Contents Notes |
pt. 1: Introduction. Development of science -- Darwin's times, his life, and his theory -- The revised theory of evolution -- pt. 2: Macroevolution. Species concepts -- The origin of new species -- The origin of life and the emergence of early eukaryotes -- From early eukaryotes to fungi, animals, and plants -- Adaptive radiation -- Extinction -- The survivors -- Modeling the fossil record -- Human evolution -- Biological classification -- pt. 3: Microevolution. Genetic systems -- Change in gene frequencies -- Genetic and protein polymorphism -- Non-Darwinian evolution -- Rates of evolution -- Genetic basis of coevolution -- Mutualistic systems of coevolution -- pt. 4: Conclusion. Is the theory of evolution adequate? This textbook introduces students to the subject of biological evolution. Evolution is the change in the inherited traits of a population of organisms through successive generations through biological means. It begins with a thorough discussion of Darwin's theory of evolution and his ideas for how new species develop over time. The author follows this with a comprehensive review of the alternative theories of mechanisms that result in a new species. |