BeyondHeterochrony:TheEvolutionofDevelopment

ThetenchaptersinBeyondHeterochrony:TheEvolutionofDevelopmentexploretheevolutionofbiologicaldevelopmentfrommanydifferentperspectives.Theypresenttheirresearchandconsiderallsidesoftheoftencontroversialconceptofheterochronywithoutintellectuallimits.Inlookingbeyondheterochrony,thisbookattendstoavarietyofexplanationsforevolutionarydevelopment.Thechapterspresenttheoreticalandpracticalapproacheswithrealdata,usingexamplesfrombothextantandextinctformsofanimalandplantlifetopresentrefreshingandattimesdivergentperspectivesonthesubject.Eachchapteroffersasubstantiveandoriginalcontributiontotheliterature,withcasestudiesthatexplorethedevelopmentalbasisofmorphologicalevolutioninauniqueway.Theyaddressanumberofissuesandproviderealdataonwhichtheirconclusionsrest,aswellasthephylogeneticcontextofevolutionaryinterpretations.Thebookincludesthoroughanalysisoftheontogenyandphylogenyofshape-fordecadestheveryheartofstudiesofheterochrony-andalsopresentsnovelapproacheswithnewhypotheses.Thehypothesesconsideredareasdiverseastheiranalyticalmethodologies:eachgoesbeyondheterochronyinadifferentwayandinsodoing,steersthediscussionoftheevolutionofdevelopmentinfascinatingnewdirections.