Theoretical size distribution of fossil taxa: analysis of a null model

BACKGROUND: This article deals with the theoretical size distribution (of number of sub-taxa) of a fossil taxon arising from a simple null model of macroevolution. MODEL: New species arise through speciations occurring independently and at random at a fixed probability rate, while extinctions either occur independently and at random (background extinctions) or cataclysmically. In addition new genera are assumed to arise through speciations of a very radical nature, again assumed to occur independently and at random at a fixed probability rate. CONCLUSION: The size distributions of the pioneering genus (following a cataclysm) and of derived genera are determined. Also the distribution of the number of genera is considered along with a comparison of the probability of a monospecific genus with that of a monogeneric family

A review of the European Neogene Mammal zones from integration of litho-, bio- and magnetostratigraphy in the Teruel Basin

The northern sector of the Teruel Basin (Spain) houses a dense and continuous record of late Neogene mammal fossil sites, as well as numerous biostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic information making it a reference basin to define and refine the European mammal biostratigraphy from the Vallesian to the Villafranchian. The Neogene mammal chronology is in ongoing revision, and distinct correlations between basins and Europe provinces have been proposed based on their relative ages. New calibration methods based on numerical modelling have allowed the absolute ages of the paleontological sites to be refined. Nevertheless, some discrepancies arise, evidencing that ancho ring between absolute ages and mammal fossil record would benefit from a stronger stratigraphical framework. This work provides such a robust 3D stratigraphic framework of the whole basin that, together with magnetostratigraphy, allows establishing an accurate chronostratigraphic model and hence a precise chronology of sedimentary units and mammal sites. The absolute age of MN zones, or mammal stages, in the Teruel Basin has been revised on the basis of a detailed and confident stratigraphic correlation, and updated to the most recent Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale. In particular, new accurate ages have been proposed for the boundaries MN 9/10 to MN 16/17 from data exclusively located in the Teruel Basin, with a precision generally of 0.1–0.2 Ma

Estudio tafonómico y espacial del yacimiento DS del Lecho I de la garganta de Olduvai (Tanzania)

Tesis inédita de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Geografía e Historia, leída el 16-12-2020Faunal remains recovered at early archaeological sites dated to around 2 million years (Ma) play a critical role in discussions about the evolution of early hominin behavior. Anthropogenic assemblages from this time period are scarce, however and, until recently, most of the available evidence on the behavior of early Homo has been almost exclusively obtained at the FLK Zinj site from Bed I in Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania). The recent discovery of DS (David’s Site, 1.84 Ma) and two additional hominin-made accumulations on the same paleosurface as the iconic site of FLK Zinj provides an invaluable opportunity to address key issues regarding early hominin lifestyles, particularly their subsistence behaviors and their foraging capabilities. The DS site has been extensively excavated and is exceptionally well preserved. Over the past years, significant advances in taphonomic and spatial statistical techniques have been made, which mainly involve the combination of several variables in multivariate approaches and the use of machine learning algorithms. The application of these methods to the faunal fossil record within extended frames of reference helps overcome equifinality when trying to detect the main agent of site formation and interpret site function...Los restos faunísticos recuperados en algunos de los yacimientos arqueológicos más antiguos, que datan de alrededor de dos millones de años (Ma), desempeñan un papel muy importante en las discusiones sobre la evolución del comportamiento de los homininos. Sin embargo, los conjuntos arqueológicos de origen antrópico de ese periodo son escasos y, hasta hace poco, la mayor parte de los datos disponibles sobre el comportamiento de los primeros miembros del género Homo han sido obtenidos casi exclusivamente del yacimiento FLK Zinj del Lecho I de la Garganta de Olduvai (Tanzania). El reciente descubrimiento de DS (David’s Site, 1.84 Ma) y de otras dos acumulaciones generadas por homininos sobre la misma paleosuperficie que el emblemático yacimiento de FLK Zinj, brinda una valiosa oportunidad para abordar cuestiones clave relacionadas con la forma de vida de los primeros Homo con nuevos datos, en particular sus comportamientos de subsistencia y sus capacidades depredadoras. El yacimiento se ha excavado en extensión y se encuentra excepcionalmente bien preservado. A lo largo de los últimos años, se han realizado avances significativos en las herramientas tafonómicas y espaciales estadísticas disponibles, que ahora comprenden principalmente la combinación de varias variables en aproximaciones multivariantes y el uso de algoritmos de máquinas de aprendizaje automático. La aplicación de estos métodos al registro faunístico fósil y la utilización de marcos referenciales ampliados permite superar problemas de equifinalidad a la hora de detectar el agente principal de formación del yacimiento e interpretar la funcionalidad de la localidad...Fac. de Geografía e HistoriaTRUEunpu

