Download the fantastic book titled Convergent Evolution written by George R. McGhee, Jr., available in its entirety in both PDF and EPUB formats for online reading. This page includes a concise summary, a preview of the book cover, and detailed information about "Convergent Evolution", which was released on 04 November 2011. We suggest perusing the summary before initiating your download. This book is a top selection for enthusiasts of the Science genre.
Summary of Convergent Evolution by George R. McGhee, Jr. PDF
An analysis of convergent evolution from molecules to ecosystems, demonstrating the limited number of evolutionary pathways available to life. Charles Darwin famously concluded On the Origin of Species with a vision of “endless forms most beautiful” continually evolving. More than 150 years later many evolutionary biologists see not endless forms but the same, or very similar, forms evolving repeatedly in many independent species lineages. A porpoise's fishlike fins, for example, are not inherited from fish ancestors but are independently derived convergent traits. In this book, George McGhee describes the ubiquity of the phenomenon of convergent evolution and connects it directly to the concept of evolutionary constraint—the idea that the number of evolutionary pathways available to life are not endless, but quite limited. Convergent evolution occurs on all levels, from tiny organic molecules to entire ecosystems of species. McGhee demonstrates its ubiquity in animals, both herbivore and carnivore; in plants; in ecosystems; in molecules, including DNA, proteins, and enzymes; and even in minds, describing problem-solving behavior and group behavior as the products of convergence. For each species example, he provides an abbreviated list of the major nodes in its phylogenetic classification, allowing the reader to see the evolutionary relationship of a group of species that have independently evolved a similar trait by convergent evolution. McGhee analyzes the role of functional and developmental constraints in producing convergent evolution, and considers the scientific and philosophical implications of convergent evolution for the predictability of the evolutionary process.
Detail About Convergent Evolution PDF
- Author : George R. McGhee, Jr.
- Publisher : MIT Press
- Genre : Science
- Total Pages : 335 pages
- ISBN : 0262539098
- Release Date : 04 November 2011
- PDF File Size : 41,6 Mb
- Language : English
- Rating : 4/5 from 21 reviews
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