Evolution's Witness : How Eyes Evolved.

Cover -- Contents -- Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Prologue: Molecular Genesis: Hadean Eon 4600-3750 million years ago -- 1. The Age of First Cellular Life Archean Eon 3750-2500 million years ago -- Prokaryotes -- Early Cells-Protobionts -- First Life -- First Witness -- The Road to Cellular Success -- Retinal (or Retinaldehyde, a form of Vitamin A) -- Photolyases and Cryptochromes -- Sunlight and Blue Light -- Beginning to Organize -- Genetic Machinery-The Toolkit -- Prokaryotic Gifts -- Further Organization -- 2. The Age of Complex Cellular Life Proterozoic Eon 2500-543 million years ago, Cryogenian Period 850-650 million years ago, Ediacaran Period 650-543 million years ago -- Inception of Eukaryotes -- Nucleated Kleptomaniacs -- Bridging the Gap to Metazoa -- 3. Eukaryotes Organize and Metazoans Arise Neoproterozoic Era 1000-543 million years ago, Cryogenian Period 850-650 million years ago, Ediacaran Period 650-543 million years ago -- Multicellular Animals -- Sensory Input -- The Eye and the Brain -- Metazoans and Their Eyes -- 4. Early Animals Prepare the Ground Ediacaran Period 650-543 million years ago -- A Major Genetic Step -- Urbilateria -- Another Major Genetic Step -- Wormy Beginnings -- Genetic Development of Eyes -- Annelids -- Mollusks Take the Stage -- Kimberella quadrata and Acanthochiton communis -- Small Shelly Fauna -- 5. Vision's Big Bang Blazes the Trail Early Paleozoic Era, Cambrian Explosion 543-490 million years ago -- The Burgess Shale -- Invertebrates in Ascendancy -- The First Eye -- Trilobites -- More Invertebrates and Their Eyes Appear -- Specific Examples -- 6. The Age of Arthropods A Major Phylum Begins: Paleozoic Era, Cambrian Period 543-490 million years ago -- Compound Eye Development -- Apposition Eye -- Superposition Eye -- The Crabs.

7. Vertebrates Gain a Foothold Paleozoic Era, Cambrian Period 543-490 million years ago -- Phylum Chordata -- First True Vertebrate -- Conodonts -- Building a Vertebrate Eye -- Tapetum -- Why Color Vision? -- 8. Shelly Fauna Rule the Seas Paleozoic Era, Ordovician Period 490-445 million years ago -- Mollusca -- Bivalvia -- Gastropoda -- 9. The Piscine Eye Develops Paleozoic Era, Silurian Period 445-415 million years ago -- Vertebrate Expansion -- Placoderms -- Elasmobranchs -- 10. The Piscine Eye Matures Paleozoic Era, Early Devonian Period 415-398 million years ago -- Bony Fish Appear -- Anatomy of Piscine Eye -- The Outer Coats of the Eye -- The Lens -- Neurology and Optics -- Habitat Expansion -- Piscine Camouflage -- 11. Insects Arise to Fly Paleozoic Era, Early Devonian Period 415-398 million years ago -- Arthropods Come Ashore -- The Superposition Eye -- The Apposition Eye -- 12. Stealth, Speed, and Predation Paleozoic Era, Devonian Period 415-362 million years ago -- Arachnida -- 13. The Age of Tetrapods and Terrestrials Vertebrate Animalia Comes Ashore . . . Paleozoic Era, Late Devonian Period 385-362 million years ago -- Vertebrate Quest for Land -- Early Tetrapodian Eyes -- The Challenge of a Terrestrial Environment -- Eyelids and the Lacrimal System -- Extraocular Muscles -- Tear Glands -- Cornea and Lens -- Retina and Vision -- Neurologic Changes -- Consolidation of the Assumption of Land -- 14. Terrestrial Life Flourishes Paleozoic Era, Carboniferous Period 362-299 million years ago, Permian Period 299-251 million years ago -- Vertebrates -- Synapsids and Their Eyes -- Diapsids and Their Eyes -- Invertebrates of the Permian -- Permian Extinction -- 15. Reptiles Push the Ocular Envelope The Age of Reptiles: Mesozoic Era, Triassic Period 251-208 million years ago -- Synapsids -- Sauropsids -- Anapsids -- Diapsids.

