摘要：Neither allopatric speciations nor extinctions of lineages are directly observable in the fossil record. This significantly reduces the value of inferred durations of taxa as a basis for studies on patterns of evolution. The ranges of taxadetected in rock strata are inevitably shorter than the real durations of lineages. Rates of evolution estimated by counting reported ranges of taxa therefore appear higher than they really were. Biometric studies of graduallyevolving lineages indicate that the durations of 'species' (morphologies) were actually many times longer. Therefore,the ancestor-descendant relationships along monospecific lineages remain the most important subjects of study inevolutionary paleontology. A way,in which an ancestor-descendant hypothesis can be falsified,is presented.
其他摘要：TestowalnoSf rekonstrukcji przebiegu ewolucji jest jednym z najwatniejszych zagadniefi paleontologii ewolucyjnej. WiqZe sie bezpokrednio z fundamentalnym problemem,czy drzewo rodowe spelnia wymagania stawiane teoriom naukowyn Jego rozstrzygniacie wymaga p
