New paper: typology vs transformation in origin of birds

["Williams, Tim" <TiJaWi@agron.iastate.edu>]

A somewhat topical paper, to say the least...

Padian, K. and Horner, J.R. (2002).  Typology versus transformation in the
origin of birds.  Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 17(3): 120-124.

Abstract
"The questions of bird ancestry and the evolution of typically 'avian'
features appear never-ending.  This is true in the press but not in the
scientific trenches, where the methods of comparative biology are
productively used to settle many major questions, including the origin of
birds.  Opponents of the view that birds evolved from dinosaurs tend to use
typological characterizations of 'reptiles' and 'birds'; although they
accept evolution, their approaches do not use the transformational
approaches of phylogenetic systematics, against which hypotheses of
evolutionary change in function, physiology and behavior should be tested.
'Typologists' also tend to depend on knowledge of how evolutionary processes
must work, rather than on comparing independent patterns of evidence.  Both
typological and transformational approaches can be evolutionary, but the
utility of typology is limited because it stresses taxonomic gaps rather
than mosaic transitions." 



Tim


------------------------------------------------------------ 

Timothy J. Williams 

USDA-ARS Researcher 
Agronomy Hall 
Iowa State University 
Ames IA 50014 

Phone: 515 294 9233 
Fax:   515 294 3163