The Adnexa of the Reptilian Eye -- Reptilian Eye -- Lepidosaurs -- Archosaurs -- 16. March of the Archosaurs Mesozoic Era, Triassic Period 251-208 million years ago, Jurassic Period 208-145 million years ago -- Archosaurs -- The Order Testudines (Turtles, Terrapins, and Tortoises) -- Crocodilians -- Archosaurian Sisters -- Ichthyosaurs -- 17. Dinosaurs and Their Companions Mesozoic Era, Triassic Period 251-208 million years ago, Jurassic Period 208-145 million years ago -- Pterosaurs -- Dinosaurs -- Sauropods -- Theropods -- 18. Cephalopods Change Direction Mesozoic Era, Jurassic Period 208-145 million years ago -- Coleoids -- Cephalopod Lens -- Extraocular Muscles -- Coleoid Expansion -- 19. Snakes Arise from the Ground Mesozoic Era, Cretaceous Period 145-65 million years ago -- Fossorial Lizards -- Recreating an Eye -- 20. The Age of Birds-The Eye Taken to Great Heights Mesozoic Era, Cretaceous Period 145-65 million years ago -- Cenozoic Era, Tertiary Period 65-2 million years ago -- Birds Arise -- Globe Morphology -- Globose Globe -- Flattened Globe -- Tubular Eye -- Orbital Size and Contents -- Visual Fields -- Eyelids -- Nictitans -- Cornea -- Iris and Pupil -- Accommodation -- Uvea: Choroid, Ciliary Body, and Iris -- Retina -- Visual Processing -- Oil Droplets -- Macular Design -- Single Fovea -- Infula -- Convexiclivate Fovea-Single Deep Fovea -- Bifoveate Birds -- Pecten -- Neurologic Evolution -- 21. Pollinators Coevolve Mesozoic Era, Cretaceous Period 145-65 million years ago -- Cenozoic Era, Tertiary Period 65-2 million years ago -- The Earth in Bloom -- A Bounty for Insects -- Social Hymenoptera: Wasp, Bees, Ants, and Sawflies -- True Flies and a New Eye -- Diptera -- Brachyceran Flies -- 22. Mammalia Diversifies Mesozoic Era, Cretaceous Period 145-65 million years ago -- Cenozoic Era, Early to Mid-Tertiary Period 65-56 million years ago.

Mammals Thrive -- The Descent of Color Vision -- Marsupials -- 23. The Age of Mammals Mesozoic Era, Late Cretaceous Period 100-65 million years ago -- Cenozoic Era, Tertiary Period 65-1.8 million years ago, Quaternary Period 1.8 million years ago -- Mammals Extend Their Dominance -- Placental Mammals -- Primate Tuning of Color Vision -- 24. Planktonic Soup Evolves Cenozoic Era, Tertiary Period 65-1.8 million years ago, Quaternary Period 1.8 million years ago to present -- Tiny Aquatic Arthropods -- Testing the Limits of Eye Size -- Copepods -- Transformation of Larval Eyes -- 25. Mammals Return to the Sea Cenozoic Era, Tertiary Period 65-1.8 million years ago -- Quaternary Period 1.8 million years ago to present -- Aquatic Mammals -- 26. The Visual Witness and a Conscious Brain Cenozoic Era, Quaternary Period 1.8 million years ago to present -- The Human Eye -- The Direction of the Visual Witness -- Appendices -- A. The Human Eye-A Camera-Style Eye -- B. Extraocular Muscles -- Muscle Distribution -- Why Extraocular Muscles? -- Muscle Evolution -- C. Retinal Vascularization -- Evolution of Retinal Vascularization -- D. Evolution of the Cornea and Ocular Coats -- Safeguarding Precious Contents -- E. Accommodation -- F. Crystalline Lens -- G. Photoreceptor Cells -- Deuterostomes -- Protostomes -- H. Neurologic Evolution in Birds -- Glossary -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Z -- Bibliography -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- X -- Z.

Evolution's Witness chronicles the evolution of the eye beginning with the initial cellular acquisition of photoreceptive molecules as long as 3.75 billion years ago. This well-illustrated book traces the development of simple, complex compound and camera-style eyes including description of more than ten forms of ocular design. Life has existed on earth an unfathomable length of time accompanied by changing climate and geography, and the evolution of the eye is described in that context. Eyes evolved independently perhaps as many as forty times, and these are reviewed in this text. Each of the forty or so independently evolved eyes has adapted to its niche, and fitting its owner's ecology perfectly. Evolution's greatest gift.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.