodiversity and Endemism on Indo-West Pacific Coral Reefs--MARJORIE L. REAKA, PAULA J. RODGERS, and ALEXEI U. KUDLA 4 Homage to Linnaeus: How Many Parasites? How Many Hosts?--ANDY DOBSON, KEVIN D. LAFFERTY, ARMAND M. KURIS, RYAN F. HECHINGER, and WALTER JETZ Part II: Contemporary Patterns and Processes in Plants and Microbes 5 Species Invasions and Extinction: The Future of Native Biodiversity on Islands--DOV F. SAX and STEVEN D. GAINES 6 How Many Tree Species Are There in the Amazon and How Many of Them Will Go Extinct?--STEPHEN P. HUBBELL, FANGLIANG HE, RICHARD CONDIT, LUIS BORDA-DE-AGUA, JAMES KELLNER, and HANS TER STEEGE 7 Microbes on Mountainsides: Contrasting Elevational Patterns of Bacterial and Plant Diversity--JESSICA A. BRYANT, CHRISTINE LAMANNA, HELENE MORLON, ANDREW J. KERKHOFF, BRIAN J. ENQUIST, and JESSICA L. GREEN 8 Resistance, Resilience, and Redundancy in Microbial Communities--STEVEN D. ALLISON and JENNIFER B. H. MARTINY Part III: Trends and Processes in the Paleontological Past 9 Extinction as the Loss of Evolutionary History--DOUGLAS H. ERWIN 10 Extinction and the Spatial Dynamics of Biodiversity--DAVID JABLONSKI 11 Dynamics of Origination and Extinction in the Marine Fossil Record--JOHN ALROY 12 Megafauna Biomass Tradeoff as a Driver of Quaternary and Future Extinctions--ANTHONY D. BARNOSKY Part IV: Prospects for the Future 13 A Phylogenetic Perspective on the Distribution of Plant Diversity--MICHAEL J. DONOGHUE 14 Phylogenetic Trees and the Future of Mammalian Biodiversity--T. JONATHAN DAVIES, SUSANNE A. FRITZ, RICHARD GRENYER, C. DAVID L. ORME, JON BIELBY, OLAF R. P. BININDA-EMONDS, MARCEL CARDILLO, KATE E. JONES, JOHN L. GITTLEMAN, GEORGINA M. MACE, and ANDY PURVIS 15 Three Ambitious (and Rather Unorthodox) Assignments for the Field of Biodiversity Genetics--JOHN C. AVISE 16 Engaging the Public in Biodiversity Issues--MICHAEL J. NOVACEK 17 Further Engaging the Public on Biodiversity Issues--PETER J. BRYANT 18 Where Does Biodiversity Go from Here? A Grim Business-as-Usual Forecast and a Hopeful Portfolio of Partial Solutions--PAUL R. EHRLICH and ROBERT M. PRINGLE References Index

