Evolutionary Perspectives on Pregnancy

John Avise (Autor)

Buch | Hardcover

346 Seiten

2013
Columbia University Press (Verlag)
978-0-231-16060-5 (ISBN)

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Covering both the internal and external incubation of offspring, this book provides a biology-rich survey of the natural history, ecology, genetics, and evolution of pregnancy-like phenomena. From mammals and other live-bearing organisms to viviparous reptiles, male-pregnant fishes, larval-brooding worms, crabs, sea cucumbers, and corals, the world's various species display pregnancy and other forms of parental devotion in surprisingly multifaceted ways. An adult female (or male) can incubate its offspring in a womb, stomach, mouth, vocal sac, gill chamber, epithelial pouch, backpack, leg pocket, nest, or an encasing of embryos, and by studying these diverse examples from a comparative vantage point, the ecological and evolutionary-genetic outcomes of different reproductive models become fascinatingly clear. John C. Avise discusses each mode of pregnancy and the decipherable genetic signatures it has left on the reproductive structures, physiologies, and innate sexual behaviors of extant species.
By considering the many biological aspects of gestation from different evolutionary angles, Avise offers captivating new insights into the significance of "heavy" parental investment in progeny.

John C. Avise is a Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Irvine, and an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. He is also the author of Hermaphroditism: A Primer on the Biology, Ecology, and Evolution of Dual Sexuality.

Preface Part I: Distribution and Diversity of Pregnancy 1. One Generation Inside Another The Sexual Lifecycle Ontogenetic and Evolutionary Gradations of Pregnancy Viviparous Pregnancy in the Reproductive Timeline Heterochrony Some Unorthodox Routes to Internal Pregnancy Sexual Inequalities and Female Authority Over Reproduction Other Sexual Asymmetries Related to Biological Parenthood Evolutionary Reconstructions Summary 2. Vertebrate Live-Bearers: The Borne and the Born Viviparity Evolutionary Origins Developmental Sequences Trophic Relationships Between Mother and Fetus The Cast of Viviparous Vertebrates Summary 3. Vertebrate Alternatives to Standard Pregnancy Oviparity: The Borne and the Hatched The Cast of Oviparous Vertebrates Intermediate Conditions and Evolutionary Transitions Summary 4. Nonvertebrate Brooders The Cast of Players Evolutionary Transitions Conflicts Promoted by Brooding Genetic Parentage Assessments Summary 5. Human Pregnancy in Mythology and in Real Life Conception and Contraception Extracorporeal Fertilization Superfetation Twinning or Multibirth Pregnancy Ectopic Pregnancy From Preterm Labor to Prolonged Pregnancy Spontaneous Abortion Induced Abortion and Infanticide Cesarean Section Precocious Puberty Standard Vaginal Delivery The Placenta Menopause Male Pregnancy Summary Part II: Evolutionary Ramifications of Pregnancy 6. Natural Selection During Mammalian Pregnancy Delayed Implantation Polyembryony Dizygotic Twinning Cooperation and Conflict Within the Nuclear Family Evolutionary Conflict in Mother-Offspring Relations Other Categories of Conflict Summary 7. Sexual Selection and Piscine Pregnancy Anisogamy, Sexual Selection, and Animal Mating Behaviors Categories of Sexual Selection Female Pregnancy and Traditional Female Choice Internal Male Pregnancy External Pregnancy Summary 8. Pregnancy in a Comparative Light Sexual Selection and Multiple Mating by the Pregnant Gender Natural Selection Stemming from Pregnancy and Brooding Summary Epilogue Appendix: Molecular-Genetic Parentage Analyses Glossary References Cited Index

Zusatzinfo	<B>99 illus.</B>
Verlagsort	New York
Sprache	englisch
Maße	152 x 229 mm
Themenwelt	Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Zoologie
ISBN-10	0-231-16060-7 / 0231160607
ISBN-13	978-0-231-16060-5 / 9780231160605
Zustand	Neuware