Review by Choice Review
A series of essays designed to trace development from ancestral organisms ``where the germ line was not closed'' to latter-day organisms that reflect a complex ontogeny. Buss discusses in critical detail the concepts of August Weismann's doctrine of the continuity of germ plasm. Although recognizing Weismann's fundamental thesis that heritability is controlled by development, Buss feels Weismann's theories seem to preclude that a synthetic theory of evolution ``would predict patterns in ontogeny.'' Eventually, Buss studies the ontogenic development of higher forms of plants and animals, concluding with a consideration of the hierarchical organization of life forms. As the author indicates, the diversity of modern life cycles is extraordinary; but of all the possible life cycles, evolution has chosen only a subset. It is essential to explore the conflicts and synergisms between that which is definite and that which is only tentative in the myriad possible life cycles. Buss concludes that the major features of evolution were shaped during periods of transition between units of selection. Many references to current researchers enliven the text; Dawkins and Gould in particular are quoted at length. A knowledge of modern cell biology will be of great assistance to potential readers of this lucid, authoritative, and stimulating text.-G. Nicholas, Manhattan College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
