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An analysis of convergent evolution from molecules to ecosystems, demonstrating the limited number of evolutionary pathways available to life. Charles Darwin famously concluded On the Origin of Species with a vision of “endless forms most beautiful” continually evolving. More than 150 years later many evolutionary biologists see not endless forms but the same, or very similar, forms evolving repeatedly in many independent species lineages. A porpoise's fishlike fins, for example, are not inherited from fish ancestors but are independently derived convergent traits. In this book, George McGhee describes the ubiquity of the phenomenon of convergent evolution and connects it directly to the...
The only complete technical guide to building integrated business systems using the convergent architecture approach In his groundbreaking Business Engineering with Object Technology (0-471-04521-7), David Taylor introduced the concept of convergent architecture (CA), a framework for building the business design directly into the software systems that support it. Now, in this important follow-up to that 1995 classic, expert Richard Hubert provides systems developers and architects with their first complete blueprint for building integrated CA business systems using the hottest technologies, including Enterprise JavaBeans, XML, UML, Rational Rose, and others. Following a detailed introduction to the elements of CA, he walks readers through the entire CA design and implementation process, using examples in Java and EJB to illustrate key points. Companion Website provides hands-on tutorials, links to related tool sites, and updates to the CA methodology.
If ? is a space of scalar-valued sequences, then a series ?j xj in a topological vector space X is ?-multiplier convergent if the series ?j=18 tjxj converges in X for every {tj} e?. This monograph studies properties of such series and gives applications to topics in locally convex spaces and vector-valued measures. A number of versions of the OrliczOCoPettis theorem are derived for multiplier convergent series with respect to various locally convex topologies. Variants of the classical HahnOCoSchur theorem on the equivalence of weak and norm convergent series in ?1 are also developed for multiplier convergent series. Finally, the notion of multiplier convergent series is extended to operator-valued series and vector-valued multipliers.
This volume presents a series of case studies, at different levels of inclusivity, of how organisms exhibit functional convergence as a key evolutionary mechanism resulting in responses to similar environmental constraints in mechanically similar ways. The contributors to this volume have selected and documented cases of convergent evolution of form and function that are perceived to be driven by environmental abiotic and/or biotic challenges that fall within their areas of expertise. Collectively these chapters explore this phenomenon across a broad phylogenetic spectrum. The sequence of chapters follows the organizational principle of increasing phylogenetic inclusivity, rather than the cl...
Convergent Thinking for Advanced Learners, Grades 3–5 will teach students how to approach problems with a critical and evidence-based mindset. Convergent thinking is a skill which helps students arrive at defensible solutions. Working through the lessons and handouts in this book, students will learn strategies and specific academic vocabulary in the sub-skills of observation, using evidence, considering perspectives, reflection, and deduction to find accurate solutions. This curriculum provides cohesive, scaffolded lessons to teach each targeted area of competency, followed by authentic application activities for students to then apply their newly developed skill set. This book can be used as a stand-alone gifted curriculum or as part of an integrated curriculum. Each lesson ties in both reading and metacognitive skills, making it easy for teachers to incorporate into a variety of contexts.
An analysis of patterns of convergent evolution on Earth that suggests where we might look for similar convergent forms on other planets. Why does a sea lily look like a palm tree? And why is a sea lily called a “lily” when it is a marine animal and not a plant? Many marine animals bear a noticeable similarity in form to land-dwelling plants. And yet these marine animal forms evolved in the oceans first; land plants independently and convergently evolved similar forms much later in geologic time. In this book, George McGhee analyzes patterns of convergent evolution on Earth and argues that these patterns offer lessons for the search for life elsewhere in the universe. Our Earth is a wate...
Contributors explore common elements in the evolutionary histories of both human and insect agriculture resulting from convergent evolution. During the past 12,000 years, agriculture originated in humans as many as twenty-three times, and during the past 65 million years, agriculture also originated in nonhuman animals at least twenty times and in insects at least fifteen times. It is much more likely that these independent origins represent similar solutions to the challenge of growing food than that they are due purely to chance. This volume seeks to identify common elements in the evolutionary histories of both human and insect agriculture that are the results of convergent evolution. The...
This volume brings together diverse contributions from leading archaeologists and paleoanthropologists, covering various spatial and temporal periods to distinguish convergent evolution from cultural transmission in order to see if we can discover ancient human populations. With a focus on lithic technology, the book analyzes ancient materials and cultures to systematically explore the theoretical and physical aspects of culture, convergence, and populations in human evolution and prehistory. The book will be of interest to academics, students and researchers in archaeology, paleoanthropology, genetics, and paleontology. The book begins by addressing early prehistory, discussing the converge...
A Convergent Model of Renewal addresses a perceived crisis for faith traditions. How do we continue to value tradition while allowing for innovative and contextual expressions of faith to emerge? How do we foster deeper participation and decentralization of power rather than entrenched institutionalism? Drawing on insights from contemporary philosophy, contextual theology, and participatory culture, C. Wess Daniels calls for a revitalization of faith traditions. In A Convergent Model of Renewal he proposes a model that holds together both tradition and innovation in ways that foster participatory change. This convergent model of renewal is then applied to two case studies based in the Quaker tradition: one from the early part of the tradition and the second from an innovative community today. The model, however, is capable of being implemented and adapted by communities with various faith backgrounds.