Insect Metamorphosis

"As a critical scientist, Belles is well aware that the book answers many important questions on insect metamorphosis, but many are still open, and even more are and will be raised in the coming decades, especially in emergent fields of research, such as epigenetics and comparative genomics. While certainly true, there is one point in which I disagree with Belles, and that is the last sentence of the Epilogue, where he states that “with a bit of luck, we can expect that this book will become outdated pretty soon.” I don't think so, rather, this is a book that I will still want to reread in decades to come." --J Exp Zool (Mol Dev Evol)

"In an honest epilogue the author acknowledges that after reading of a scientific monograph, one is tempted to think that everything has been resolved and answered, but that this is just an illustration Zion. And he is right: in reality, in science nothing is truly definitive and matters so substantial, complex and at the same time important such as the metamorphosis of insects has to generate many future research work, many advances and many new questions, although the main ones are being answered you give. It is science, and the explanation of the existence and operation of the most successful way of life, taking into account the customs already quoted from nature, it cannot be simple. Xavier Bellés's book is a landmark. Collect, order, analyze and explains the essential data of this apparent biological miracle (which after reading ceases to be for the most part, although never lose his wonderful side) and the state of knowledge about the theme. There are pending unanswered questions, but a large part of them seem to be doing so satisfactorily. And this is magnificent. Although there are moments of a certain hardness in the reading. For those who are not versed in certain technical aspects, the final effort is worth it in the form of enormous gratification intellectual. Of course, for anyone interested or studious in these themes the book, as can easily be guessed, becomes basic and essential.

The depth and interdisciplinarity of the data provided, sometimes "Without mercy towards the reader", make it a source of knowledge with impact not only on the theoretical knowledge of the process of molting and development, but also to know in more detail and arguments the Phylogenetic relationships between the various groups of insects. This work is a very useful update for the teacher or student of Entomology, and especially for all those researchers in the field of Biochemistry, Physiology or Genetics, concerned with the knowledge detailed mechanisms that are at the base of the development of the insects. It provides tools and the path that allows you to find the appropriate ways to control specific pests through actions and thus avoid the dire consequences that massive and nonspecific treatments have on Biodiversity that are still used today." --Boletín de la Sociedad Entomológica Aragonesa (S.E.A.)

"Metaphorphosis, especially in its complete form, is one of the most striking phenomena in the whole of biology. In this excellent new book, Xavier Belles, from the CSIC/UPF Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Barcelona, tackles insect metamorphosis with a special emphasis on molecular cell biology, but also relates this to the biological processes that are initiated and regulated by the hormonal and cell signalling pathways he describes. Belles is an expert on this. An important note, however, is that Belles own research concerns metamorphosis in hemimetabolic insects (i.e. those that undergo incomplete metamorphosis and don't have a pupal stage). This gives him a special perspective on the evolution of complete metamorphosis (i.e. that undergone by holometabolous insects). One of the take home messages of the book is that the same singalling pathways is present in both kinds of insects and has been adopted during evolution by the holometabolous insects for their own purposes with only minor adaptations. The resulting book is very good indeed. Its publication is an important event for entomolgy because it is the first attempt for many years to bring together in one place everything that is known about insect metamorphosis. It should certaintly be in the library of every institutution where insect science is studied." --Antenna

"In all, Belles' rigorous approach, based on comparative endocrinology, invites a revisitation of these kinds of evidence by highlighting their promise in providing new insights into old questions related to the origins of insect metamorphosis. While a detailed reconstruction of the evolution of insect metamorphosis is still a target for future research, with this book, and the work it discusses, a consensus appears to be emerging: the evolution of insect metamorphosis has mainly proceeded through deviation of preadult stages rather than by terminal addition of new stages." --Wiley Online Library

"The accumulation of knowledge can be mentioned. In that sense as well, the publication of a book summarizing the molecular mechanism of metamorphosis at this timing seems to be extremely valuable to researchers studying insects. After listing the problems to be solved, finally, "With a bit of luck, we can expect that this book will become." It concludes with "aging pretty soon". Recently, the spread of next-generation sequencers and genome editing technology Advances in gene function analysis technology, including the above, have accelerated molecular biological research using non-model organisms. It seems that research on the molecular mechanism of metamorphosis of various insects is expected to make great progress in the next few years. At the same time, when the second edition of this book is published, their research results will also be (not the abstract of the conference, but a formal theory). It was also a book that made me want to be taken up (as a sentence)." --"Society of Evolutionary Studies" Japan News

"It is not uncommon when reading a book, even when it is intended to be read in its entirety, skip the preface, it should not be neglected in this case because it highlights the breadth of the network of scientists who have helped the author to offer the reader a text "to the last". As it says on the back cover of the book, also in my translation: “Researchers in insect biology, developmental biology, general entomology, students of those fields (and those who want to be up-to-date in the knowledge of Nature, I add) you will find that this book, which covers facets historical, naturalistic, biological, physiological and molecular, with an emphasis on evolutionary, is a complete and updated review of the metamorphosis of insects." --Bibliographic Notes and Reviews