Ebook: Telling the Evolutionary Time: Molecular Clocks and the Fossil Record (Systematics Association Special Volumes)

Understanding the timing of major evolutionary events is important, not only in itself, but critical also to our understanding of the tempo and implied mechanism of evolutionary change. Molecular clock analyses indicate that many major groups are twice as old, or more, than a literal reading of the fossil record indicates. This has led to the suggestion that special mechanisms of evolutionary change must operate in the establishment of such groups and, by implication, the fossil record records only the latter half of evolutionary history. Despite considerable introspection few paleontologists are prepared to agree that the fossil record is so incomplete, arguing instead that our understanding of the 'molecular clock' is far from complete.This book represents a discussion between molecular biologists and paleontologists, in which they investigate the significance of competing sources of data, explain the nature of molecular clocks and the fossil record, and attempt to develop compromise models that incorporate conflicting opinions. These are presented as a series of case studies dealing with many of the most important groups of complex organisms.Research scientists and advanced undergraduates across the field of evolutionary biology will find Telling Evolutionary Time: Molecular Clocks and Fossil Record a stimulating volume, bringing new insight and perspective to a thorny debate.