This multi-author, six-volume work summarizes our current knowledge on the developmental biology of all major invertebrate animal phyla. The main aspects of cleavage, embryogenesis, organogenesis and gene expression are discussed in an evolutionary framework. Each chapter presents an in-depth yet concise overview of both classical and recent literature, supplemented by numerous color illustrations and micrographs of a given animal group. The largely taxon-based chapters are supplemented by essays on topical aspects relevant to modern-day EvoDevo research such as regeneration, embryos in the fossil record, homology in the age of genomics and the role of EvoDevo in the context of reconstructing evolutionary and phylogenetic scenarios. A list of open questions at the end of each chapter may serve as a source of inspiration for the next generation of EvoDevo scientists. Evolutionary Developmental Biology of Invertebrates is a must-have for any scientist, teacher or student interested in developmental and evolutionary biology as well as in general invertebrate zoology.
This is the first of three volumes dedicated to animals that molt in the course of their lifecycle, the Ecdysozoa. It covers all non-hexapods and non-crustaceans, i.e., the Cycloneuralia, Tardigrada, Onychophora, Chelicerata and Myriapoda. While the Nematoda and all other phyla are treated in their own chapters, the remaining cycloneuralians are presented jointly due to the dearth of available developmental data on its individual subclades.