Major Transitions in Vertebrate Evolution

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.

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.

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Introduction: Studying Evolutionary Transitions among Vertebrates	p. 1
Plasticity of and Transitions between Skeletal Tissues in Vertebrate Evolution and Development	p. 13
Homologies and Evolutionary Transitions in Early Vertebrate History	p. 57
Paired Fins of Jawless Vertebrates and Their Homologies across the "Agnathan"-Gnathostome Transition	p. 122
MODEs of Developmental Evolution: An Example with the Origin and Definition of the Autopodium	p. 150
Incorporating Ontogeny into the Matrix: A Phylogenetic Evaluation of Developmental Evidence for the Origin of Modern Amphibians	p. 182
The Cranial Anatomy of Basal Diadectomorphs and the Origin of Amniotes	p. 228
Snake Phylogeny, Origins, and Evolution: The Role, Impact, and Importance of Fossils (1869-2006)	p. 253
The Beginnings of Birds: Recent Discoveries, Ongoing Arguments, and New Directions	p. 303
Successive Diversifications in Early Mammalian Evolution	p. 337
The Terrestrial to Aquatic Transition in Cetacea	p. 392
Contributors	p. 409
Index	p. 411
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Major Transitions in Vertebrate Evolution

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Author Biography

Table of Contents

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