Molecular biology has revolutionized our understanding of animals and their evolution. In this Very Short Introduction, Peter Holland provides an authoritative summary of the modern view of animal life, its origins, and the new classification resulting from DNA studies. The animal world is immensely diverse, and our understanding of it has been greatly enhanced by analysis of DNA and the study of evolution and development ('evo-devo'). In this Very Short Introduction Peter Holland presents a modern tour of the animal kingdom. Beginning with the definition of animals (not obvious in biological terms), he takes the reader through the high-level groupings of animals (phyla) and new views on their evolutionary relationships based on molecular data,together with an overview of the biology of each group of animals. The phylogenetic view is central to zoology today and the volume will be of great value to all students of the life sciences, as well as providing a concise summary for the interested general reader. INDICE: What is an animal? Animal phyla The evolutionary tree of animals Basal animals: corals, sponges and jellyfish The bilaterians: building a body Lophotrochozoa: wondrous worms Ecdysozoa: insects and nematodes Deuterostomes I: starfish, sea squirts and amphioxus Deuterostomes II: the rise of vertebrates Deuterostomes III: vertebrates on land Enigmatic animals Further reading
- ISBN: 978-0-19-959321-7
- Editorial: Oxford University
- Encuadernacion: Rústica
- Páginas: 144
- Fecha Publicación: 24/11/2011
- Nº Volúmenes: 1
- Idioma: Inglés