Principles of Animal Design: The Optimization and Symmorphosis Debate - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521583705 ISBN 13: 9780521583701

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1998

Synopsis

The book discusses the controversial issue of whether animals are designed according to the same rules that engineers use in building machines, namely that materials and energy are used economically while attempting to achieve a high level of performance. There is considerable scientific controversy surrounding this question because, although there is much evidence suggesting that animals are indeed well designed, evolutionary biology tells us that animals are not 'engineered' but result from evolution by natural selection. This book collates this evidence which is discussed by a group of eminent biologists from many different biological disciplines.

About this title

Review

"...rich in examples of how functionally integrated systems provide evidence for or against the theory of symmorphosis. It is, moreover, a useful source of data for those interested in issues of constraint and optimization in animal design." Evolutionary Anthropology

Book Description

In this book, eminent biologists discuss whether animals are designed according to the same rules that engineers use in building machines; namely that materials and energy are used economically while achieving a high level of performance. This is controversial because, although there is evidence for this idea, evolution tells us that animals are not 'engineered' but result by natural selection.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521583705
• ISBN 13: 9780521583701
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336
• Editor: Weibel Ewald R., Taylor C. Richard, Bolis Liana