On the Origin of Phyla

James W. Valentine

University of Chicago Press, Jun 18, 2004 - Science - 614 pages

Owing its inspiration and title toOn the Origin of Phlya, James W. Valentine's ambitious book synthesizes and applies the vast treasury of theory and research collected in the century and a half since Darwin's time. By investigating the origins of life's diversity, Valentine unlocks the mystery of the origin of phyla.

One of the twentieth century's most distinguished paleobiologists, Valentine here integrates data from molecular genetics, evolutionary developmental biology, embryology, comparative morphology, and paleontology into an analysis of interest to scholars from any of these fields. He begins by examining the sorts of evidence that can be gleaned from fossils, molecules, and morphology, then reviews and compares the basic morphology and development of animal phyla, emphasizing the important design elements found in the bodyplans of both living and extinct phyla. Finally, Valentine undertakes the monumental task of developing models to explain the origin and early diversification of animal phyla, as well as their later evolutionary patterns.

Truly a magnum opus,On the Origin of Phylawill take its place as one of the classic scientific texts of the twentieth century, affecting the work of paleontologists, morphologists, and developmental, molecular, and evolutionary biologists for decades to come.

"A magisterial compendium . . . . Valentine offers a judicious evaluation of an astonishing array of evidence."—Richard Fortey,New Scientist

"Truly a magnum opus,On the Origin of Phylahas already taken its place as one of the classic scientific texts of the twentieth century, affecting the work of paleontologists, morphologists, and developmental, molecular, and evolutionary biologists for decades to come."—Ethology, Ecology & Evolution

"Valentine is one of the Renaissance minds of our time. . . . Darwin wisely called his best-known workOn the Origin of the Species; the origin of the phyla is an even stickier problem, and Valentine deserves credit for tackling it at such breadth . . . . A magnificient book."—Stefan Bengtson,Nature 

Contents

• Preface: xxiii
• PART ONE Evidence of the Origins of Metazoan Phyla: 1
• PART TWO The Metazoan Phyla: 197
• PART THREE Evolution of the Phyla: 425
• The Geologic Time Scale: 521
• Glossary: 525
• References: 533
• Index: 607

Popular passages

Page 554 - Foote, M. and DM Raup, 1996: Fossil preservation and the stratigraphic ranges of taxa, Paleobiology, 22, pp.‎

Page 544 - D. 1998. Comparison of the complete protein sets of worm and yeast: Orthology and divergence. Science 282: 2022-2028.‎

About the author

James W. Valentine is a professor emeritus of integrative biology and is affiliated with the Museum of Paleontology and the Center for Integrative Genomics at the University of California, Berkeley. He is author of Evolutionary Paleoecology of the Marine Biosphere, coauthor of Evolution and Evolving, and editor of Phanerozoic Diversity Patterns: Profiles in Macroevolution.

Bibliographic information

• Title: On the Origin of Phyla; American Politics and Political Economy Series
• Author: James W. Valentine
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 2004
• ISBN: 0226845486, 9780226845487
• Length: 614 pages
• Subjects: Science / General; Science / Life Sciences / Evolution; Science / Life Sciences / Zoology / General; Science / Paleontology