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Book Cover
E-book
Author McGhee, George R.

Title The geometry of evolution : adaptive landscapes and theoretical morphospaces / George R. McGhee, Jr
Published Cambridge, UK ; New York : Cambridge University Press, ©2007

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Description 1 online resource (xii, 200 pages) : illustrations
Contents The concept of the adaptive landscape -- Modelling natural selection in adaptive landscapes -- Modelling evolutionary phenomena in adaptive landscapes -- The concept of the theoretical morphospace -- Analysing the role of adaptive evolution in theoretical morphospaces -- Analysing evolutionary phenomena in theoretical morphospaces -- Evolutionary constraint in theoretical morphospace -- Evolutionary development in theoretical morphospace -- There is much to be done
Summary The metaphor of the adaptive landscape - that evolution via the process of natural selection can be visualized as a journey across adaptive hills and valleys, mountains and ravines - permeates both evolutionary biology and the philosophy of science. The focus of this 2006 book is to demonstrate to the reader that the adaptive landscape concept can be put into actual analytical practice through the usage of theoretical morphospaces - geometric spaces of both existent and non-existent biological form - and to demonstrate the power of the adaptive landscape concept in understanding the process of evolution. The adaptive landscape concept further allows us to take a spatial approach to the concepts of natural selection, evolutionary constraint and evolutionary development. For that reason, this book relies heavily on spatial graphics to convey the concepts developed within these pages, and less so on formal mathematics
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 185-195) and index
Notes English
Print version record
Subject Evolution (Biology) -- Mathematical models
Adaptation (Biology) -- Mathematical models
Morphology -- Mathematical models
SCIENCE -- Life Sciences -- Evolution.
Adaptation (Biology) -- Mathematical models
Evolution (Biology) -- Mathematical models
Morphology -- Mathematical models
Form Electronic book
ISBN 9780511261169
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