Biological evolution

Author: Zhang Yun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-05-01
Features: "Evolutionary theory is the biggest unifying theory in biology." Research at all levels of life sciences and the establishment of various branches of disciplines are all guided by the theory of biological evolution. At the same time, it also absorbs and integrates research findings from various disciplines of biology. On the other hand, modern evolutionary theory is no longer just an ideological theory. The study of biological evolution has become a specialized discipline, known as evolutionary biology (evolutionary biology), which investigates the historical process of biological evolution, the causes of evolution, evolutionary mechanisms, evolutionary rates, evolutionary trends, the formation and extinction of species, phylogeny, and the origin of adaptation. This book is a textbook for undergraduate and graduate students. The entire book consists of fourteen chapters, on several different levels: First, starting with the recognition of Earth's life, it elaborates on the concept of evolution (Chapter 2 and Chapter 5) and traces the history of evolutionary thought and evolutionary theories (Chapter 4). Next, it explains the evolutionary process and evolutionary laws from two aspects: on one hand, it describes the historical process of biological evolution on Earth from a temporal perspective (Chapter 6), and on the other hand, it explains the evolutionary laws from different levels of biological organization (biomolecules, populations, species, and supraspecific units) (Chapters 7 to 10 and 12). At the same time, it explains the coevolutionary laws between organisms and the non-living environment from an ecosystem perspective (Chapter 11). Finally, it discusses the evolution of humans and the evolution of the human cultural system (Chapters 13 and 14). This book can be used as a textbook or teaching reference for undergraduate and graduate students in various majors of comprehensive biology, as well as for students and scientific workers in other fields.