Continuity and Evolution of Animals

Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction to evolutionary biology. 2. Modern evolutionary theory. 3. Evolution and classification of animals. 4. Fossils: evidence of evolution. 5. Animal life in Paleozoic era. 6. Age of cycads and dinosaurs. 7. Human evolution. 8. Organic evolution and mental continuity doctrine.

"Evolution is the cornerstone of modern biology. It unites all the fields of biology under one theoretical umbrella. Evolution generally refers to any process of change over time; in the context of the life sciences, evolution is a change in the genetic make up of a group--a population of interbreeding individuals within a species. Since the emergence of modern genetics in the 1940s, evolution has been defined more specifically as a change in the frequency of alleles from one generation to the next.

A central assumption of evolutionary theory is that life on earth had a single point of origin; all subsequent life forms are descendants of this progenitor organism. This is called the theory of common descent. Evidence for common descent may be found in shared traits between living organisms.

This book contains some interesting information about the evolution and continuity of animals. The content of the book will be highly informative to teachers, researchers and students alike." (jacket)