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The central thesis of this book is that Volvox and its unicellular and colonial relatives provide a wholly unrivaled opportunity to explore the proximate and ultimate causes underlying the evolution from unicellular ancestors of multicellular organisms with fully differentiated cell types. A major portion of the book is devoted to reviewing what is known about the genetic, cellular and molecular basis of development in the most extensively studied species of Volvox: V. cateri, which exhibits a complete division of labor between mortal somatic cells and immortal germ cells. However, this topic has been put in context by first considering the ecological conditions and cytological preconditions that appear to have fostered the evolution of organisms of progressively increasing size and with progressively increasing tendency to produce terminally differentiated somatic cells. The book concludes by raising the question of whether the germ-soma dichotomy may have evolved by similar or different genetic pathways in different species of Volvox.
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DEVELOPMENTAL AND CELL BIOLOGY SERIES EDITORS J. B. L. BARD P. W. BARLOW P. B. GREEN D. L. KIRK VOLVOX Developmental and cell biology series SERIES EDITORS Jonathan B. L. Bard, Department of Anatomy, Edinburgh University Peter W. Barlow, Long Ashton Research Station, University of Bristol Peter B. Green, Department of Biology, Stanford University David L. Kirk, Department of Biology, Washington University The aim of the series is to present relatively short critical accounts of areas of developmental and cell biology where sufficient information has accumulated to allow a considered distillation of the subject. The fine structure of cells, embryology, morphology, physiology, genetics, biochemistry, and biophysics are subjects within the scope of the series. The books are intended to interest and instruct advanced undergraduates and graduate students and to make an important contribution to teaching cell and developmental biology. At the same time, they should be of value to biologists who, while not working directly in the area of a particular volume's subject matter, wish to keep abreast of developments relevant to their particular interests. OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES R. Maksymowych Analysis of leaf development L. Roberts Cytodijferentiation in plants: xylogenesis as a model system P. Sengel Morphogenesis of skin A. McLaren Mammalian chimaeras E. Roosen-Runge The process of spermatogenesis in animals F. D'Amato Nuclear cytology in relation to development P. Nieuwkoop & L. Sutasurya Primordial germ cells in the chordates J. Vasiliev & I. Gelfand Neoplastic and normal cells in development R. Chaleff Genetics of higher plants P. Nieuwkoop & L. Sutasurya Primordial germ cells in the invertebrates K. Sauer The biology of Physarum N. Le Douarin The neural crest M. H. Kaufmann Early mammalian development: parthenogenetic studies V. Y. Brodsky & I. V. Uryvaeva Genome multiplication in growth and development P. Nieuwkoop, A. G. Johnen & B. Albers The epigenetic nature of early chordate development V. Raghavan Embryogenesis in Angiosperms: a developmental and experimental study C. J. Epstein The consequences of chromosome imbalance: principles, mechanisms and models L. Saxen Organogenesis of the kidney V. Raghavan Developmental biology of the fern gametophytes R. Maksymowych Analysis of growth and development in Xanthium B. John Meiosis J. Bard Morphogenesis: the cellular and molecular processes of developmental anatomy R. Wall This side up: spatial determination in the early development of animals T. Sachs Pattern formation in plant tissues J. M. W. Slack From egg to embryo: regional specification in early development A. I. Farbman Cell biology of olfaction L. G. Harrison Kinetic theory of living pattern N. Satoh Development biology of Ascidians R. Holliday Understanding ag