The Human Biodiversity in the Middle of the Mediterranean. Study of native and settlers populations on the Sicilian context

[IT] Negli ultimi 200.000 anni, la specie umana si è diffusa in tutta la Terra, adattando la sua morfologia e fisiologia a un'ampia gamma di habitat. Lo scheletro umano ha quindi registrato i principali effetti ambientali e di conseguenza i reperti scheletrici assumono grande importanza nell'indagine dei processi evolutivi. Oggi le moderne tecniche di indagini quantitative delle principali caratteristiche morfologiche consentono di metterle in relazione con la variabilità genetica. La posizione geografica della Sicilia, l'isolamento e la sua lunga e dinamica storia di colonizzazione (diversi e numerosi contributi culturali e biologici) hanno creato un contesto peculiare che consente uno studio antropologico unico, utile per sottrarre informazioni importanti sul “Flusso Migratorio” e il conseguente "Influenza delle Popolazioni" sui resti scheletrici umani. Questo progetto si basa sull'analisi antropologica delle ossa umane provenienti da diverse popolazioni (indigene e colonizzatori) distribuite dal Paleolitico all'Età Contemporanea. Le più moderne tecniche di Analisi Geometria Morfometrica (ricostruzione 3D) e di Analisi Statistica Multivariata sono state applicate su tre diversi caratteri scheletrici (Denti, Crani e Statura). L'obiettivo del progetto è quello di eseguire un'ampia analisi della Biodiversità Umana Siciliana al fine di: - Analizzare i dati odontometrici 2D con tecniche multivariate per esplorare le relazioni tra i popoli nel corso dei secoli. - Usare modelli 3D e la morfometria cranio-facciale per studiare la complesso variabilità morfologica relativa alle influenze dei flussi migratori. - Valutare il Secular Trend della Statura. - Usare questi tre caratteri per fornire una panoramica generale della Biodiversità Umana in Sicilia. Il nostro lavoro denota l'affidabilità dei metodi impiegati e come in uno studio sulla biodiversità diversi caratteri sono indispensabili per comprendere il processo evolutivo. I dati forniti dimostrano anche la correlazione tra i caratteri morfologici XI e l'influenza esercitata (non solo dai fattori ambientali) dal flusso umano sul fenotipo. I risultati mostrano chiaramente come tutti i caratteri valutati siano coinvolti allo stesso tempo nello stesso processo di diversificazione. Le variazioni morfologiche mostrano una generale diminuzione del prognatismo mascellare e una leggera mesocefalizzazione con il cranio che diventa più stretto e leggermente e meno allungato e il viso che diventa più largo e più corto. Considerando sempre l’influenza del rapporto dimensione/composizione sia l'analisi statistica canonica che quella multivariata, supportano la teoria che i coloni del Paleolitico superiore di San Teodoro potrebbero ragionevolmente essere la prima prova di colonizzazione umana in Sicilia (questa teoria è anche supportata dai campioni Mesolitici che clusterizzano separati dai primi). Significativi sono i periodi del Bronzo della transizione Bronzo/Ferro nei quali assistiamo ad importanti cambiamenti morfologici (Denti, Crani e Stature) dovuti a “Flussi Migratori” costanti e numericamente significativi. Questa variazione coincide esattamente con i primi “Afflussi di Popolazione” stabili conseguenti alle migrazioni umane dal continente. Tuttavia i campioni preistorici di alcune popolazioni, conservano alcuni caratteri arcaici anche dopo l'Età del Ferro (Era Storica) mentre la "Continuità di Popolazione" (conseguente alla convivenza e agli alternamenti delle diverse colonizzazioni) dall'Antichità al Medioevo ha prodotto un progressivo aumento della variabilità senza grandi variazione tra Eignevalue e Componenti Principali. L'assenza di relazione interna causata dall'intricato periodo di colonizzazione è invece presente sul campione preistorico sul quale si riscontra una netta variazione tra i PC. Le correlazioni tra "Afflusso di popolazione" e Variabilità sono osservabili anche nell'influenza dei coloni islamici sugli indigeni durante il Medioevo. Tuttavia, l'ampia variabilità e il morfospazio omogeneo mostrano che dopo questi gruppi (fino ai Contemporanei) sono riconoscibili popolazioniben definite.