Phylogeny and Classification of the Birds: A Study in Molecular Evolution

This book presents the results of a study of the evolutionary history and classification of living birds based on comparisons of the DNAs (genetic material) of about 1700 species. Sibley and Ahlquist's "DNA-DNA hybridization" technqiue is a biochemical method that measures the degree of genetic similarity between the DNAs of different species of other groups of organisms, but this book includes the largest set of DNA comparisons for any group. Divided into two sections, the book first covers the methodology used and then presents the phylogeny and classification of birds based on this method. The latter section provides a chronological survey of the classification of birds since Linnaeus (1758) and details for each group of birds since that time. The history of the classification of each order and family is reviewed, morphological chracters are noted, and evidence of the phylogeny and genetic relationships of each group is given. With 385 figures of DNA melting curves and phylogenetic trees, plus a bibliography, this book should be a valuable resource for ornithologists and other biologists.