The Character Concept In Evolutionary Biology

Author : Günter P. Wagner
Publisher : Elsevier
ISBN 13 : 0080528902
Total Pages : 647 pages
Book Rating : 4.08/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Character Concept in Evolutionary Biology written by Günter P. Wagner and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2000-10-31 with total page 647 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Almost all evolutionary biologists, indeed all biologists, use particular features to study life. These characteristics or features used by evolutionary biologists are used in a particular way to unravel a tangled evolutionary history, document the rate of evolutionary change, or as evidence of biodiversity. "Characters" are the "data" of evolutionary biology and they can be employed differently in research providing both opportunities and limitations. The Character Concept in Evolutionary Biology is about characters, their use, how different sorts of characters are limited, and what are appropriate methods for character analysis. Leading evolutionary biologists from around the world are contributors to this authoritative review of the "character concept." Because characters and the conception of characters are central to all studies of evolution, and because evolution is the central organizing principle of biology, this book will appeal to a wide cross-section of biologists. Focuses upon "characters" -- fundamental data for evolutionary biology Covers the myriad ways in which characters are defined, described, and distinguished Includes historical, morphological, molecular, behavioral, and philosophical perspectives

Author : Stefan Linquist
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 135191135X
Total Pages : 652 pages
Book Rating : 4.51/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Philosophy of Evolutionary Biology written by Stefan Linquist and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-03-02 with total page 652 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The impact of evolutionary theory on the philosophy of science has been no less profound than its impact on the science of biology itself. Advances in this theory provide a rich set of examples for thinking about the nature of scientific explanation and the structure of science. Many of the developments in our understanding of evolution resulted from contributions by both philosophers and biologists engaging over theoretical questions of mutual interest. This volume traces some of the most influential exchanges in this field over the last few decades. Focal topics include the nature of biological functions, adaptationism as an explanatory and methodological doctrine, the levels of selection debate, the concepts of fitness and drift, and the relationship of evolutionary to developmental biology.

Author : Robert N. Brandon
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780521498883
Total Pages : 252 pages
Book Rating : 4.80/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Concepts and Methods in Evolutionary Biology written by Robert N. Brandon and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1996 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection of Professor Brandon's recent essays covers all the traditional topics in the philosophy of evolutionary biology.

Author : Günter P. Wagner
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691180679
Total Pages : 494 pages
Book Rating : 4.70/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Homology, Genes, and Evolutionary Innovation written by Günter P. Wagner and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2018-07-10 with total page 494 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A major synthesis of homology, written by a top researcher in the field Homology—a similar trait shared by different species and derived from common ancestry, such as a seal's fin and a bird’s wing—is one of the most fundamental yet challenging concepts in evolutionary biology. This groundbreaking book provides the first mechanistically based theory of what homology is and how it arises in evolution. Günter Wagner, one of the preeminent researchers in the field, argues that homology, or character identity, can be explained through the historical continuity of character identity networks—that is, the gene regulatory networks that enable differential gene expression. He shows how character identity is independent of the form and function of the character itself because the same network can activate different effector genes and thus control the development of different shapes, sizes, and qualities of the character. Demonstrating how this theoretical model can provide a foundation for understanding the evolutionary origin of novel characters, Wagner applies it to the origin and evolution of specific systems, such as cell types; skin, hair, and feathers; limbs and digits; and flowers. The first major synthesis of homology to be published in decades, Homology, Genes, and Evolutionary Innovation reveals how a mechanistically based theory can serve as a unifying concept for any branch of science concerned with the structure and development of organisms, and how it can help explain major transitions in evolution and broad patterns of biological diversity.

Author : Michael Ruse
Publisher : Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 648 pages
Book Rating : 4.69/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Monad to Man written by Michael Ruse and published by Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press. This book was released on 1996 with total page 648 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In interviews with today's major figures in evolutionary biology--including Stephen Jay Gould, E. O. Wilson, Ernst Mayr, and John Maynard Smith--Ruse offers an unparalleled account of evolutionary theory, from popular books to museums to the most complex theorizing, at a time when its status as science is under greater scrutiny than ever before.

Author : R. Paul Thompson
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1139867660
Total Pages : 257 pages
Book Rating : 4.65/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Evolutionary Biology written by R. Paul Thompson and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2014-03-13 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evolution - both the fact that it occurred and the theory describing the mechanisms by which it occurred - is an intrinsic and central component in modern biology. Theodosius Dobzhansky captures this well in the much-quoted title of his 1973 paper 'Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution'. The correctness of this assertion is even more obvious today: philosophers of biology and biologists agree that the fact of evolution is undeniable and that the theory of evolution explains that fact. Such a theory has far-reaching implications. In this volume, eleven distinguished scholars address the conceptual, metaphysical and epistemological richness of the theory and its ethical and religious impact, exploring topics including DNA barcoding, three grand challenges of human evolution, functionalism, historicity, design, evolution and development, and religion and secular humanism. The volume will be of great interest to those studying philosophy of biology and evolutionary biology.

