This new text sets out to establish the key role played by systematics in deciphering patterns of evolution from the fossil record. It begins by considering the nature of the species in the fossil record and then outlines recent advances in the methodology used to establish phylogenetics relationships, stressing why fossil evidence can be crucial. The way species are grouped into higher taxa, and how this affects their utility in evolutionary studies is also discussed. Because the fossil record abounds with sampling and preservational biases, the book emphasizes that observed patterns can rarely be taken at face value. It is argued that evolutionary trees, constructed from combining phylogenetic and biostratigraphic data, provide the best approach for investigating patterns of evolution through geologic time.

• The only integrated text covering the study of evolutionary patterns from a phylogenetic stance.

About the Author
Andrew B. Smith is associate professor in the Archaeology Department, University of Cape Town, South Africa. He received his Ph.D. in 1974 from the University of California, Berkeley, and has taught and worked in the United States, and many countries in north, west and southern Africa.

Reviews
"From a review of the manuscript: "[The book] has the potential to become the standard reference on the subject - required reading for all palaentologists. Indeed I can envisage a state of affairs where no-one will dare use taxonomic data from the fossil record to address evolutionary questions without first checking Smith to ensure that their methods are legal". D E G Briggs, University of Bristol



Book Information
ISBN 9780632036424
Author Andrew B. Smith
Format Paperback
Page Count 232
Imprint Wiley-Blackwell
Publisher John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Weight(grams) 510g
Dimensions(mm) 244mm * 173mm * 13mm