6533b82afe1ef96bd128c0ad

RESEARCH PRODUCT

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Charles DevillersJean Chaline

subject

PaleontologyEcologyGenetic algorithmEvolutionary changeReproductive isolationOrganism

description

Biology tells us about the processes and mechanisms which are able to explain effectively the changes occurring in organisms and species. Palaeontology, with the temporal dimension at its disposal, adds to this data which are indispensable for our understanding of speciation and of the patterns and rhythms of evolutionary change. Only through this we are able to observe the historical development of the evolution, of the living world as it took place through geological time. Based on data obtained from other branches of the earth sciences, palaeontology is able to evaluate the external constraints which frequently act at random on the living organism and which control the formation of new species, and their radiations or extinctions.

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-77022-7_14