Evolutionary Developmental Biology of Crustacea (Advances in Crustacean Research) - Tapa dura

"[This book] provides an important reference for current practitioners . [A]ll of the contributions to the book are of the highest quality ." - Systematic Biology, Vol. 53, Dec. 2004, No. 6 "This comprehensive treatment of issues on the interface of evolution and development results in an integrated view of the subject presented by top authors in their field This book is an extremely important contribution to the integration of evolutionary and developmental biology of both crustaceans and arthropods. The compilation of present knowledge in this volume will facilitate many scientists and students in this rapidly expanding field of research." - C. H. J. M. Fransen, www.PalArch.nl "[The] editor and publishers are quite correct in their presumption that Evolutionary Developmental Biology of Crustacea will be a standard reference for some years to come. This volume provides readers [with] some very valuable insights into the potentials of this avenue of research, while at the same time emphasizing the critical role ontogeny plays in our understanding of morphology, evolution, and phylogeny." - Patsy A. McLaughlin, Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol. 79, No. 3, September 2004

Crustaceans, due to the great diversity of their body organization, segmentation patterns, tagmatization, limb types, larval forms, cleavage, and gastrulation modes, are highly desirable for the study of questions at the interface of evolution and development. Modern interest in evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) rests on the molecular genetic approach and a variety of molecular techniques have proven fruitful when performed on crustaceans.

Evolutionary Developmental Biology of Crustacea presents a comprehensive treatment of all aspects of the field, beginning with a discussion of the implications of the typological Bauplan and phylum concepts versus historical concepts such as ground pattern and monophylum for the formulation of conceptual questions in evo-devo. Following this, the authors present the results of Hox gene expression in various crustacean taxa, aspects of segment formation at the cellular and genetic levels, the formation of segmental structures such as neurons, ganglia, and limbs, and the role of morphological ontogenetic characters in resolving phylogenetic relationships.

By covering so many general aspects of crustacean development, morphology, and evolution, Evolutionary Developmental Biology of Crustacea serves as an indispensable reference for developmental and evolutionary biologists investigating the role of genetics in evolution and development.