Animal Evolution: Interrelationships of the Living Phyla

Animal Evolution is a complete analysis of the evolutionary interrelationships and myriad diversity of the animal kingdom. Using modern phylogenetic reasoning based on characters from an extensive review of morphology, including ultrastructure, and embryology, each phylum is analysed to ascertain its monophyly and hence its ancestral characters. These ancestral characters are then used to construct a complete phylogenetic tree of the extant animal phyla. This new edition of Animal Evolution brings the subject fully up to date including some new ideas and emphases, as well as new bibliographic data. It also includes new chapters on the use of computer programmes and on the use of the new molecular techniques to create phylogenies, both techniques that have grown in prevalence in the field since the first edition was published. Illustrated throughout with finely detailed line drawings and clear diagrams. From reviews of the first edition of Animal Evolution: 'A clear and engaging style exemplified by a series of superbly concise descriptions of the phyla.... These are complemented by excellent illustrations.... The volume belongs on every biologist's bookshelf.' Simon Conway- Morris, Nature 'Texts like these constitute the very cream of taxonomic literature.... It really is a joy to read... and in my opinion it constitutes a highly recommended book for all zoologists. I think it is also particularly suited for seminars on animal classification for both undergraduate and graduate students.' JC von Vaupel Klein, Crustaceana 'I highly recommend this book as a fascinating theory of animal relationships, and an excellent summary of the phylogenetically informative aspects of the biology of the whole animal kingdom.' Maximilian J Telford, Systematic Entomology

Booknews

Nielsen (zoology, U. of Copenhagen) examines the unity of the animal kingdom by tracing the evolution of all the 31 living phyla from their unicellar ancestor. The second edition incorporates new morphological data and new topic areas from the past decade, including histological/ultrastructural and embriological data, numerical cladistic analyses, DNA sequencing and developmental biology. The book is intended as a supplement to recent textbooks on systematic zoology, for undergraduate and graduate students, and as a reference for professionals in the field. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)