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A test of macroevolutionary problems with neontological data

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 February 2016

Cliff A. Lemen  and
Patricia W. Freeman
Cliff A. Lemen
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois 60605
Patricia W. Freeman
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois 60605
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Abstract

Ricklefs (1980) suggested the use of neontological data to distinguish between puncuated equilibrium and gradualism as modes of evolution. This paper investigates his model and finds it contains oversimplifications that make any test difficult. We modify his model slightly and use it as a limited test of punctuated equilibrium by large morphological shifts at speciation. This test is applied to a data set of 110 species from two families of bats, the Emballonuridae and the Molossidae. We find no evidence of consistently large morphological shifts at the formation of subspecies, species or genera.

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Type
Articles
Information
Paleobiology , Volume 7 , Issue 3 , Summer 1981 , pp. 311 - 315
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

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References

Literature Cited

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Lemen, C. A. 1981. The effectiveness of methods of shape analysis. Fieldiana-Zool. (in press)Google Scholar
Ricklefs, R. E. 1980. Phyletic gradualism vs. punctuated equilibrium: applicability of neontological data. Paleobiology. 6:271–275.Google Scholar
Stanley, S. M. 1979. Macroevolution: Pattern and Process. W. H. Freeman; San Francisco.Google Scholar