Humans possess certain unique mental traits. Self-reflection, as well as ethic and aesthetic values, is among them, constituting an essential part of what we call the human condition. The human mental machinery led our species to have a self-awareness but, at the same time, a sense of justice, willing to punish unfair actions even if the consequences of such outrages harm our own interests. Also, we appreciate searching for novelties, listening to music, viewing beautiful pictures, or living in well-designed houses. But why is this so? What is the meaning of our tendency, among other particularities, to defend and share values, to evaluate the rectitude of our actions and the beauty of our surroundings? What brain mechanisms correlate with the human capacity to maintain inner speech, or to carry out judgments of value? To what extent are they different from other primates' equivalent behaviors? In the Light of Evolution Volume VII aims to survey what has been learned about the human "mental machinery." This book is a collection of colloquium papers from the Arthur M. Sackler Colloquium "The Human Mental Machinery," which was sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences on January 11-12, 2013. The colloquium brought together leading scientists who have worked on brain and mental traits. Their 16 contributions focus the objective of better understanding human brain processes, their evolution, and their eventual shared mechanisms with other animals. The articles are grouped into three primary sections: current study of the mind-brain relationships; the primate evolutionary continuity; and the human difference: from ethics to aesthetics. This book offers fresh perspectives coming from interdisciplinary approaches that open new research fields and constitute the state of the art in some important aspects of the mind-brain relationships. Table of Contents Front Matter Part I: CURRENT STUDY OF THE MINDBRAIN RELATIONSHIPS 1 Theory of Mind and Darwin's Legacy--John Searle 2 Affiliation, Empathy, and the Origins of Theory of Mind--Robert M. Seyfarth and Dorothy L. Cheney 3 Evolution of Consciousness: Phylogeny, Ontogeny, and Emergence from General Anesthesia--George A. Mashour and Michael T. Alkire Part II: THE PRIMATE EVOLUTIONARY CONTINUITY 4 Similarity in Form and Function of the Hippocampus in Rodents, Monkeys, and Humans--Robert E. Clark and Larry R. Squire 5 Evolution of Working Memory--Peter Carruthers 6 The Evolution of Episodic Memory--Timothy A. Allen and Norbert J. Fortin 7 Neuroethology of Primate Social Behavior--Steve W. C. Chang, Lauren J. N. Brent, Geoffrey K. Adams, Jeffrey T. Klein, John M. Pearson, Karli K. Watson, and Michael L. Platt 8 Synaptogenesis and Development of Pyramidal Neuron Dendritic Morphology in the Chimpanzee Neocortex Resembles Humans--Serena Bianchi, Cheryl D. Stimpson, Tetyana Duka, Michael D. Larsen, William G. M. Janssen, Zachary Collins, Amy L. Bauernfeind, Steven J. Schapiro, Wallace B. Baze, Mark J. McArthur, William D. Hopkins, Derek E. Wildman, Leonard Lipovich, Christopher W. Kuzawa, Bob Jacobs, Patrick R. Hof, and Chet C. Sherwood Part III: THE HUMAN DIFFERENCE: FROM ETHICS TO AESTHETICS 9 Making Lasting Memories: Remembering the Significant--James L. McGaugh 10 Concepts and Implications of Altruism Bias and Pathological Altruism--Barbara A. Oakley 11 Justice- and Fairness-Related Behaviors in Nonhuman Primates--Sarah F. Brosnan 12 Powering Up with Indirect Reciprocity in a Large-Scale Field Experiment--Erez Yoeli, Moshe Hoffman, David G. Rand, and Martin A. Nowak 13 From Perception to Pleasure: Music and Its Neural Substrates--Robert J. Zatorre and Valorie N. Salimpoor 14 Learning Where to Look for a Hidden Target--Leanne Chukoskie, Joseph Snider, Michael C. Mozer, Richard J. Krauzlis, and Terrence J. Sejnowski 15 Impact of Contour on Aesthetic Judgments and Approach-Avoidance Decisions in Architecture-Oshin Vartanian, Gorka Navarrete, Anjan Chatterjee, Lars Brorson Fich, Helmut Leder, Cristin Modroo, Marcos Nadal, Nicolai Rostrup, and Martin Skov 16 Dynamics of Brain Networks in the Aesthetic Appreciation--Camilo J. Cela-Conde, Juan Garca-Prieto, Jos J. Ramasco, Claudio R. Mirasso, Ricardo Bajo, Enric Munar, Albert Flexas, Francisco del-Pozo, and Fernando Maest References Index

Approximately 99.9% of vertebrate species reproduce sexually. The exceptional 0.1% reproduce via asexual or clonal means, which vary wildly and are fascinating in their own right. In this book, John C. Avise describes the genetics, ecology, natural history, and evolution of the world's approximately 100 species of vertebrate animal that routinely display one form or another of clonal or quasi-clonal reproduction. Approximately 99.9% of vertebrate species reproduce sexually. The exceptional 0.1% reproduce via asexual or clonal means, which vary wildly and are fascinating in their own right. In this book, John C. Avise describes the genetics, ecology, natural history, and evolution of the world's approximately 100 species of vertebrate animal that routinely display one form or another of clonal or quasi-clonal reproduction. By considering the many facets of sexual abstinence and clonal reproduction in vertebrate animals, Avise sheds new light on the biological meaning and ramifications of standard sexuality.

