Rates of Evolution
A Quantitative Synthesis

An overview of evolutionary rates, analyzing data from laboratory, field and fossil record studies to extract their underlying generation-to-generation rates.

Philip D. Gingerich (Author)

9781107167247, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 9 May 2019

396 pages, 96 b/w illus. 12 tables
25.3 x 17.8 x 2.2 cm, 0.93 kg

'Using evidence from many fields of biology, paleontology, and beyond, Gingerich's Rates of Evolution is a comprehensive synthesis of a pillar of the evolutionary paradigm. This book is a sophisticated analysis of quantitative empirical data integrated with evolutionary theory. It is destined to be an authoritative reference and much-cited classic in evolutionary biology.' Bruce MacFadden, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida

How fast is evolution, and why does it matter? The rate of evolution, and whether it is gradual or punctuated, is a hotly debated topic among biologists and paleontologists. This book compiles and compares examples of evolution from laboratory, field, and fossil record studies, analyzing them to extract their underlying rates. It concludes that while change is slow when averaged over many generations, on a generation-to-generation time scale, evolution is rapid. Chapters cover the history of evolutionary studies, from Lamarck and Darwin in the nineteenth century to the present day. An overview of the statistics of variation, dynamics of random walks, processes of natural selection and random drift, and effects of scale and time averaging are also provided, along with methods for the analysis of evolutionary time series. Containing case studies and worked examples, this book is ideal for advanced students and researchers in paleontology, biology, and anthropology.

1. Introduction
2. Variation in nature
3. Evolutionary time
4. Random walks and Brownian diffusion
5. Temporal scaling and evolutionary mode
6. Directional selection, stabilizing selection, and random drift
7. Phenotypic change in experimental lineages
8. Phenotypic change documented in field studies
9. Phenotypic change in the fossil record
10. A quantitative synthesis
11. Retrospective on punctuated equilibria
12. Genetic models
13. Independent contrasts: Phylogeny's influence on phenotypes
14. Rate perspective on early bursts of evolution
15. Summary and conclusions
Appendix: generation times in bacteria, plants, and animals
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Palaeontology [RBX], Evolution [PSAJ], Anthropology [JHM], Research methods: general [GPS]