Life's Splendid Drama

List of Figures
Preface
Table of Geological Periods and Eras
1: The First Evolutionary Biology
A New Biology
A Revolution in Science?
Transforming Traditions
The Professional Framework
2: The Tree of Life
Relationships Redefined
Form and Function
Convergence and Parallelism
Ontogeny and Phylogeny
The Base of the Tree
3: Are the Arthropoda a Natural Group?
The Problem of Arthropod Origins
The Genealogy of the Crustacea
Peripatus and the Origin of the Tracheata
Limulus an Arachnid
The Debate Widens
The Fossil Record
4: Vertebrate Origins
The Ascidian Theory
The Annelid Theory
The Arthropod Theories
Nemertines and the Actinozoa
Balanoglossus and the Echinoderms
The Environmental Trigger
Later Developments
5: From Fish to Amphibian
The Origin of Fish
The Fin Problem
The Origin of the Amphibians
From Water to Land
6: The Origin of Birds and Mammals
From Reptile to Bird
Taking to the Air
Monotremes, Marsupials, and Mammals
The Mammal-like Reptiles
7: Patterns in the Past
Putting Things Together
Adaptive Radiation
Laws and Trends
Rise and Fall
Mass Extinctions
8: The Geography of Life
Zoological Provinces
Lost Worlds
Northern Origins
Southern Continents
9: The Metaphors of Evolutions
Trees and Ladders
The Biology of Imperialism?
Phylogeny and Modern Darwinism
Biographical Appendix
Bibliography
Index