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Mass turnover and heterochrony events in response to physical change

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 April 2016

Elisabeth S. Vrba
Elisabeth S. Vrba*
Affiliation:
Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, Post Office Box 208109, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8109. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

The thoughts and writings of Stephen Jay Gould have had an enormous impact on the shaping of macroevolutionary theory. The notion of punctuated equilibria (Eldredge and Gould 1972) remained prominent throughout his work. It also unleashed a storm of debate in paleontology and evolutionary theory. A second theme that recurs throughout Gould's opus is heterochrony (evolution by changes in the rates and timing of ontogenetic events, sensu Gould 1977a). His analyses of these two subjects have inspired many of us to explore further and add to them. My contribution discusses their expansion to encompass large numbers of lineages through long time, and the relationship of punctuated equilibria and heterochrony to physical environmental change, and to each other.

Type
Macroevolutionary Patterns within and among Clades
Information
Paleobiology , Volume 31 , Issue S2 , 2005 , pp. 157 - 174
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

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References

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