Homoplasy
Published on 11. October 1996
Book
Hardback
384 pages
978-0-12-618030-5 (ISBN)
Description
Plants and animals that are unrelated sometimes resemble one another in astonishing detail. These similarities are the result of parallelism, convergence, and reversal, collectively termed homoplasy. The independent evolution of similar characteristics can be thought of as the converse of homology, which is the shared similarity between organisms that results from shared ancestry or a common evolutionary history. In contrast, homoplasy is the shared similarities between organisms that is not the result of shared evolutionary history. In the past, it has been thought to be an error of the scientist unable to distinguish subtly different characteristics between animals and plants. More recently, however, studies of homoplasy are recognized as new opportunities for the exploration of biodiversity. This book explores new ways to view this phenomenon.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
San Diego
United States
Publishing group
Elsevier Science Publishing Co Inc
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
b&w illustrations, references, index
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
685 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-12-618030-5 (9780126180305)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Content
Implications of homoplasy: explanations of homoplasy at different levels of biological organization, D.R. Brooks, homoplasy connections and disconnections - genes and species, molecules and morphology, J.J. Doyle, the relationship be-tween homoplasy and confidence in a phylogenetic tree, M.J. Sanderson and M.J. Donoghue, nonfloral homoplasy and evolutionary scenarios in living and fossil land plants, R.M. Bateman, behavioural characters and homoplasy - perception versus practice, H.C.Proctor; measures of homoplasy: measures of homoplasy, J.W. Archie, the measurement of homoplasy - a stochastic view, J.T. Chang and J. Kim; gen-eration of homoplasy: complexity and homoplasy, D.W. McShea, exaptation, adaptation, and homoplasy - evolution of ecological traits in dalechampia vines, W.S. Armbruster, patterns of homoplasy in behavioural evolution, S.A. Foster, W.A. Cresko, K.P. Johnson, M.U. Tlusty, and H.E. Willmott, ontogenetic evolution, clade diversification, and homoplasy, L. Hufford, homoplasy in angiosperm flowers, P.K. Endress; Appendices: families and genera with completely trimerous flowers; families and genera with flowers that are trimerous except for the gynoecium; families and genera with flowers that are trimerous except for the adnorecium, which is polymerous; families and genera with flowers that are trimerous except for the calyx, which is pentamerous; homoplasy and the evolutionary process - an afterword, M.J. Sanderson and L. Hufford.