[ES] Durante los últimos 200.000 años, la especie humana se ha extendido por toda la Tierra, adaptando su morfología y fisiología a una amplia variedad de hábitats. Por tanto, el esqueleto humano ha registrado los principales efectos ambientales. Hoy las modernas técnicas de investigaciones cuantitativas de las principales características morfológicas nos permiten relacionarlas con la variabilidad genética. La posición geográfica de la Sicilia, su aislamiento y su larga y dinámica historia de colonización han creado un contexto peculiar que permite un estudio antropológico único, útil para extraer información importante sobre el "Flujo Migratorio" y "Influencia Población". Este proyecto se basa en la análisis antropológica de huesos humanos de diferentes poblaciones (indígenas y colonizadoras). Las técnicas de Análisis de Geometría Morfométrica y Análisis Estadístico Multivariante se han aplicado en tres caracteres esqueléticos diferentes (Dientes, Cráneos y Estatura). El objetivo del proyecto es realizar un análisis amplia de la Biodiversidad Humana Siciliana con el fin de: - Analizar datos odontométricos 2D con técnicas multivariadas para explorar las relaciones entre pueblos entre los siglos. - Utilizar modelos 3D y la morfometría craneofacial para estudiar la compleja variabilidad morfológica relacionada con los flujos migratorios. - Evaluar la tendencia secular de la estatura. - Utilizar estos tres caracteres para proporcionar una descripción general de la Biodiversidad Humana en Sicilia. Esto trabajo denota la confiabilidad de los métodos utilizados y, como en un estudio de la biodiversidad, varios caracteres son indispensables para comprender el proceso evolutivo. Los datos también demuestran la correlación entre los caracteres morfológicos y la influencia (no solo por factores ambientales) de los flujos humanos sobre el fenotipo. Los resultados muestran claramente que todos los caracteres evaluados están involucrados al mismo tiempo en el mismo proceso de diversificación. Las variaciones morfológicas muestran una disminución general del prognatismo maxilar y una ligera mesocefalilización con el cráneo que se convierte en más estrecho y ligeramente y menos alargado y la cara más ancha y corta. Siempre considerando la influencia de la relación tamaño/composición, de la muestra, tanto el análisis estadístico canónico como multivariado apoyan la teoría que la población del Paleolítico Superior de San Teodoro podría ser razonablemente la primera evidencia de colonización humana en Sicilia (esta teoría también es apoyada de la muestra Mesolítica que se agrupa separada). Son significativos los periodos de el Bronce y de la transición Bronce/Hierro en los que asistimos a importantes cambios morfológicos (Dientes, Cráneos y Estatura) debido a los constantes y numéricamente significativos "Flujos Migratorios". Esta variación coincide exactamente con los primeros "Flujos de Población" estables como consecuencia de las migraciones humanas desde el continente. Sin embargo, las muestras Prehistóricas de algunas poblaciones conservan algunas características arcaicas incluso después de la Edad del Hierro (Era Histórica) mientras la "Continuidad de la Población" (resultante de la coexistencia y alternancia de la colonización) desde la Antigüedad hasta la Edad Media produjo una mayor progresiva variabilidad sin pero mayor variación entre Eignevalue y Componentes Principales. La ausencia de relación interna causada por el intrincado período de colonización está presente en la muestra prehistórica en la que hay una clara variación entre las Componentes Principales. Las correlaciones entre la "Afluencia de Población" y la Variabilidad también se pueden observar en la influencia de los colonos Islámicos sobre los indígenas durante la Edad Media. Sin embargo, la amplia variabilidad y el morfoespacio homogéneo muestran que poblaciones bien definidas no son reconocibles después de estos grupos (hasta los contemporáneos).[EN] During the last 200,000 years, human species has spread throughout Earth, adapting their morphology and physiology to a wide range of habitats. The human skeleton has therefore, recorded the main environmental effects. Nowadays modern quantitative investigations of the main morphological features permit us to relate them with the genetic variability. The Sicilian geographic position, isolation and its long and dynamic history of colonization) made a peculiar context that allows a unique anthropological study, useful to sign-out important information about the "Migratory Flow" and the consequent "Populations Influx". This project is based on the Anthropological Analysis of the human bones coming from different populations distributed from Paleolithic to the Contemporary Age. The techniques of Morphometric Geometric analysis and