Heads, Jaws, and Muscles
Anatomical, Functional, and Developmental Diversity in Chordate Evolution
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Beschreibung
The vertebrate head is the most complex part of the animal body and its diversity in nature reflects a variety of life styles, feeding modes, and ecological adaptations. This book will take you on a journey to discover the origin and diversification of the head, which evolved from a seemingly headless chordate ancestor. Despite their structural diversity, heads develop in a highly conserved fashion in embryos. Major sensory organs like the eyes, ears, nose, and brain develop in close association with surrounding tissues such as bones, cartilages, muscles, nerves, and blood vessels. Ultimately, this integrated unit of tissues gives rise to the complex functionality of the musculoskeletal system as a result of sensory and neural feedback, most notably in the use of the vertebrate jaws, a major vertebrate innovation only lacking in hagfishes and lampreys. The cranium subsequently further diversified during the major transition from fishes living in an aquatic environment to tetrapods living mostly on land. In this book, experts will join forces to integrate, for the first time, state-of-the-art knowledge on the anatomy, development, function, diversity, and evolution of the head and jaws and their muscles within all major groups of extant vertebrates. Considerations about and comparisons with fossil taxa, including emblematic groups such as the dinosaurs, are also provided in this landmark book, which will be a leading reference for many years to come.
The vertebrate head is the most complex part of the animal body and its diversity in nature reflects a variety of life styles, feeding modes, and ecological adaptations. This book will take you on a journey to discover the origin and diversification of the head, which evolved from a seemingly headless chordate ancestor. Despite their structural diversity, heads develop in a highly conserved fashion in embryos. Major sensory organs like the eyes, ears, nose, and brain develop in close association with surrounding tissues such as bones, cartilages, muscles, nerves, and blood vessels. Ultimately, this integrated unit of tissues gives rise to the complex functionality of the musculoskeletal system as a result of sensory and neural feedback, most notably in the use of the vertebrate jaws, a major vertebrate innovation only lacking in hagfishes and lampreys. The cranium subsequently further diversified during the major transition from fishes living in an aquatic environment to tetrapodsliving mostly on land. In this book, experts will join forces to integrate, for the first time, state-of-the-art knowledge on the anatomy, development, function, diversity, and evolution of the head and jaws and their muscles within all major groups of extant vertebrates. Considerations about and comparisons with fossil taxa, including emblematic groups such as the dinosaurs, are also provided in this landmark book, which will be a leading reference for many years to come.
Broadens your understanding on the origin of the vertebrate head Provides a unique multidisciplinary coverage of the “Heads, Jaws and Muscles”, their evolution, and diversification among chordates Written in a fluid, easy-to-understand way for both the scientific community as well as biology enthusiasts
Autor*in
Janine M. Ziermann
Themen in »Heads, Jaws, and Muscles«
vertebrate head feeding modes origin of the head chordate vertebrate jaw head diversity head evolution
Stimmen zu »Heads, Jaws, and Muscles«
“The clear sound scientific data and the expertise of the authors make this book surprisingly amusing, considering that many complex scientific issues are considered here. As this book comfortably rides between popularization and science, it is appropriate not only for scientist working in the field, but also for graduate and postgraduate students seeking to improve basic knowledge on the issues.” (Virginia Abdala, Mastozoología Neotropical, Vol. 26 (1), 2019)
“This edited volume explores the anatomy, development, function, and evolution of the head, skeleton, and musculature of chordates. … it is an excellent, up-to-date reference and resource for advanced students and professional scholars of vertebrate anatomy and paleontology. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate students and researchers.” (T. Harrison, Choice, Vol. 56 (12), August, 2019)
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