Aldemaro Romero

Contributions in Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology Aldemaro Romero

This is a collection of 15 essays authored by Dr. Aldemaro Romero Jr. and his collaborators on paleontology and evolutionary biology. This volume encompasses the most critical papers Dr. Romero has written on biological evolution, from fossils to cave fauna. Among the fossils described are impressions of horseshoe crabs, jellyfishes, and the enigmatic paleocyphonautes. The latter represents a new understanding of the evolution of invertebrates by the application of novel developmental insights. His papers on cave fauna encompass genetic and behavioral studies in the field and the laboratory. Dr. Romero proposed phenotypic plasticity as a way to understand a mystery that has been unresolved since Darwin's times: why organisms lose eyes and pigmentation during the invasion of caves.