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Development Strategies and Biodiversity

Darwinian Fitness and Evolution in the Anthropocene

David Costantini editor Valeria Marasco editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Springer Nature Switzerland AG

Published:16th Feb '22

Should be back in stock very soon

Development Strategies and Biodiversity cover

Development is a complex and highly dynamic process involving the cross talk among genes, maternal effects and environmental circumstances. Widespread evidence from plant to animal species show that variation in developmental conditions can modulate life history trajectories and influence key traits, such as growth, reproduction, and senescence.  These effects are not limited to a single generation but can also be passed on future generations. This book aims to bring together studies of early life effects from the fields of evolutionary biology, global change biology, and biomedicine to synthesise and improve current knowledge of the mechanisms involved, and how variation in early life conditions translates into Darwinian fitness outcomes. Relying on examples of organisms’ responses to the ongoing and future environmental challenges of the Anthropocene, this book takes a novel approach to address the adaptive meaning of early life effects. The book has a broad scientific approach, targeting eco-evolutionary biologists, behavioural biologists, eco-physiologists, eco-toxicologists, as well as epidemiologists and biomedical scientists. 

“This volume explores a variety of case studies around a small set of themes. The most significant feature of this book concerns how it brings together issues in developmental biology to the Anthropocene. It serves as a call for better integration of the study of development alongside evolutionary biology, ecology, and conservation biology. It is also a fascinating examination of how small-scale processes such as development can affect large-scale biological diversity.” (Jay Odenbaugh, The Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol. 98 (3), September, 2023)

ISBN: 9783030901301

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

316 pages

1st ed. 2022