Overview
- 400 million years in the structural and mechanical history of the largest organ of the body the skin
- Many parts of the book are largely based on the authors own research in both neontology and paleontology
- Eliminates a lot of speculations in the controversial debate on the origin of birds
- Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras
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Table of contents (9 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Keywords
About this book
The vertebrate integument arose about 450 million years ago as an ‘armour’ of dermal bony plates in small, jawless fish-like creatures, informally known as the ostracoderms. This book reviews the major changes that have occurred in the vertebrate integument from its beginnings to the present day. Critical questions concerning the origin, structure and functional biology of the bony integument are discussed and intrinsically linked to major steps in vertebrate evolution and phylogeny—the origin of jaws and the origin of teeth. The discussions include the origins of mineralization of major vertebrate skeletal components such as the dermatocranium, branchial arches and vertebral column. The advances that led to the origin of modern fishes and their phylogenetic development are reviewed and include the evolution of fins and replacement of the bony plates with several types of dermal scales. The evolution of reptiles saw a major transformation of the integument, with the epidermis becoming the protective outermost layer, from which the scales arose, while the dermis lay below it. The biological significance of the newly-evolved β-keratin in reptilian scales, among the toughest natural materials known, is discussed in the context of its major contribution to the great success of reptiles and to the evolution of feathers and avian flight. The dermis in many vertebrates is strengthened by layers of oppositely oriented cross-fibres, now firmly entrenched as a design principle of biomechanics. Throughout the book conventional ideas are discussed and a number of new hypotheses are presented in light of the latest developments. The long evolutionary history of vertebrates indicates that the significance of the Darwinian concept of “survival of the fittest” may be overstated, including in our own mammalian origins and that chance often plays a major role in evolutionary patterns. Extensive illustrations are included to support the verbal descriptions.
Professor Theagarten Lingham-Soliar is in the Department of Life Sciences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Reviews
From the book reviews:
“It is a book about the evolution of vertebrate animals, from their origin some 500 million years ago through the origin of mammals and the return of reptiles to the sea. The work focuses on morphological transitions and innovations as enlightened by the fossil record, anatomy, and a little genetics. … will be primarily useful to professionals and graduate-level students. … Summing Up: Upper-division undergraduates and above.” (J. E. Grinnell, Choice, Vol. 52 (3), November, 2014)Authors and Affiliations
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: The Vertebrate IntegumentVolume 1
Book Subtitle: Origin and Evolution
Authors: Theagarten Lingham-Soliar
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-53748-6
Publisher: Springer Berlin, Heidelberg
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life Sciences, Biomedical and Life Sciences (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-642-53747-9Published: 06 March 2014
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-662-51011-7Published: 23 August 2016
eBook ISBN: 978-3-642-53748-6Published: 18 February 2014
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIII, 268
Number of Illustrations: 115 b/w illustrations, 54 illustrations in colour
Topics: Vertebrates, Evolutionary Biology, Paleontology