The Human Condition is a collection of papers by leading evolutionary biologists and philosophers of science that reflect on the Darwinian Revolution as it relates to the human condition at levels ranging from the molecular to the theological. The book focuses on understanding the evolutionary origin of humans and their biological and cultural traits. The Human Condition is organized into three parts: Human Phylogenetic History and the Paleontological Record; Structure and Function of the Human Genome; and Cultural Evolution and the Uniqueness of Being Human. This fourth volume from the In the Light of Evolution (ILE) series, based on a series of Arthur M. Sackler colloquia, was designed to promote the evolutionary sciences. Each volume explores evolutionary perspectives on a particular biological topic that is scientifically intriguing but also has special relevance to contemporary societal issues or challenges. Individually and collectively, the ILE series interprets phenomena in various areas of biology through the lens of evolution, addresses some of the most intellectually engaging as well as pragmatically important societal issues of our times, and fosters a greater appreciation of evolutionary biology as a consolidating foundation for the life sciences. Table of Contents Front Matter PART I: HUMAN PHYLOGENETIC HISTORY AND THE PALEONTOLOGICAL RECORD 1 Reconstructing Human Evolution: Achievements, Challenges, and Opportunities--Bernard Wood 2 Terrestrial Apes and Phylogenetic Trees--Juan Luis Arsuaga 3 Phylogenomic Evidence of Adaptive Evolution in the Ancestry of Humans-Morris Goodman and Kirstin N. Sterner 4 Human Adaptations to Diet, Subsistence, and Ecoregion Are Due to Subtle Shifts in Allele Frequency--Angela M. Hancock, David B. Witonsky, Edvard Ehler, Gorka Alkorta-Aranburu, Cynthia Beall, Amha Gebremedhin, Rem Sukernik, Gerd Utermann, Jonathan Pritchard, Graham Coop, and Anna Di Rienzo 5 Working Toward a Synthesis of Archaeological, Linguistic, and Genetic Data for Inferring African Population History--Laura B. Scheinfeldt, Sameer Soi, and Sarah A. Tishkoff PART II: STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE HUMAN GENOME 6 Uniquely Human Evolution of Sialic Acid Genetics and Biology--Ajit Varki 7 Bioenergetics, the Origins of Complexity, and the Ascent of Man-Douglas C. Wallace 8 Genome-wide Patterns of Population Structure and Admixture Among Hispanic/Latino Populations--Katarzyna Bryc, Christopher Velez, Tatiana Karafet, Andres Moreno-Estrada, Andy Reynolds, Adam Auton, Michael Hammer, Carlos D. Bustamante, and Harry Ostrer 9 Human Skin Pigmentation as an Adaptation to UV Radiation--Nina G. Jablonski and George Chaplin 10 Footprints of Nonsentient Design Inside the Human Genome--John C. Avise PART III: CULTURAL EVOLUTION AND THE UNIQUENESS OF BEING HUMAN 11 How Grandmother Effects Plus Individual Variation in Frailty Shape Fertility and Mortality: Guidance from Human-Chimpanzee Comparisons--Kristen Hawkes 12 Gene-Culture Coevolution in the Age of Genomics--Peter J. Richerson, Robert Boyd, and Joseph Henrich 13 The Cognitive Niche: Coevolution of Intelligence, Sociality, and Language--Steven Pinker 14 A Role for Relaxed Selection in the Evolution of the Language Capacity--Terrence W. Deacon 15 Adaptive Specializations, Social Exchange, and the Evolution of Human Intelligence--Leda Cosmides, H. Clark Barrett, and John Tooby 16 The Difference of Being Human: Morality--Francisco J. Ayala References Index

An introductory tour into the stranger-than-fiction world of genetic engineering, a scientific realm inhabited by eager researchers intent upon fashioning a prodigious medley of genetically modified (GM) organisms to serve human needs.

They mastermind our lives, shaping our features, our health, and our behavior, even in the sacrosanct realms of love and sex, religion, aging, and death. Yet we are the ones who house, perpetuate, and give the promise of immortality to these biological agents, our genetic gods. The link between genes and gods is hardly arbitrary, as the distinguished evolutionary geneticist John Avise reveals in this compelling book. In clear, straightforward terms, Avise reviews recent discoveries in molecular biology, evolutionary genetics, and human genetic engineering, and discusses the relevance of these findings to issues of ultimate concern traditionally reserved for mythology, theology, and religious faith. The book explains how the genetic gods figure in our development--not just our metabolism and physiology, but even our emotional disposition, personality, ethical leanings, and, indeed, religiosity. Yet genes are physical rather than metaphysical entities. Having arisen via an amoral evolutionary process--natural selection--genes have no consciousness, no sentient code of conduct, no reflective concern about the consequences of their actions. It is Avise's contention that current genetic knowledge can inform our attempts to answer typically religious questions--about origins, fate, and meaning. The Genetic Gods challenges us to make the necessary connection between what we know, what we believe, and what we embody.

John Avise is one of the most distinguished evolutionary biologists of our time. His groundbreaking work with mitochondrial DNA created the entire discipline of phylogeography and his work on the Pleistocene refugia hypothesis redirected scientific thinking about patterns of distribution. Spanning a remarkable thirty-five-year career, the essays gathered here were rewritten from his previously published articles and represent the first single-volume collection of Avise's work.

Moving through various questions in evolutionary biology, these eclectic essays reveal Avise's unique perspectives on major topics in the field. From how to define a species to the folly of faulty applications of cladistics to connections between conservation and evolutionary biology, On Evolution takes the reader on a personal journey into the mind of one of the world's leading evolutionists.