How Vertebrates Left the Water

Title Page, Copyright, Dedication

How Vertebrates Left the Water This page intentionally left blank How Vertebrates Left the Water Michel Laurin UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS Berkeley Los Angeles London University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu. Digital version available at the University of California Press website. University of California Press Berkeley and Los Angeles, California University of California Press, Ltd. London, England English edition © 2010 by the Regents of the University of California Systématique, paleontologie et biologie évolutive moderne: l’exemple de la sortie des eaux chez les vertébrés. First published in the French language by Ellipses. © 2008 Edition Marketing S.A. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Laurin, Michel. [Systématique, paléontologie et biologie évolutive moderne. English] How vertebrates left the water / Michel Laurin. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-520-26647-6 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Vertebrates—Evolution. I. Title. QL607.5L3813 2010 596.13'8—dc22 2010027056 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (R 1997)(Permanence of Paper). Front cover: Paleozoic amphibians. Artist: Douglas Henderson. Back cover: Seymouria sanjuanensis. Photographer: David Berman. Used with permission of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and The Museum der Natur, Gotha, Germany. I dedicate this book to my wife, Alexandra, and my daughter, Pénélope, who must have both felt neglected sometimes when I spent long hours in front of my computer working on this book and related projects. This page intentionally left blank CONTENTS Preface ... xi one How Can We Reconstruct Evolutionary History? . . . 1 Classification and Biological Nomenclature ... 2 Modern Phylogenetics ... 16 Homology and Analogy: Lungs, Swim Bladders, and Gills ... 37 Geological Time Scale and the Chronology of a Few Key Events ... 39 A Few Relevant Paleontological Localities ... 40 two Conquest of Land: Data from Extant Vertebrates . . . 45 Are Animals Still Conquering the Land Today? ... 45 The Coelacanth, a Living Fossil? ... 47 ...