The Evolution of Dasyurid Marsupials: Systematics and Family History

(Hardback)

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The marsupial family Dasyuridae has a history of study extending from 18th century naturalists to the modern genomics era. The Evolution of Dasyurid Marsupials: Systematics and Family History tells the story of dasyurid evolution as it unfolded in the context of changing world views on biodiversity, biotic history and scientific methodology, from its roots in Enlightenment taxonomy to its transformation by the Darwinian and Hennigian revolutions, and then its maturation as statistical phylogenetics and phylogenomics. Research on dasyurids includes every major approach in animal systematics, including some for which few comparable examples exist. It extends beyond the recent consensus on species relationships to include the timing of diversification, historical biogeography and the evolution of key phenotypic traits. This book introduces readers to living and fossil dasyurids, the questions evolutionary biologists have asked about them, the inferential methods used to answer those questions and the implications of those answers for understanding the history of this fascinating marsupial family. It offers a comprehensive synthesis of dasyurid evolutionary biology for students, teachers and researchers in mammalian evolution and marsupial biology.

Reviews

"Aimed at those with a good conceptual understanding of biology, this comprehensive book tells the story of dasyurid evolution, making strong use of phylogenetic trees as a hypothesis of the evolutionary relationships between species, whilst recognising that the study of evolution is an integrative science drawing from many expert perspectives." * Wildlife Health Australia *
"There is something for everyone in this book, from fossils, multi-gene phylogenies, biogeography, reproductive biology, human impacts and species level accounts, the authors have covered just about everything on the subject." * The Australian Mammal Society, AMS Newsletter *
"The book undoubtedly achieves the goal of its authors, in serving as a resource for students, educators and researchers, and it does so well. I expect that this text is likely to become a go-to source for those seeking to deepen their understanding of the evolution and relationships of dasyurids and marsupials." -- Diana A. Fusco * Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia *

Author Bio

Carey Krajewski is a retired zoology professor and molecular systematist who has studied phylogenetics of mammals and birds for over 35 years. He is the author of 36 peer-reviewed publications describing research on phylogenetic relationships of marsupials, primarily members of Dasyuridae. Michael Westerman is Adjunct Professor in the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment at La Trobe University. He is an evolutionary geneticist who has worked on phylogenetic relationships of marsupials for 50 years, publishing over 130 peer-reviewed papers on dasyurids, bandicoots and macropods. Patricia A. Woolley, AM, is Emeritus Scholar in the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment at La Trobe University. Her primary research interest is the reproductive biology of dasyurid marsupials. She is a recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award of the Society of Women Geographers and the Ellis Troughton Memorial Award, and an honorary life member of both the Australian Mammal Society and American Society of Mammalogists.