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Randomness in evolution /
"John Tyler Bonner, one of our most distinguished and insightful biologists, here challenges a central tenet of evolutionary biology. In this concise, elegantly written book, he makes the bold and provocative claim that some biological diversity may be explained by something other than natural...
| Call Number: | Libro Electrónico |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic eBook |
| Language: | Inglés |
| Published: |
Princeton :
Princeton University Press,
[2013]
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Texto completo |
Table of Contents:
- Cover; Title; Copyright; CONTENTS; Illustrations; Preface; 1 Life and the Riddle of Randomness; 2 Time, Size, and Complexity; Fig. 1. Sizes of the largest organisms through Earth history.; Fig. 2. Estimated numbers of cell types of early members of various animal groups.; Fig. 3. The increase of complexity of all organisms and organism groups over geological time.; 3 Small Organisms and Neutral Morphologies; Fig. 4. Two plates from Ernst Haeckel's study of the Radiolaria collected on the voyage of the HMS Challenger.; Fig. 5. Some common forms of diatoms.
- Fig. 6. A comparison of fruiting body formation of Dictyostelium with that of Polysphondylium. 4 The Evolution of the Decrease of Randomness; Fig. 7. Development of a cellular slime mold.; Fig. 8. Protostelium: a single amoeba secretes a thin stalk and rises into the air.; Fig. 9. A diagram comparing mutations in morphology in microorganisms and larger organisms.; 5 An Exception: Where Small Organisms Suppress Randomness; Fig. 10. The progressive decrease in the size of a diatom.; Fig. 11. The asexual and sexual cycles of Volvox.
- 6 The Division of Labor: Two Cases of the Return of Randomness in Higher FormsFig. 12. Range variation in size in Paramecium.; Fig. 13. Pure lines of genetically similar beans showing range variation in size.; 7 Envoi; Fig. 14. A diagram reflecting the main themes in this essay.; Acknowledgments; Bibliography; Index.