Biology 2e is designed to cover the scope and sequence requirements of a typical two-semester biology course for science majors. The text provides comprehensive coverage of foundational research and core biology concepts through an evolutionary lens. Biology includes rich features that engage students in scientific inquiry, highlight careers in the biological sciences, and offer everyday applications. The book also includes various types of practice and homework questions that help students understand—and apply—key concepts. The 2nd edition has been revised to incorporate clearer, more current, and more dynamic explanations, while maintaining the same organization as the first edition. Art and illustrations have been substantially improved, and the textbook features additional assessments and related resources.

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Interpret the metazoan phylogenetic tree
Describe the types of data that scientists use to construct and revise animal phylogeny
List some of the relationships within the modern phylogenetic tree that have been discovered as a result of modern molecular data

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Explain the differences in animal body plans that support basic animal classification
Compare and contrast the embryonic development of protostomes and deuterostomes

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

List the features that distinguish the kingdom Animalia from other kingdoms
Explain the processes of animal reproduction and embryonic development
Describe the roles that Hox genes play in development

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following:

Describe the features that characterized the earliest animals and approximately when they appeared on earth
Explain the significance of the Cambrian period for animal evolution and the changes in animal diversity that took place during that time
Describe some of the unresolved questions surrounding the Cambrian explosion
Discuss the implications of mass animal extinctions that have occurred in evolutionary history

Biology is designed for multi-semester biology courses for science majors. It is grounded on an evolutionary basis and includes exciting features that highlight careers in the biological sciences and everyday applications of the concepts at hand. To meet the needs of today’s instructors and students, some content has been strategically condensed while maintaining the overall scope and coverage of traditional texts for this course. Instructors can customize the book, adapting it to the approach that works best in their classroom. Biology also includes an innovative art program that incorporates critical thinking and clicker questions to help students understand—and apply—key concepts.

Conservation International offers this extensive look at some of earth's most vulnerable areas. Some of the most remarkably diverse places in the world also prove to be some of the most threatened. Learn more about the efforts in place to preserve these locations.