Synopses & Reviews
New discoveries of ancient vertebrates, filling in gaps in the fossil record, are quickly eroding the traditionally recognized differences between the principal groups of vertebrates--for example, between dinosaurs and birds--and radically changing our understanding of the evolutionary history of the major group of animals to which our species belongs. This book describes this changing scientific landscape and contributes to the revolution in our knowledge of the developmental mechanisms that underlie evolutionary transformation.
Review
"...the volume as a whole offers a good deal more than just overviews of new fossils, namely a window into the contemporary Zeitgeist of vertebrate palaeontology itself... Major Transitions in Vertebrate Evolution reviews the rapidly growing knowledge in several of the most pertinent cases, and it also epitomises much that is good about the present state of the art." --T.S. Kemp, Zoological Jrnl Linnean Society, 157 2009
Review
Major transitions present some of the most fascinating,
and least understood, problems in the history of
vertebrates. Indeed, some biologists have devoted
their careers to understanding the origins of birds
from theropod dinosaurs and the transition from
aquatic vertebrates to tetrapods. This edited volume
offers updates on several landmark transitions in the
evolution of vertebrates by an outstanding lineup of
authors. The editors' introduction to the volume
hints at some evolutionary developmental biology
("evo-devo") content but, with the possible exception
of one of the ten chapters, this book is decidedly
aimed at paleontologists.
The volume begins with a thorough and lavishly
cited review of vertebrate skeletal tissue types, and subsequent
chapters primarily address the origins of major
lineages through phylogenetic systematics and comparative
morphology. These chapters include treatments
of: the earliest vertebrates; jawed vertebrates and the
innovation of paired appendages; evolutionary relationships
of modern amphibians; the origins of amniotes,
snakes, and birds; evolutionary radiations of
early mammals; and the aquatic transition of cetaceans.
An additional chapter offers a new conceptual framework
to analyze links between developmental and morphological
transformations, and will be especially interesting
to students of limb development. Notably, some
of these chapters challenge previous assumptions
about the concurrent appearance of suites of traits,
such as large eyes, jaws, teeth, a stomach, and paired
fins in gnathostomes (jawed vertebrates). In this and
other cases, new fossil data contradict long-standing
interpretations that such structures evolved in concert
and were originally functionally integrated. A standout
among the ten chapters is Michael Caldwell's contribution
on the evolution of snakes. He includes an intriguing
review of the history of snake paleontology and
systematics, and seamlessly incorporates developmental
data into his discussion of evolutionary morphology.
In summary, Major Transitions in Vertebrate Evolution
presents thorough and much-needed updates
on several critical episodes in vertebrate history.
Paleontologists and systematists will appreciate the
depth of morphological and phylogenetic analyses,
although the density of some chapters might
challenge the stamina of even specialist readers.
Biologists in other fields (for example, evolutionary
developmental biology) will likely find many
parts of the book less approachable.
--The Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol 83
Michael D. Shapiro, Biology, University of Utah,
Salt Lake City, Utah Indiana University Press
Review
"The topic is one of the most fascinating aspects of the general field of vertebrate paleobiology. The range of chapters and the reputation of the authors as experts in their fields make this a significant contribution." --Bruce MacFadden, Florida Museum of Natural History Indiana University Press Indiana University Press
Review
"[This] book is a fine snapshot of current research on vertebrate macroevolution." --The Systematist, 2010 No. 31
Review
In this day of virulent creationist assaults on science, especially paleontology and evolutionary biology, it is valuable to have an up-to-date summary and synthesis of the important transitions in vertebrate evolution whose very existence the creationists must deny. Major Transitions in Vertebrate Evolution, edited by Jason S. Anderson and Hans-Dieter Sues, has its origins in a symposium at the 2003 Society of Verte- brate Paleontology meeting in St. Paul, Minnesota. Thus, unsurprisingly, it is a fairly technical volume aimed at the specialist audience, and assumes a fairly strong background in vertebrate paleontology, anatomy, and embryology. However, for those who have the training to understand the chapters, it is one of the most complete and current summaries of the topics discussed in the volume.
Major Transitions in Vertebrate Evolution is beautifully produced, with numerous color plates in the center, and typographical errors or problems in the reproduction of the halftones were very nearly absent. The volume is complete and up-to-date on the transitions within the vertebrates, although it does not give a complete picture because it focuses on the lower vertebrates. In particular, many more well-documented examples exist of transitional fossils in the synapsids, and especially within the placental mammals. These would have been nice to include in a complete volume, but at 422 pages of dense, technical text, it was probably too much to ask that this volume be comprehensive. However, any scientist who wants to get a quick update on the current thinking about the transitions mentioned above would do well to consult the chapters in this book.Donald R. Prothero, Department of Geology at Occidental College in Los Angeles, California., BioScience, February 2008 / Vol. 58 No. 2
Review
"Very topical, particularly from an evo--devo perspective. The authors are top--notch, each appropriate to the topics under consideration." --David S. Weishampel, Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, Johns Hopkins University
Review
"... This book is an outstanding contribution to evolutionary biology and paleontology.... Essential." --Choice Indiana University Press
Review
"... this is a useful volume - the individual chapters offer a combination of reviews and important new data that will interest an audience that should extend beyond vertebrate
palaeontology to zoologists and evolutionary biologists." --Paul M. Barrett, Geological Magazine, 2009
About the Author
Jason S. Anderson is a vertebrate paleontologist and Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary. He is Associate Editor of the Journal of Paleontology.
Hans-Dieter Sues is a vertebrate paleontologist and Associate Director for Research and Collections, National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Studying Evolutionary Transitions among Vertebrates Hans-Dieter Sues and Jason S. Anderson
1. Plasticity of and Transitions between Skeletal Tissues in Vertebrate Evolution and Development Brian K. Hall and P. Eckard Witten
2. Homologies and Evolutionary Transitions in Early Vertebrate History Philippe Janvier
3. Paired Fins of Jawless Vertebrates and Their Homologies across the "Agnathan"-Gnathostome Transition Mark V. H. Wilson, Gavin F. Hanke, and Tiiu Märss
4. MODEs of Developmental Evolution: An Example with the Origin and Definition of the Autopodium Hans C. E. Larsson
5. Incorporating Ontogeny into the Matrix: A Phylogenetic Evaluation of Developmental Evidence for the Origin of Modern Amphibians Jason S. Anderson
6. The Cranial Anatomy of Basal Diadectomorphs and the Origin of Amniotes Robert R. Reisz
7. Snake Phylogeny, Origins, and Evolution: The Role, Impact, and Importance of Fossils (18692006) Michael W. Caldwell8. The Beginnings of Birds: Recent Discoveries, Ongoing Arguments, and New Directions Luis M. Chiappe and Gareth J. Dyke
9. Successive Diversifications in Early Mammalian Evolution Zhe-Xi Luo
10. The Terrestrial to Aquatic Transition in Cetacea Mark D. Uhen
Contributors
Index