Author : Thomas Heams
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 9401790140
Total Pages : 898 pages
Book Rating : 4.47/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Handbook of Evolutionary Thinking in the Sciences written by Thomas Heams and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-11-23 with total page 898 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Darwinian theory of evolution is itself evolving and this book presents the details of the core of modern Darwinism and its latest developmental directions. The authors present current scientific work addressing theoretical problems and challenges in four sections, beginning with the concepts of evolution theory, its processes of variation, heredity, selection, adaptation and function, and its patterns of character, species, descent and life. The second part of this book scrutinizes Darwinism in the philosophy of science and its usefulness in understanding ecosystems, whilst the third section deals with its application in disciplines beyond the biological sciences, including evolutionary psychology and evolutionary economics, Darwinian morality and phylolinguistics. The final section addresses anti-Darwinism, the creationist view and issues around teaching evolution in secondary schools. The reader learns how current experimental biology is opening important perspectives on the sources of variation, and thus of the very power of natural selection. This work examines numerous examples of the extension of the principle of natural selection and provides the opportunity to critically reflect on a rich theory, on the methodological rigour that presides in its extensions and exportations, and on the necessity to measure its advantages and also its limits. Scholars interested in modern Darwinism and scientific research, its concepts, research programs and controversies will find this book an excellent read, and those considering how Darwinism might evolve, how it can apply to the human sciences and other disciplines beyond its origins will find it particularly valuable. Originally produced in French (Les Mondes Darwiniens), the scope and usefulness of the book have led to the production of this English text, to reach a wider audience. This book is a milestone in the impressive penetration by Francophone scholars into the world of Darwinian science, its historiography and philosophy over the last two decades. Alex Rosenberg, R. Taylor Cole Professor of Philosophy, Duke University Until now this useful and comprehensive handbook has only been available to francophones. Thanks to this invaluable new translation, this collection of insightful and original essays can reach the global audience it deserves. Tim Lewens, University of Cambridge

Author : Elliott Sober
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 0429963424
Total Pages : 255 pages
Book Rating : 4.21/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Philosophy Of Biology written by Elliott Sober and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-03-05 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Perhaps because of it implications for our understanding of human nature, recent philosophy of biology has seen what might be the most dramatic work in the philosophies of the ?special? sciences. This drama has centered on evolutionary theory, and in the second edition of this textbook, Elliott Sober introduces the reader to the most important issues of these developments. With a rare combination of technical sophistication and clarity of expression, Sober engages both the higher level of theory and the direct implications for such controversial issues as creationism, teleology, nature versus nurture, and sociobiology. Above all, the reader will gain from this book a firm grasp of the structure of evolutionary theory, the evidence for it, and the scope of its explanatory significance.

Author : Brian K. Hall
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780674022409
Total Pages : 506 pages
Book Rating : 4.08/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Keywords and Concepts in Evolutionary Developmental Biology written by Brian K. Hall and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2006-09 with total page 506 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Covering more than 50 central terms and concepts in entries written by leading experts, this book offers an overview of this new subdiscipline of biology, providing the core insights and ideas that show how embryonic development relates to life-history evolution, adaptation, and responses to and integration with environmental factors.

Author : Alan C. Love
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 940179412X
Total Pages : 492 pages
Book Rating : 4.21/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Conceptual Change in Biology written by Alan C. Love and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-11-07 with total page 492 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume explores questions about conceptual change from both scientific and philosophical viewpoints by analyzing the recent history of evolutionary developmental biology. It features revised papers that originated from the workshop "Conceptual Change in Biological Science: Evolutionary Developmental Biology, 1981-2011" held at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin in July 2010. The Preface has been written by Ron Amundson. In these papers, philosophers and biologists compare and contrast key concepts in evolutionary developmental biology and their development since the original, seminal Dahlem conference on evolution and development held in Berlin in 1981. Many of the original scientific participants from the 1981 conference are also contributors to this new volume and, in conjunction with other expert biologists and philosophers specializing on these topics, provide an authoritative, comprehensive view on the subject. Taken together, the papers supply novel perspectives on how and why the conceptual landscape has shifted and stabilized in particular ways, yielding insights into the dynamic epistemic changes that have occurred over the past three decades. This volume will appeal to philosophers of biology studying conceptual change, evolutionary developmental biologists focused on comprehending the genesis of their field and evaluating its future directions, and historians of biology examining this period when the intersection of ev olution and development rose again to prominence in biological science.