Patterns and Processes of Vertebrate Evolution

This new undergraduate text provides an integrated view of the forces that influence the patterns and rates of vertebrate evolution.

Robert Lynn Carroll (Author)

9780521478090, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 28 April 1997

464 pages, 173 b/w illus. 14 tables
25.4 x 17.8 x 2.3 cm, 0.985 kg

'Carroll's overview is welcome, well organised, affordable in paperback format and will prove a very useful backdrop to undergraduate courses on general evolution or vertebrate history.' David Norman, The Times Higher Education Supplement

This new text provides an integrated view of the forces that influence the patterns and rates of vertebrate evolution from the level of living populations and species to those that resulted in the origin of the major vertebrate groups. The evolutionary roles of behaviour, development, continental drift, and mass extinctions are compared with the importance of variation and natural selection that were emphasised by Darwin. It is extensively illustrated, showing major transitions between fish and amphibians, dinosaurs and birds, and land mammals and whales. No book since Simpson's Major Features of Evolution has attempted such a broad study of the patterns and forces of evolutionary change. Undergraduate students taking a general or advanced course on evolution, and graduate students and professionals working in evolutionary biology and palaeontology will find the book of great interest.

Preface
Acknowledgments
Part I. Current Problems in Evolutionary Theory: Part II. Theories of Evolution at the Level of Populations and Species: Part III. Evolution in Modern Populations: Part IV. Limits to Knowledge of the Fossil Record and Their Influence on Studies of Evolution: Part V. Patterns of Evolution Among Late Cenozoic Mammals: Part VI. Patterns of Evolution of Non-Mammalian Vertebrates in the Late Cenozoic: Part VII. The Influence of Systems of Classification on Concepts of Evolutionary Patterns: Part VIII. Evolutionary Constraints: Part IX. Evolutionary Genetics: Part X. Development and Evolution: Part XI. Physical Constraints: Part XII. Major Evolutionary Transitions: Part XIII. Patterns of Radiation: Part XIV. Forces of Evolution: Part XV. Conclusions and Comparisons: Glossary. References. Index.

Subject Areas: Palaeontology [RBX]