
Ancestors in Evolutionary Biology
Linear Thinking about Branching Trees
Ronald A. Jenner(Author)
Cambridge University Press
Published on 28. July 2022
Book
Hardback
398 pages
978-1-107-10593-5 (ISBN)
Description
Phylogenetics emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as a speculative storytelling discipline dedicated to providing narrative explanations for the evolution of taxa and their traits. It coincided with lineage thinking, a process that mentally traces character evolution along lineages of hypothetical ancestors. Ancestors in Evolutionary Biology traces the history of narrative phylogenetics and lineage thinking to the present day, drawing on perspectives from the history of science, philosophy of science, and contemporary scientific debates. It shows how the power of phylogenetic hypotheses to explain evolution resides in the precursor traits of hypothetical ancestors. This book provides a comprehensive exploration of the topic of ancestors, which is central to modern biology, and is therefore of interest to graduate students, researchers, and academics in evolutionary biology, palaeontology, philosophy of science, and the history of science.
Reviews / Votes
'Recommended.' E. Delson, Choice 'A valuable volume for those looking for a complete but accessible history of the origins of systematics and the study of animal form. The book is particularly strong on tracing the idea of ancestors from its from its pre-Darwinian conception to a late 20th-century cladistic interpretation. I can easily imagine this volume complementing a graduate seminar on the evolution of animal body plans.' Stuart F. McDaniel, The Quarterly Review of BiologyMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 257 mm
Width: 206 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
1100 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-107-10593-5 (9781107105935)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
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E-Book
07/2022
Cambridge University Press
€57.99
Available for download

E-Book
07/2022
Cambridge University Press
€57.99
Available for download
Person
Ronald A. Jenner is Principal Researcher in the Department of Life Sciences at the Natural History Museum, London. His research focuses on animal phylogenetics, body plan evolution, the evolution of venoms, and conceptual issues in systematics. He has published extensively in the primary literature and co-authored Venom: The Secrets of Nature's Deadliest Weapon (The Natural History Museum, 2017).
Content
1. A history of narrative phylogenetics; 2. From archetypes to ancestors; 3. The emergence of lineage thinking; 4. Ernst Haeckel's evolutionary storytelling; 5. The epistemic rise of hypothetical ancestors; 6. Intuiting evolution; 7. Telling straight stories with fossils; 8. Seeing animal ancestors in embryos; 9. Ancestral attractions and phylogenetic folklore; 10. Narrative shortcuts and phylogenetic faux pas; 11. Taxic distortions of lineage thinking; 12. Making sense with stories.