Multivariate Statistic Analysis were applied over three different catchers (Teeth, Skulls and Stature). The project aim is to perform a wide analysis of the Sicilian Human Biodiversity in order to: - Analyze 2D odontometrics data with multivariate techniques to explore the relationships between the peoples over the centuries. - Use 3D models and skull-facial morphometry to study the complex morphological variability concerning the "Populations". - Evaluate the "Stature's Secular Trend". - Use these three characters to provide a general overview of the human biodiversity in Sicily. Our work denotes the reliable of the methods employed underlying as in a study of biodiversity several characters are indispensable to understand the evolutionary process. Data also provided to demonstrate the correlation between the morphological characters and the influence carried (not only by the environmental factors) by the human flow on the phenotype. Results clearly shows as all the characters evaluated are at the same time involved in the same process of diversification. Morphological variations show a general decrease of Maxilla Prognathism and a soft Mesocephalization with the skull that becomes tighter and slightly and less elongated and the face that become wider and shorter. Always considering simple size/composition both Canonical and Multivariate Statistics Analysis display, as the Upper-Paleolithic Würm-Settlers of San Teodoro could reasonably be the first evidence of human colonization in Sicily (this theory is supported by the Mesoltitch Hunter-Gatherers specimens clustered separated from the first one). Meaningful is the periods of Bronze/Iron transition in we assist to the prime plainness of morphological changes (teeth, skulls and statures) due to the constant and numerically significative "Migratory Flows". This variation exactly coincides with the first "Population Influx" consequent of the human migrations from the continent. Instead, Prehistorical samples of some populations, keep some archaic characters after Iron Age (Historical Era) the "Population Continuity" (consequent of the cohabitation and alternations of the several Mediterranean populations) from Antiquity to Middle Ages produced a progressive increase of variability without big variation among Eigenvalue and Principal Component. The absence of internal relationship caused by the intricate colonization period is on the contrary present on Prehistorichal sample on which we can find a clear variation between the PC. Correlations between "Population Influx" and Variability are also observable on the influence of Islamic settlers on the Indigenous during the Middle Ages. However, the wide variability and the homogenous morphospace showed by these groups and the Contemporary resulted in no well-defined populations.[CA] Durant els últims 200.000 anys, l'espècie humana s'ha estés per tota la Terra, adaptant la seua morfologia i fisiologia a una àmplia varietat d'hàbitats. Per tant, l'esquelet humà ha registrat els principals efectes ambientals. Hui les modernes tècniques d'investigacions quantitatives de les principals característiques morfològiques ens permeten relacionar-les amb la variabilitat genètica. La posició geogràfica de la Sicília, el seu aïllament i la seua llarga i dinàmica història de colonització han creat un context peculiar que permet un estudi antropològic únic, útil per a extraure informació important sobre el "Flux Migratori" i "Influència Població". Aquest projecte es basa en l'anàlisi antropològica d'ossos humans de diferents poblacions des del Paleolític fins a l'Edat Contemporània. Les tècniques d'Anàlisis de Geometria Morfomètrica (reconstrucció 3D) i Anàlisi Estadística Multivariante s'han aplicat en tres caràcters esquelètics diferents (Dents, Cranis i Alçada). L'objectiu del projecte és realitzar una anàlisi àmplia de la Biodiversitat Humana Siciliana amb la finalitat de: - Analitzar dades odontométricos 2D amb tècniques multivariades per a explorar les relacions entre pobles entre els segles. - Utilitzar models 3D i la morfometria craniofacial per a estudiar la complexa variabilitat morfològica relacionada amb els fluxos migratoris. - Avaluar la tendència secular de l'alçada. - Utilitzar aquests tres caràcters per a proporcionar una descripció general de la Biodiversitat Humana a Sicília. Això treball denota la confiabilitat dels mètodes utilitzats i, com en un estudi de la biodiversitat, diversos caràcters són indispensables per a comprendre el procés evolutiu. Les