Modularity in Development and Evolution

by Gerhard Schlosser (Editor), Günter P. Wagner (Editor)

Modularity in Development and Evolution offers the first sustained exploration of modules from developmental and evolutionary perspectives. Contributors discuss what modularity is, how it can be identified and modeled, how it originated and evolved, and its biological significance. Covering modules at levels ranging from genes to colonies, the book focuses on their roles not just in structures but also in processes such as gene regulation. Among many exciting findings, the contributors demonstrate how modules can highlight key constraints on evolutionary processes.

A timely synthesis of a crucial topic, Modularity in Development and Evolution shows the invaluable insights modules can give into both developmental complexities and their evolutionary origins.

600 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Nick Gogerty · Rating 4 out of 5]

"There are some good papers in here, depending on what you are looking for. I am not deeply entrenched enough in the field to offer a recommendation. the concepts of modularity in biology are challenging as modules by definition are fairly discrete and bounded, yet in evolved systems, modules survive and function by breaking these definitional boundaries occasionally. The concepts are quite cool, but the language hasn't evolved yet to describe functionally discrete boundaries within biota."