History of Molecular Phylogenetics

Abstract

From its inception in the latter half of this century, the field of molecular evolution has been dominated by a series of fundamental controversies about the nature and evolutionary significance of genetic variation. Underlying these debates (discussed later) were exciting conceptual issues that understandably captured the attention of molecular evolutionists. However, to a considerable degree these controversies also directed attention away from what often were perceived as more mundane applications of molecules as genetic markers. Thus, prior to the mid-1980s, with a few notable exceptions, most applications of molecular markers in areas of natural history or phylogenetic estimation were viewed as ancillary by-products of research programs whose main goals were to uncover genetic mechanisms or elucidate broad evolutionary processes. Only in the last few years has molecular phylogenetics per se begun to assume its appropriate status as an essential scientific discipline, both empirically rich and conceptually challenging. What were these broad controversies in evolutionary biology that so dominated attention, relegating molecular phylogenetics to the back burner? These historical debates are the primary subject of this chapter.

The field .. —molecular evolution—does not have classification as its primary objective, relevant though molecular data may be to that end.

R.K. Selander, 1982