dades també demostren la correlació entre els caràcters morfològics i la influència (no sols per factors ambientals) dels fluxos humans sobre el fenotip. Els resultats mostren clarament que tots els caràcters avaluats estan involucrats al mateix temps en el mateix procés de diversificació. Les variacions morfològiques mostren una disminució general del prognatisme maxil·lar i una lleugera mesocefalilización amb el crani que es converteix en més estret i lleugerament i menys allargat i la cara més ampla i tala. Sempre considerant la influència de la relació grandària/composició, de la mostra, tant l'anàlisi estadística canònica com multivariat donen suport a la teoria que la poblacion del Paleolític Superior de Sant Teodoro podria ser raonablement la primera evidència de colonització humana a Sicília (aquesta teoria també és secundada de la mostra Mesolítica que s'agrupa separada). Són significatius els períodes del Bronze i de la transició Bronze/Ferro en els quals assistim a importants canvis morfològics (Dents, Cranis i Alçada) a causa dels constants i numèricament significatius "Fluxos Migratoris". Aquesta variació coincideix exactament amb els primers "Fluxos de Població" estables com a conseqüència de les migracions humanes des del continent. No obstant això, les mostres Prehistòriques d'algunes poblacions conserven algunes característiques arcaiques fins i tot després de l'Edat del Ferro (Era Històrica) mentre la "Continuïtat de la Població" (resultant de la coexistència i alternança de la colonizacion) des de l'Antiguitat fins a l'Edat mitjana va produir una major progressiva variabilitat sense però major variació entre Eignevalue i Components Principals. L'absència de relació interna causada per l'intricat període de colonització està present, en contrero, en la mostra prehistòrica en la qual hi ha una clara variació entre les Components Principals. Les correlacions entre l' "Afluència de Població" i la Variabilitat també es poden observar en la influència dels colons Islàmics sobre els indígenos durant l'Edat mitjana. No obstant això, l'àmplia variabilitat i el morfoespacio homogeni mostren que poblacions ben definides no són recognoscibles després d'aquests grups (fins als contemporanis).Thanks to: Dr. Francesa Spatafora (Archaeological Museum “A. Salinas”, Palermo, Sicily, Italy), Dr. Maria Grazia Griffo (Archaeological Museum “Baglio Anselmi”. Marsala, Sicily, Italy) , Dr. Maria Amalia Mastelloni (Archaeological Museum “Bernabò-Brea", Aeolian Island, Sicily, Italy) and Dr. Carolina Di Patti (Geological University Museum of Palermo “Gemmellaro”, Sicily, Italy) for the authorization to study the materials. Thanks to Prof. Armando González Martín, Prof. Oscar Cambra-Moo Laboratorio de Poblaciones del Pasado (LAPP), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain) for the invaluable help. Thanks to the Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva Humana (LEEH) - Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (UNCPBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina), to all the laboratoy directors to provide the modern specimens of reference sample. Thanks to the Mayor Mr. Domenico Giannopolo, the council member of cultural heritage Mrs. Nieta Gennuso and Dr. Filippo Ianni (Municipality of Caltavuturo, Sicily, Italy) for the excavation seasons and the authorization to study the materials. To the Museum of Mozia. (Sicily, Italy), The Whitaker foundation and Dr. Pamela Toti for the authorization to study the materials. To the Soprintendenza BB.CC.AA. di Palermo. (Sicily, Italy) Dr. Stefano Vassallo and Dr. Maria Grazia Cucco for the opportunity of the excavations in Caltavuturo and authorization to study the materials. Thanks to the Soprintendenza BB.CC.AA. di Trapani. (Sicily, Italy), Soprintendente and Dr. Rossella Giglio, Township Museum of Mussomeli. (Sicily, Italy), and Prof. Erich Kistler and Dr. Nicole Mölk (University of Innsbruck, Austria, Innsbruck) for the authorization to study the materials.Lauria, G. (2020). The Human Biodiversity in the Middle of the Mediterranean. Study of native and settlers populations on the Sicilian context [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/159789TESI

Evolution: From Big Bang to Nanorobots

The present volume is the fourth issue of the Yearbook series entitled ‘Evolution’. The title of the present volume is ‘From Big Bang to Nanorobots’. In this way we demonstrate that all phases of evolution and Big History are covered in the articles of the present Yearbook. