Shrews, Chromosomes and Speciation

Jeremy B. Searle · P. David Polly · Jan Zima

Feb 2019 · Cambridge Studies in Morphology and Molecules: New Paradigms in Evolutionary Bio Book 6 · Cambridge University Press

Ebook

499

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About this ebook

The chromosome complement (karyotype) often differs between related mammalian species (including humans vs chimpanzees), such that evolutionary biologists muse whether chromosomal difference is a cause or a consequence of speciation. The common shrew is an excellent model to investigate this problem because of its many geographical races (potential species) differing chromosomally, and its several sibling species (recently speciated forms) that are also chromosomally different. This system is an exceptional opportunity to investigate the role of chromosomes in speciation and this volume reflects detailed research following these approaches. Highlights include the demonstration that chromosomal re-arrangements can be associated with complete loss of gene flow and thus speciation and that selection within species hybrid zones may lead to de-speciation rather than speciation. This book represents an extraordinarily detailed consideration of the role of chromosomes in speciation in one astonishing species, providing insights to those interested in mammalian diversity, chromosomal evolution and speciation.

About the author

P. David Polly is a vertebrate palaeontologist at Indiana University, Bloomington. He studies the evolution of mammals and other vertebrates in the fossil record, including trait-based studies of community response to environmental change, geometric morphometric analysis of evolution and morphology, phylogenetics, biogeography, and speciation on regional and continental geographic scales.

Jan Zima is a Senior Scientist at the Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague and Professor of Zoology at the Department of Zoology, Univerzita Karlova, Prague. He has studied chromosomal variation in various species of mammals and other vertebrates, and has attempted to imply cytogenetic findings to biodiversity, systematic and phylogenetic issues.

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