Book description
The long-awaited revision of the industry standard on phylogenetics
Since the publication of the first edition of this landmark volume
more than twenty-five years ago, phylogenetic systematics has taken
its place as the dominant paradigm of systematic biology. It has
profoundly influenced the way scientists study evolution, and has seen
many theoretical and technical advances as the field has continued to
grow. It goes almost without saying that the next twenty-five years of
phylogenetic research will prove as fascinating as the first, with
many exciting developments yet to come.
This new edition of Phylogenetics captures the very essence of
this rapidly evolving discipline. Written for the practicing
systematist and phylogeneticist, it addresses both the philosophical
and technical issues of the field, as well as surveys general
practices in taxonomy. Major sections of the book deal with the nature
of species and higher taxa, homology and characters, trees and tree
graphs, and biogeography-the purpose being to develop biologically
relevant species, character, tree, and biogeographic concepts that can
be applied fruitfully to phylogenetics.
The book then turns its focus to phylogenetic trees, including an
in-depth guide to tree-building algorithms. Additional coverage includes:
-
Parsimony and parsimony analysis
-
Parametric phylogenetics including maximum likelihood and
Bayesian approaches
-
Phylogenetic classification
-
Critiques of evolutionary taxonomy, phenetics, and transformed cladistics
-
Specimen selection, field collecting, and curating
-
Systematic publication and the rules of nomenclature
Providing a thorough synthesis of the field, this important update to
Phylogenetics is essential for students and researchers in the
areas of evolutionary biology, molecular evolution, genetics and
evolutionary genetics, paleontology, physical anthropology, and zoology.
Professor Wiley is Emeritus
Professor of Ecology and evolutionary Biology at the University of
Kansas. Currently he works in the University of Kansas Natural History
Museum. Professor Wiley's distinguished career is marked by hundreds of
peer-reviewed papers, a continuous string of research grants, including
his current NSF grant, "Assembling the Euteleost Tree of
Life," and the publication of 5 books.
Professor Lieberman is an Invertebrate Paleontologist at University
of Kansas. Professor Lieberman has also authored five books as well
as numerous peer reviewed publications. His long string of research
grants culminates most recently with an NSF grant to study
"Revisionary systematic of Cheirurid Trilobites."
