Evolution by Association : A History of Symbiosis

In This Comprehensive History Of Symbiosis Theory--the First To Be Written--jan Sapp Masterfully Traces Its Development From Modest Beginnings In The Late Nineteenth Century To Its Current Status As One Of The Key Conceptual Frameworks For The Life Sciences. The Symbiotic Perspective On Evolution, Which Argues That Higher Species Have Evolved From A Merger Of Two Or More Different Kinds Of Organisms Living Together, Is Now Clearly Established With Definitive Molecular Evidence Demonstrating That Mitochondria And Chloroplasts Have Evolved From Symbiotic Bacteria. In Telling The Exciting Story Of An Evolutionary Biology Tradition That Has Effectively Challenged Many Key Tenets Of Classical Neo-darwinism, Sapp Sheds Light On The Phenomena, Movements, Doctrines, And Controversies That Have Shaped Attitudes About The Scope And Significance Of Symbiosis. Engaging And Insightful, Evolution By Association Will Be Avidly Read By Students And Researchers Across The Life Sciences. Published: March 2010. Nothing Stimulates A Good Debate In Contemporary Evolutionary Biology More Than Seemingly Simple Questions Like: What Is An Animal? What Is An Organism? What Is An Individual? This Book Traces The History Of These Questions From Their Very Beginnings And Skillfully Weaves History, Politics, Egos, Indisputable Facts, And Vigorously Disputed Interpretation Of Those Facts Into A Cohesive Story. The Story Can Be Read On Many Levels: The Politics Of Science, The Role Of History In Scientific Discovery, The Science Of Symbiosis, And The Natural History Of Organismal Associations. The 13 Chapters Each Are Heavily Laden With Citations (more Than 300 Distinct Entries) Covering Publications Often Not Discussed In The Us. They Carry The Reader From 18th-century Questions Of What Exactly Are Lichens? To The More Recent Just Who Is Gaia? It Is A Valuable Resource Work. It Will Convince Readers Of The Need For Good Libraries, Good Reviews Of The Old Literature, And A Good Sense Of History No Matter How Fresh The Ideas. Upper-division Undergraduate Through Professional; Two-year Technical Program Students. G. Stevens; University Of New Mexico--choice Review. Symbiosis: Evolution In Action -- The Meanings Of Mutualism -- Socially Constructing The Individual -- Symbiogenesis In Russia -- Engendering Genesis Stories -- Les Symbiotes And Germ Theory -- The Pasteurization Of Les Symbiotes -- Les Symbiotes Revisited -- Verbal Phantoms -- Organisms And The Edge Of Disciplines -- Molecular Reconstruction -- The Dull Edge Of Ockham's Razor -- Is Nature Motherly? By Jan Sapp. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Our evolution and that of all plants and animals is not thought to be due solely to the gradual accumulation of gene changes within species. Symbiosis is at the root of our being. This book is a systematic history of this emerging field and gives an account of the growth of a biological idea.