Across the bridge : understanding the origin of the vertebrates /

Nature editor Henry Gee provides an excellent, up-to-date account of vertebrate origins. In many respects, this is a challenging topic, not least because vertebrates are well known to the general reader. But the animals that are the closest living relatives of vertebrates, the deuterostomes, are much less familiar, often with tongue-twisting names and outlandish anatomy. Compelling storytelling is challenging when the cast of characters is this strange; this issue could have been overcome with more photos of the organisms described. The opening chapters introduce vertebrates and the non-vertebrate deuterostomes, including the echinoderms (sea urchins, starfish, brittle stars, sea cucumbers and their relatives), hemichordates (acorn worms), amphioxus (lancelets), and tunicates (sea squirts). Each chapter has helpful cartoons illustrating the main anatomical features and concluding summaries with key takeaways. The second half of the book explores vertebrate anatomy, followed by a review of the Cambrian fossil record, including the astounding array of organisms from the Burgess Shale (Canada) and Chenjiang (China). The book will appeal to general readers curious about vertebrates' complex evolutionary origins, and it offers an excellent refresher for professional biologists working on other branches of the tree of life. Summing Up: Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers. --Terry Harrison, New York University