Constructional Morphology and Evolution

ISBN-13: 9783642761584 / Angielski / Miękka / 2011 / 409 str.

Norbert Schmidt-Kittler; Klaus Vogel; H. Sch Fer

Opis

Constructional morphology explains features of organisms from a constructional and functional point of view. By means of physical analysis it explains the operational aspects of organic structures - how they can perform the activities organisms are expected to fulfil in order to survive in their environment. Constructional morphology also explains options and constraints during the evolution determined by internal constructional needs, ontogenetic demands, inherited organizational preconditions and environmental clues.

Spis treści

Introduction: A New Look at Morphology.- I Concepts of Constructional Morphology.- Explanations in Konstruktionsmorphologie and Evolutionary Morphology.- Functional Aspects of Morphology.- An Outline of Morpho-Constructional Analysis.- Concepts of Constructional Morphology.- II Bioconstruction: Operational Interconnections, Behavior, Environment.- Dynamic Similarity in the Analysis of Animal Movement.- Cytomechanics and Biochemistry.- Constructional Principles and the Quasi-Experimental Approach to Organisms.- Biomechanics in the Enamel of Mammalian Teeth.- The Functional Morphology of Gastropod Apertures.- Behavior plus “Pathology” — the Origin of Adaptations?.- The Function of Labyrinthodont Teeth: Big Teeth in Small Jaws.- Complexity and a Coupled System: Flight, Echolocation and Evolution in Bats.- Biomechanical Aspects of the Wing Joints in Flies, Especially in Calliphora erythrocephala.- III Bioconstruction: Morphogenesis.- Ontogenetic Changes Reflected in the Morphology of the Molluscan Shell.- A Functional Approach to the Development of the Head of Teleosts: Implications on Constructional Morphology and Constraints.- Self-Organizing Mechanisms in Morphogenesis and Evolution.- Genetic and Molecular Analysis of Pattern Formation Processes in Drosophila.- Design Elements Employed in the Construction of Animal Skeletons.- A Theoretical Morphological Approach to Tooth Replacement in Lower Vertebrates.- IV Bioconstruction: Evolution.- Evolution of Biological Constructions: Concessions, Limitations, and Pathways.- Constructional and Ecological Prerequisites for the Evolution of Homeothermy.- The Mechanical Constraints in Mollusc Constructions — the Function of the Shell, the Musculature, and the Connective Tissue.- Morphogenetic Versus Environmental Cues for Adaptive Radiations.- The Sequence of Body Plans and Locomotory Systems During the Precambrian-Cambrian Transition.- Index of Taxonomic Terms.

O autorze

How can organic structures perform the activities organisms are expected to fulfill in order to survive in their environment? Constructional morphology gives an explanation by means of physical analysis.