Telling the Evolutionary Time: Molecular Clocks and the Fossil Record

Contents

Contributors vii

Introduction: molecular clocks and the fossil record—towards

consilience?

PHILIP C.J.DONOGHUEM.PAUL SMITH

1

1 Molecular clocks: whence and whither?

FRANCISCO RODRÍGUEZ-TRELLESROSA TARRÍOFRANCISCO

J.AYALA

5

2 Molecular clocks and a biological trigger for Neoproterozoic

Snowball Earth events and the Cambrian explosion

S.BLAIR HEDGES

27

3 Phylogenetic fuses and evolutionary ‘explosions’: conflicting

evidence and critical tests

RICHARD A.FORTEYJENNIFER JACKSONJAN STRUGNELL

42

4 The quality of the fossil record

MICHAEL J.BENTON

68

5 Ghost ranges

CHRISTOPHER R.C.PAUL

93

6 Episodic evolution of nuclear small subunit ribosomal RNA gene

in the stem-lineage of Foraminifera

JAN PAWLOWSKICÉDRIC BERNEY

109

7 Dating the origin of land plants

CHARLES H.WELLMAN

122

8 Angiosperm divergence times: congruence and incongruence

between fossils and sequence divergence estimates

NIKLAS WIKSTRÖMVINCENT SAVOLAINENMARK W.CHASE

146

9 The limitations of the fossil record and the dating of the origin of

the Bilateria

GRAHAM E.BUDDSÖREN JENSEN

170

10 The origin and early evolution of chordates: molecular clocks and
the fossil record

194