Le débat macroévolutif : apports de la disparité morphologique

Several historical as well as more recent aspects of macroevolutionary theory are discussed, in connection with a research program initiated by several working groups over the last ten years: it consists in dividing the taxonomic (diversity) and morphologic (disparity) components of biodiversity when studying its fluctuations through time. Studies have frequently shown a dissociation between the two metrics through the history of clades. Comparing diversity and disparity is a productive approach, which is leading to an exploration of large-scale biodiversity fluctuations in terms of both patterns and processes.