Many marine invertebrates have elaborate feeding larval forms whereas others, sometimes
within the same taxon, have more direct development. This contrast in development raises …

Life cycles that incorporate discrete, morphologically distinct phases predominate among
animals. One explanation for the abundance and long-term persistence of complex life …

A three-phase kinetic model with time-specific perturbations is used to describe large-scale
patterns in the diversification of Phanerozoic marine families. The basic model assumes that …

In explaining his individuality thesis, Michael T. Ghiselin provides extended discussions of
such philosophical topics as definition, the reality of various kinds of groups, and how we …

This chapter examines the origin and diversification of metazoan larvae and developmental
modes. It discusses the major features of larval evolution, and considers their developmental …

Certain times of major biotic replacement have often been interpreted as broadly
competitive, mediated by innovation in the succeeding clades. A classic example was the …

The history of life is often viewed by biologists and palaeontologists as illustrating the
progressive nature of evolution. and this is an important element in explanations of major …

The ecological context of large-scale evolutionary patterns has been neglected. Several
workers have recently reported a bathymetric bias in the evolution of benthic marine …

The latitudinal diversity gradient, with maximum taxonomic richness in the tropics, is widely
accepted as being pervasive on land, but the existence of this pattern in the sea has been …

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the biology of living brachiopods. The
Brachiopoda are significant components of the early Cambrian marine Faunas and are …