The Shape of Life
Genes, Development, and the Evolution of Animal Form
Raff uses the evolution of animal body plans to exemplify the interplay between developmental mechanisms and evolutionary patterns. Animal body plans emerged half a billion years ago. Evolution within these body plans during this span of time has resulted in the tremendous diversity of living animal forms.
Raff argues for an integrated approach to the study of the intertwined roles of development and evolution involving phylogenetic, comparative, and functional biology. This new synthesis will interest not only scientists working in these areas, but also paleontologists, zoologists, morphologists, molecular biologists, and geneticists.
1: Over the Ice for Ontogeny and Phylogeny
2: Metazoan Phyla and Body Plans
3: Deep Time and Metazoan Origins
4: Molecular Phylogeny: Dissecting the Metazoan Radiation
5: Recovering Data from the Past
6: The Developmental Basis of Body Plans
7: Building Similar Animals in Different Ways
8: It's Not All Heterochrony
9: Developmental Constraints
10: Modularity, Dissociation, and Co-option
11: Opportunistic Genomes
12: Evolving New Body Plans