...Vertebrates have become secondarily aquatic many times in their evolution. Many vertebrates moved from land to water and evolved adaptations to their transitional habitats. This introductory chapter provides an overview of the origin of tetrapods and presents some hypotheses about sensory evolution...

... mesozoic reptiles. It also examines the functional and evolutionary patterns of chemosensory adaptations to aquatic environments. Gustation Olfaction Reptiles Vomeronasal system Carettochelys Chelus Chelydra Testudo Trionyx Turtles Apalone ferox Chelonia mydas Crocodilians Emys orbicularis...

...This chapter discusses the main adaptations and exaptations (preadaptations) for terrestrial life in stegocephalians, first examining the evolution of the locomotor system (limb and girdle). It then discusses the main adaptations of the aquatic ancestors to life on emerged land, lung evolution...

... on the concept of species. Alfred Russell Wallace insists that natural selection is the agent of speciation and that species are to be identified with their special adaptations. August Weismann treats species entirely as complexes of adaptations and defends natural selection as the entirety of evolutionary...

...This chapter focuses on the reproductive adaptations of cacti to arid environments to explain the evolution of reproductive mechanisms that allow cacti to endure harsh conditions. It describes the available information on reproductive biology, relating various aspects to the adaptations of cacti...

...Experimental approaches to evolution provide indisputable evidence of evolution by directly observing the process at work. Experimental evolution deliberately duplicates evolutionary processes—forcing life histories to evolve, producing adaptations to stressful environmental conditions...

...This chapter explores recent examples where experimental evolution, empowered by genomic technologies and increasingly informed by systems biology, has fundamentally advanced our understanding of adaptive evolution. It focuses on genomically enabled insights into the following issues: how prevalent...

...The Cactaceae family, with about 1,600 species, is cultivated worldwide for fruits, forage, fodder, and even as a vegetable. Cacti are recognized for their attractive flowers, special stem shapes, and ability to tolerate drought. Because of their efficient use of water and other adaptations...