Abstract

Sequenced biological macromolecules have revitalized systematic studies of evolutionary history. Molecular Systematics of Fishes is the first authoritative overview of the theory and application of these sequencing data to fishes. This volume explores the phylogeny of fishes at multiple taxonomic levels, uses methods of analysis of molecular data that apply both within and between fish populations, and employs molecule-based phylogenies to address broader questions of evolution. Targeted readers include ichthyologists, marine scientists, and all students, faculty, and researchers interested in fish evolution and ecology and vertebrate systematics.

• Focuses on the phylogeny and evolutionary biology of fishes
• Contains phylogenies of fishes at multiple taxonomic levels
• Applies molecule-based phylogenies to broader questions of evolution
• Includes methods for critique of analysis of molecular data

"The editors have done an admirable job of and have put together a 17-chapter volume written by 38 prominent researchers that spans an array of molecular techniques and analytical approaches. Each of the chapters is written in a readable fashion that is of utility to those who use molecular approaches in their research as well as those who seek only to understand how the techniques can be used to address specific questions in systematic biology. The book is well illustrated with approximately 130 figures that aid in clarifying everything from the phylogenetic relationships among the organisms being studied to more subtle concepts related to the analysis of the molecular data themselves... all chapters provide a unique look at different kinds of molecular datasets and how they can be analyzed to address questions that should be of interest not only to those who study fishes but to any biologist engaged in systematic or evolutionary hypothesis testing. The book is without question a worthy acquisition for most individuals engaged in systematic hypothesis testing using molecular data." --COPEIA

"This volume is a useful summary of the state of molecular phylogenies in fishes and it does suggest areas such as the infraspecific level where molecules may come into their own." --ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY