Organizational Constraints on the Dynamics of Evolution
Published on 23. March 1992
Book
Hardback
454 pages
978-0-471-93500-1 (ISBN)
Description
The simple Darwinian principles of the evolutionary process have long been of interest to students and scientists. Evolutionary problems have usually arisen at interfaces of evolutionary genetics, ecology, molecular biology, embryology, palaeontology and various branches of mathematics. This collection of papers is the result of an international symposium on some of the current problems of evolution. The papers are arranged in five parts. The first part focuses upon constraints posed by molecular or cellular structure and organization, which appear to be important in the origin of life and consequently in the basic similarity of all living creatures on this Earth. The second part discusses the problems of developmental constraints in evolution and deals almost exclusively with animals, where the existence of the highly complex organism, especially the nervous system, seems to be difficult if not impossible to explain by conventional Neo-Darwinism. The third section consists of various papers connected with reproductive and genetic constraints in the dynamics of population, such as sexuality.
The fourth part is more homogeneous, concentrating on life history and its role in directing evolutionary changes in populations, while the fifth part reaches the "community level" to explain what kind of new rules enter into the evolutionary processes, thus creating further limitations upon the possible evolutionary changes.
The fourth part is more homogeneous, concentrating on life history and its role in directing evolutionary changes in populations, while the fifth part reaches the "community level" to explain what kind of new rules enter into the evolutionary processes, thus creating further limitations upon the possible evolutionary changes.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Chichester
United Kingdom
Publishing group
John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
illustrations, index
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 157 mm
Weight
740 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-471-93500-1 (9780471935001)
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Schweitzer Classification
Content
Part 1 Constraints in the origin of life and cellular organization: RNA worlds in test-tubes and protocells, E.Szathmary; biological automata models and evolution - the role of computer modelling in theories of evolution and the origin of life, N.S.Goel and R.L.Thompson; biological automata models and evolution - the evolution of macromolecular machinery, R.L.Thompson and N.S.Goel; causal constraints at molecular level, M.Ujhelyi; metabolic constraints in evolution, R.Beeby and H.Kacser. Part 2 Developmental constraints in evolution: symmetry constraints in development and evolution of fibonacci-plants, S.Berczi; mechanical aspects of evolution of development, I.Molnar and J.Verhas; the evolution of generic form, B.C.Goodwin; towards a homology of process - evolutionary implications of experimental studies on the generation of skeletal pattern in avian limb development, J.R.Hinchliffe; constraints in the development of the arthropodan compound eye, A.Wolsky and Maria de Issekutz Wolsky; developmental and geometrical constraints in the evolution of the Upper Silurian multiramous graptoloids, A.Urbanek; stenophany of phytophagous insects - a result of constraints in the evolution of the nervous system, T.Jermy et al; microenvironmental constraints and morphological differentiation in mammalian central neurons, A.Schierwagen; developmental stability in hybrids between geographically isolated populations of the housefly musca domestica L., I.Z.Togan and A.Kence; the effect of developmental constraints on selection response, W.Scharloo. Part 3 Genetical constraints in evolution: game-theoretical models of mutation and selection, P.Kurka; modularity as an organizational constraint on selection, J.Tuomi and T.Vuorisalo; sex as a conservative force in evolution, R.E.Michoud; evolution and origin of multigene families, T.Ohta; evolution of uniparental inheritance of cytoplasmic DNA, R.F.Hoekstra; sexuality of eukaryotic unicells - hyperbolic growth, coexistence of facultative parthenogens and the repair hypothesis, E.Szathmary et al. Part 4 Life history and evolution: non-equilibrium selection in age-structured populations, G.de Jong; are birds demographic pattern related to biological and environmental parameters?, D.Pontier et al; population regulation and optimal life history strategies, G.Meszena and E.Pasztor; ecological constraints and the evolution of life-history strategies in tropical lizards, R.Barbault. Part 5 The shaping of the macroevolutionary pattern: Darwin's dilemma of transitional forms - a comparison of a model with data, F.A.Hopf; is it sufficient to consider plant-insect relationships to conclude about evolution?, V.Labeyrie; coevolution and the units in evolution, G.Kampis and V.Csanyi; constraints on coevolution under competition, V.Loeschcke; towards modelling community evolution, G.Vida et al; do we need a macroevolutionary theory of taxonomic diversification?, A.Hoffman.