Macroevolution in Deep Time is a short (56 pages) contribution by authors R. Bose and A. J. Bartholomew to the Springer series Briefs in Evolutionary Biology. It consists of four sections: the first chapter is an introduction to evolutionary theory with a focus on the punctuated equilibrium versus phyletic evolution debate; next is a chapter testing the existence of species stasis using morphometric analysis of a Devonian brachiopod (Pseudoatrypa cf. lineata) from the Traverse Group of Michigan; and the final two chapters consist of comparisons between brachiopod morphological changes in the Hamilton Group of New York versus the study area in Michigan, and a short commentary on morphologic change and geologic timescales.
In general, the treatment of evolutionary theory is superficial. The authors aim the book chiefly at postgraduate students and professionals, and potentially also to undergraduates. However, concepts and terms are treated inconsistently, with explanations ranging from non-existent to lengthy. Complex and controversial topics (e.g. mechanisms behind species stasis or community-level coordinated stasis) are too-often described briefly and from single perspectives only, with limited discussion or citation of the extensive literature surrounding them. Other important concepts (e.g. the contribution of the Modern Synthesis to evolutionary theory) are lacking entirely.
Scientifically, the morphometric techniques and analyses in the brachiopod study appear sound and colour figures make examining the data easier. However, numerous theoretical concerns can be raised regarding the study design, making interpretation of the results challenging. For example, do specimens of P. cf. lineata represent a putative species that has yet to undergo taxonomic scrutiny? Are the morphometric characters used to test stasis the same or distinct from those used to diagnose the species? Do the specimens analysed cover the full spatiotemporal range of the species or only a subset of populations in the Michigan Basin during deposition of the Traverse Group? Why were occurrences in non-shale lithologies discarded from the study, if these individuals/populations might be the most likely to show adaptive change?
If the authors are not looking at a monophyletic lineage, then tests of species-level evolution will be difficult to interpret. If the characters used to identify stasis are the same as those diagnosing the species, then the study will be biased in favour of stasis since any change would designate a new species (Lande, 1986). As pointed out by many (e.g. Stanley, 1979; Eldredge, 1989; Lieberman, Brett & Eldridge, 1994, 1995; Eldredge et al. 2005), stasis in the fossil record is not obdurate, with morphological variation observed particularly between populations established in different environments. A test of species stasis should differentiate between inter-population variation and true directional change (or a random-walk hypothesis). Moreover, as can be observed in Lieberman, Brett & Eldridge (1995), exclusion of additional known populations and time periods of species occurrence would bias results in favour of finding divergence. The latter two chapters seemed to provide little in the way of new information or interpretations.
Perhaps most crippling, concerns arise regarding the professionalism in preparation of the book. The text contains numerous typographical and grammatical errors, and stylistically falls short of ideal. Background material is scattered, identical information is repeated in multiple paragraphs and chapters, and the book is poorly referenced throughout. Of greatest concern, numerous passages of the text match other published works very closely (although sources are cited); this practice is entirely inappropriate in a scholarly scientific publication. As a palaeobiologist studying macroevolution, I would love to provide a favourable review of this volume, but the shortcomings outlined above make it difficult to evaluate positively. Thus, regretfully, I cannot recommend this volume to any discerning reader.
