Biological Systematics

Biological Systematics
Author: Alessandro Minelli
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 397
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9401196435

To some potential readers of this book the description of Biological System atics as an art may seem outdated and frankly wrong. For most people art is subjective and unconstrained by universal laws. While one picture, play or poem may be internally consistent comparison between different art products is meaningless except by way of the individual artists. On the other hand modern Biological Systematics - particularly phenetics and cladistics - is offered as objective and ultimately governed by universal laws. This implies that classifications of different groups of organisms, being the products of systematics, should be comparable irrespective of authorship. Throughout this book Minelli justifies his title by developing the theme that biological classifications are, in fact, very unequal in their expressions of the pattern and processes of the natural world. Specialists are imbibed with their own groups and tend to establish a consensus of what constitutes a species or a genus, or whether it should be desirable to recognize sub species, cultivars etc. Ornithologists freely recognize subspecies and rarely do bird genera contain more than 10 species. On the other hand some coleopterists and botanists work with genera with over 1500 species. This asymmetry may reflect a biological reality; it may express a working practicality, or simply an historical artefact (older erected genera often contain more species). Rarely are these phenomena questioned.

Systematics, Evolution, and Biogeography of Compositae

Systematics, Evolution, and Biogeography of Compositae
Author: Vicki Ann Funk
Publisher:
Total Pages: 1008
Release: 2009
Genre: Compositae
ISBN:

"This spectacular book does full justice to the Compositae (Asteraceae), the largest and most successful flowering plant family with some 1700 genera and 24,000 species. It is an indispensable reference, providing the most up-to-date hypotheses of phylogenetic relationships in the family based on molecular and morphological characters, along with the corresponding subfamilial and tribal classification. The 2009 work not only integrates the extensive molecular phylogenetic analyses conducted in the last 25 years, but also uses these to produce a metatree for about 900 taxa of Compositae. The book contains 44 chapters, contributed by 80 authors, covering the history, economic importance, character variation, and systematic and phylogenetic diversity of the family. The emphasis of this work is phylogenetic; its chapters provide a detailed, current, and thoroughly documented presentation of the major (and not so major) clades in the family, citing some 2632 references. Like the Compositae, the book is massive, diverse, and fascinating. It is beautifully illustrated, with 170 figures, and an additional 108 cladograms (all consistently color-coded, based on the geographic range of the included taxa); within these figures are displayed 443 color photographs, clearly demonstrating the amazing array of floral and vegetative form expressed by members of the clade." --NHBS Environment Bookstore.

Opportunities in Biology

Opportunities in Biology
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies
Total Pages: 471
Release: 1989-01-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309039274

Biology has entered an era in which interdisciplinary cooperation is at an all-time high, practical applications follow basic discoveries more quickly than ever before, and new technologiesâ€"recombinant DNA, scanning tunneling microscopes, and moreâ€"are revolutionizing the way science is conducted. The potential for scientific breakthroughs with significant implications for society has never been greater. Opportunities in Biology reports on the state of the new biology, taking a detailed look at the disciplines of biology; examining the advances made in medicine, agriculture, and other fields; and pointing out promising research opportunities. Authored by an expert panel representing a variety of viewpoints, this volume also offers recommendations on how to meet the infrastructure needsâ€"for funding, effective information systems, and other supportâ€"of future biology research. Exploring what has been accomplished and what is on the horizon, Opportunities in Biology is an indispensable resource for students, teachers, and researchers in all subdisciplines of biology as well as for research administrators and those in funding agencies.

Evolutionary Biology

Evolutionary Biology
Author: Max Hecht
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 510
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1461569710

Sixteen volumes and one supplement have now appeared in the series known as Evolutionary Biology. The editors continue to seek critical re views, original papers, and commentaries on controversial topics. It is our aim to publish papers primarily of greater length and depth than those normally published by society journals and quarterlies. The editors make every attempt to solicit manuscripts on an international scale and to see that every facet of evolutionary biology-classical or modern-is cov ered. Manuscripts should be sent to anyone of the following: Max K. Hecht, Department of Biology, Queens College of the City University of New York, Flushing, New York 11367; Bruce Wallace, Department of Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061; Ghillean T. Prance, New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York 10458. The Editors vii Contents 1. Darwinian Selection of Self-Replicating RNA Molecules 1 Christ(~r K. Biehricher Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Replication of Virus RNA in Vitro. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Extracellular Darwinian Experiments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Characterization of the QI3 Replicase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Nonviral RNA Templates of QI3 Replicase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II The Mechanism of RNA Replication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Initiation of Replication and Template Specificity . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Mechanism of Replica Chain Elongation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Termination of Replication. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Replication of RNA Variants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 The Quasispecies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 De NOl'O Synthesis of Self-Replicating RNA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 The Mechanism of Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Selection in the Exponential Growth Phase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Selection in the Linear Growth Phase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Appendix I. Replication. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Appendix II. The Quasispecies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Appendix III. Selection under Various Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Evolutionary Biology

