Evolutionary perspectives on pregnancy / John C. Avise ; animal drawings by Trudy Nicholson.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Covering both the internal and external incubation of offspring, this book provides a biology-rich survey of the natural history, ecology, genetics, and evolution of pregnancy-like phenomena. From mammals and other live-bearing organisms to viviparous reptiles, male-pregnant fishes, larval-brooding worms, crabs, sea cucumbers, and corals, the world's various species display pregnancy and other forms of parental devotion in surprisingly multifaceted ways. An adult female (or male) can incubate its offspring in a womb, stomach, mouth, vocal sac, gill chamber, epithelial pouch, backpack, leg pocket, nest, or an encasing of embryos, and by studying these diverse examples from a comparative vantage point, the ecological and evolutionary-genetic outcomes of different reproductive models become fascinatingly clear.

John C. Avise discusses each mode of pregnancy and the decipherable genetic signatures it has left on the reproductive structures, physiologies, and innate sexual behaviors of extant species. By considering the many biological aspects of gestation from different evolutionary angles, Avise offers captivating new insights into the significance of "heavy" parental investment in progeny.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Humans think of pregnancy as a time of joy and family growth. For animals, pregnancy is more often a time of strife between mated pairs, between siblings, and even between mother and offspring. It turns out that the female reproductive tract is an evolutionary arena where mom and baby use the placenta to squabble over resources, and where internecine struggles between embryos can be a matter of life and death. In this exceptional book, Avise (Univ. of California, Irvine; Hermaphroditism, CH, Sep'11, 49-0248) takes the reader on a tour of vertebrate pregnancy and pregnancy-like phenomena, and reviews the trade-offs that drive so much of reproductive biology. He also contrasts viviparity and oviparity, examines pregnancy in invertebrates, explains how pregnancy drives much of sexual selection, and even includes a discussion of human pregnancy in science and mythology. The work is thorough, methodical without being plodding, and loaded with examples, citations, and delightful drawings of many of the animals discussed. This book would make an outstanding text for an upper-level undergraduate or graduate seminar in reproductive evolutionary biology, and is an excellent read for anyone interested in one of the most basic mechanisms of natural selection. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All academic, professional, and general readers. J. L. Hunt University of Arkansas--Monticello