Fossils, Phylogeny, and Form: An Analytical Approach

ISBN-13: 9780306467219 / Angielski / Twarda / 2002 / 402 str.

Jonathan M. Adrain; Jonathan M. Adrain; Gregory D. Edgecombe

Opis

Phylogenetic analysis and morphometrics have been developed by biologists into rigorous analytic tools for testing hypotheses about the relationships between groups of species. This book applies these tools to paleontological data. The fossil record is our one true chronicle of the history of life, preserving a set of macroevolutionary patterns; thus various hypotheses about evolutionary processes can be tested in the fossil record using phylogentic analysis and morphometrics. The first book of its type, Fossils, Phylogeny, and Form will be useful in evolutionary biology, paleontology, systematics, evolutionary development, theoretical biology, biogeography, and zoology. It will also provide a practical, researcher-friendly gateway into computer-based phylogenetics and morphometrics.

Spis treści

1. Paleobiology: An Empirical Historical Science; J.M. Adrain, et al. 2. Phylogenetic Systematics: Five Steps to Enlightenment; D.A. McLennan, D.R. Brooks. 3. Morphometry and Phylogeny in the Resolution of Paleobiological Problems - Unlocking the Evolutionary Significance of an Assemblage of Silurian Trilobites; N.C. Hughes, R.E. Chapman. 4. Morphological Disparity: A Primer; M.A. Wills. 5. Homology, Characters, and Morphometric Data; M.L. Zelditch, et al. 6. Landmarks, Localization, and the Use of Morphometrics in Phylogenetic Analysis; N. MacLeod. 7. Cladistic Biogeography: Component-Based Methods and Paleontological Application; M.C. Ebach, G.D. Edgecombe. 8. Stratigraphy, Phylogeny, and Species Sampling in Time and Space; J.M. Adrain, S.R. Westrop. 9. Analyzing Speciation Rates in Macroevolutionary Studies; B.S. Lieberman. 10. The Nature and Origin of Supraspecific Taxa Revisited - With Special Reference to Trilobita; N. Eldredge. 11. The Role and Design of Databases in Paleontology; R.L. Kaesler, et al. Index.