Beyond Heterochrony: The Evolution of Development

Abstract

The ten chapters in Beyond Heterochrony: The Evolution of Development explore the evolution of biological development from many different perspectives. They present their research and consider all sides of the often controversial concept of heterochrony without intellectual limits. In looking beyond heterochrony, this book attends to a variety of explanations for evolutionary development. The chapters present theoretical and practical approaches with real data, using examples from both extant and extinct forms of animal and plant life to present refreshing and at times divergent perspectives on the subject. Each chapter offers a substantive and original contribution to the literature, with case studies that explore the developmental basis of morphological evolution in a unique way. They address a number of issues and provide real data on which their conclusions rest, as well as the phylogenetic context of evolutionary interpretations. The book includes thorough analysis of the ontogeny and phylogeny of shape-for decades the very heart of studies of heterochrony-and also presents novel approaches with new hypotheses. The hypotheses considered are as diverse as their analytical methodologies: each goes beyond heterochrony in a different way and in so doing, steers the discussion of the evolution of development in fascinating new directions.