Molecular Evolution: Evidence for Monophyly of Metazoa, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1998 Progress in Molecular and Subcellular Biology Series, Vol. 19

This volume concentrates on the origin of multicellular animals, Metazoa. Until now, no unequivocal phylogeny has been produced. Therefore, the questions remain: Did Metazoa evolve from the Protozoa only once, or several times? Is the origin of animals monophyletic or polyphyletic? Especially the relationships between the existing lower metazoan phyla, particularly the Porifera (sponges) are uncertain. Based on sequence data of genes typical for multicellularity it is demonstrated that all Metazoa, including Porifera, should be placed into the kingdom Animalia together with the Eumetazoa. Therefore it is most likely that all animals are of monophyletic origin.

Transition from Protozoa to Metazoa: An Experimental Approach.- 1 Introduction.- 2 Proteins Present in All Biotic Regna.- 3 Monophyly of Metazoa.- 4 Origin of Metazoan Genes and Proteins.- 5 Evolution of Metazoan Genes.- 6 Directed Evolution?.- References.- Individuality in Early Eukaryotes and the Consequences for Matazoan Development.- 1 Introduction.- 2 The Evolution of Metabolism and Development.- 3 Conclusions.- References.- Evolution of Animal Lectins.- 1 Introduction.- 2 Brief Overview of Lectins.- 3 Evolution of the C-Type Lectin Family.- 4 Evolution of Galectins.- 5 Comparison of the Galectin Family and the C-Type Lectin Family.- 6 Evolution of Glycocodes.- References.- Molecular Phylogeny of Eumetazoa: Genes in Sponges (Porifera) Give Evidence for Monophyly of Animals.- 1 Introduction.- 2 Earlier Problems.- 3 Porifera (Sponges).- 4 Rationale for a Classification of Sponges as Metazoa.- 5 Genes in Sponges: Coding for Metazoan Proteins.- 6 Evolutionary Tempo.- 7 Conclusion.- References.- Homeobox Genes in the Freshwater Sponge Ephydatia fluviatilis.- 1 Introduction.- 2 Classification of Homeobox Genes.- 3 Homeobox Genes in Freshwater Sponges.- 4 Comparison of the Homeobox Genes of Sponges with Those of Other Animals.- 5 Principles Associated with the Conservation and Diversification of Homeobox Genes During Animal Evolution.- 6 Conclusion.- References.- Homeobox-Containing Genes in Freshwater Sponges: Characterization, Expression and Phylogeny.- 1 Introduction.- 2 Materials and Methods.- 3 Results and Discussion.- 4 Conclusions.- References.- Early Evolution of the Metazoa: An Inference from the Elongation Factor-1?.- 1 Introduction.- 2 Inference from EF-1? Sequences.- 3 Monophyly of the Metazoa.- 4 Phylogenetic Status of the Diploblasts.- 5 Conclusion.-References.

The first book to address this topic Of interest to all evolutionary biologists