Evolutionary Biology
Author: Max K. Hecht
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 285
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1461518474

This volume is the twenty-ninth in this series, which includes twenty-eight numbered volumes and one unnumbered supplement. The editors continue to focus on critical reviews, commentaries, original papers, and controversies in of the reviews range from anthropology to evolutionary biology. The topics molecular evolution, population biology to paleobiology. Recent volumes have included a broad spectrum of chapters on such subjects as population biology, comparative morphology, paleobiology, molecular phy logenetics, developmental evolutionary biology, systematics, and the history of evolutionary biology. The editors continue to solicit manuscripts in all areas of evolutionary biology. Manuscripts should be sent to anyone of the following: Max K. Hecht, Department of Biology, Queens College of the City University of New York, Flushing, New York 11367; Ross 1. MacIntyre, Department of Genetics and Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853; or Michael T. Clegg, Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California 92521. vii Contents 1. Homology and Embryonic Development Brian K. Hall Introduction .............................................. 1 A Brief History of the Concept of Homology ................. 1 von Baer's Laws ........................................ 4 Germ Layers and Ernst Haeckel ............................ 6 Embryology and Homology ............................... 7 Homology: An Unsolved Problem ............................ 8 Latent Homology ........................................ 8 Serial Homology ........................................ 9 Common Origins and Common Inductions ..................... 12 Mechanisms of Gastrulation ............................... 13 Origin of the Alimentary Canal ............................ 14 Origin of Germ Cells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 . . . . . . . . . . Induction of Meckel's Cartilage ............................ 15 Induction of the Lens of the Eye ........................... 16 Development of Internal and External Cheek Pouches .......... 18 Selection for Increased Tail Length in Mice .................. 19 Regeneration and Homology .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 . . . . . . .

Systematics

Systematics
Author: Ward C. Wheeler
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2012-05-29
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780470671702

Systematics: A Course of Lectures is designed for use in an advanced undergraduate or introductory graduate level course in systematics and is meant to present core systematic concepts and literature. The book covers topics such as the history of systematic thinking and fundamental concepts in the field including species concepts, homology, and hypothesis testing. Analytical methods are covered in detail with chapters devoted to sequence alignment, optimality criteria, and methods such as distance, parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches. Trees and tree searching, consensus and super-tree methods, support measures, and other relevant topics are each covered in their own sections. The work is not a bleeding-edge statement or in-depth review of the entirety of systematics, but covers the basics as broadly as could be handled in a one semester course. Most chapters are designed to be a single 1.5 hour class, with those on parsimony, likelihood, posterior probability, and tree searching two classes (2 x 1.5 hours).

The Growth of Biological Thought

The Growth of Biological Thought
Author: Ernst Mayr
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 996
Release: 1982
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780674364462

Explores the development of the ideas of evolutionary biology, particularly as affected by the increasing understanding of genetics and of the chemical basis of inheritance.

Biology of the Land Crabs

Biology of the Land Crabs
Author: Warren W. Burggren
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 504
Release: 1988-04-29
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780521306904

Interest in land crabs has burgeoned as biologists have increasingly focused on the evolution of terrestriality. Before the publication of this volume in 1988, there had been no single comprehensive source of information to serve biologists interested in the diverse aspects of terrestrial decapod crustacean. Biology of the Land Crabs was the first synthesis of recent and long-established findings on brachyuran and anomuran crustaceans that have evolved varying degrees of adaptation for life on land. Chapters by leading researchers take a coordinated evolutionary and comparative approach to systematics and evolution, ecology, behaviour, reproduction, growth and molting, ion and water balance, respiration and circulation, and energetics and locomotion. Each discusses how terrestrial species have become adapted from ancestral freshwater or marine forms. With its extensive bibliography and comprehensive index, including the natural history of nearly eighty species of brachyuran and anomuran crabs, Biology of the Land Crabs will continue to be an invaluable reference for researchers and advanced students.