Niles Eldredge Library of Evolution

The Niles Eldredge Library of Evolution

I am very happy to begin posting downloadable .pdf files of what I consider to be the most important papers that I have published over the years on evolution.

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The Original Papers on Punctuated Equilibria

I am delighted to post the three original papers that developed the concept of "punctuated equilibria" in the 1970s. I published the first one in 1971 in the journal Evolution:

Download Citation: Eldredge, N. 1971. The allopatric model and phylogeny in Paleozoic invertebrates. Evolution 25 (1): 156-167. (File size: 2.7 MB, 13 pages)

The very next year the famous version of that paper, expanded with notions of species selection and other discussions, written by myself and Stephen Jay Gould, appeared in a book of collected original papers meant to stimulate paleontological research along more theoretical lines:

Download Citation: Eldredge, N. and Stephen J. Gould. 1972. Punctuated Equilibria: An Alternative to Phyletic Gradualism. In Schopf, Thomas J.M. (ed.), Models in Paleobiology, pp. 82-115. Freeman, Cooper and Co., San Francisco. (File size: 6.2 MB, 35 pages)

The references to Eldredge and Gould, 1972 were gathered along with all other references in the book in a separate "References" section dowloadable separately here:

Download: References to Eldredge & Gould, 1972 (File size: 4.8 MB, 28 pages)

Finally, the initial publications (especially Eldredge and Goud, 1972) had attracted so much response--both pro and con--that we reviewed matters once again in 1977:

Download Citation: Gould, S.J. and N. Eldredge. 1977, Punctuated equilibria: the tempo and mode of evolution reconsidered. Paleobiology 3 (2): 115-151. (File size: 2 MB, 37 pages)

The Dynamics of Evolutionary Stasis

Abstract.—The fossil record displays remarkable stasis in many species over long time periods, yet studies of extant populations often reveal rapid phenotypic evolution and genetic differentiation among populations. Recent advances in our understanding of the fossil record and in population genetics and evolutionary ecology point to the complex geographic structure of species being fundamental to resolution of how taxa can commonly exhibit both short-term evolutionary dynamics and long-term stasis.

Accepted: 17 April 2004.

Download: “The Dynamics of Evolutionary Stasis” Paleobiology, 31(2), 2005, pp.133–145: PDF file (296k, 13 pages)

“Confessions of a Darwinist”–published in the Spring Issue 2006 of the Virginia Quarterly Review–which Slate recently has said is currently “burning up the magazine world.” In this piece I link my own research career in evolution with the production of the exhibition Darwin, and its companion book Darwin. Discovering the Tree of Life.

Download: “Confessions of a Darwinist” Virginia Quarterly Review: PDF file (969k, 23 pages)

A“review” of “Darwin’s other books”--meaning his unpublished Red and Transmutation Notebooks, his 1842 “Sketch,” and his 1844 “Essay”--all important milestones of his development of his theory of evolution by natural selection, and all unpublished in his lifetime. It is published in an open-access, peer-reviewed electronic journal called PloS--standing for the Public Library of Science:

Download Citation: Eldredge N (2005) Darwin’s Other Books: “Red” and “Transmutation” Notebooks, “Sketch,” “Essay,” and Natural Selection. PLoS Biol 3(11): e382.

Phylogenetics and Material Cultural Evolution
Ilya Tëmkin and Niles Eldredge

Downlod Paper: PDF file (572k)

Also pertaining to the opening of the Darwin exhibition, and the publication of my companion volume Darwin. Discovering the Tree of Life, is this short piece I published in Natural History:
Eldredge, N. 2005. Patterns. Natural History 114 (9): 80. (November 2005).

Downlod Article: Pdf file 1 (1.3 MB, Color, printable) or Pdf file 2 (612k, B&W, screen)