Punctuated evolution shaped modern vertebrate diversity
Michael J. Landis 1 and Joshua G. Schraiber 2, 3
1 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University
2 Department of Biology, Temple University
3 Institute for Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine, Temple University
June 16, 2017
Source/Fonte: Biobook
Abstract
The relative importance of different modes of evolution in shaping phenotypic diversity remains a hotly debated question. Fossil data suggest that stasis may be a common mode of evolution, while modern data suggest very fast rates of evolution. One way to reconcile these observations is to imagine that evolution is punctuated, rather than gradual, on geological time scales. To test this hypothesis, we developed a novel maximum likelihood framework for fitting L´evy processes to comparative morphological data. This class of stochastic processes includes both a gradual and punctuated component. We found that a plurality of modern vertebrate clades examined are best fit by punctuated processes over models of gradual change, gradual stasis, and adaptive radiation. When we compare our results to theoretical expectations of the rate and speed of regime shifts for models that detail fitness landscape dynamics, we find that our quantitative results are broadly compatible with both microevolutionary models and with observations from the fossil record.
FREE PDF GRATIS: bioRxiv
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