Microbial Phylogeny And Evolution: Concepts And Controversies

Microbial Phylogeny and Evolution: Concepts and Controversies Jan Sapp, Editor OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS Microbial Phylogeny and Evolution This page intentionally left blank Microbial Phylogeny and Evolution Concepts and Controversies Edited by Jan Sapp 1 2005 3 Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further Oxford University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Copyright © 2005 by Oxford University Press, Inc. Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Microbial phylogeny and evolution : concepts and controversies / edited by Jan Sapp. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN-13: 978-0-19-516877-1 ISBN 0-19-516877-1 (alk. paper) 1. Microorganisms—Evolution. I. Sapp, Jan. [DNLM: 1. Bacteria—genetics. 2. Evolution, Molecular. 3. Genetics, Microbial. 4. Phylogeny. 5. Sequence Analysis. QW 51 M6269 2004] QR13.M527 2004 579'.138—dc22 2004000565 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper For Joshua Lederberg This page intentionally left blank Foreword Postludian Remarks—Phylogeny versus Evolution JOSHUA LEDERBERG As I was not a primary participant in the symposium, these remarks stem from my reading the early manuscript, at the invitation of Jan Sapp, the organizer and editor. His introductory chapter already practices the exegetical function, and I would be unqualified to emulate or improve on his labors. What an illumination the reading has been for me. I will confess to having had something of an agnostic position about the possibility of verifying our speculations about the major kingdoms, and especially the origin of Eukarya. I dare not admit to fixed conclusions on my own part, but now having had the experience of the finely spun arguments, at least I can say that I have a better understanding of the question. In that regard, I anticipate being in the company of a horde of biologists who have been bewildered by the controversies and have had no prior opportunity for the direct confrontation of views represented in this volume. One may have to look back to the nineteenth century and before to locate examples of equally weighty disputations in biology. Besides the larger canvas of evolutionary drama, every chapter has a revelatio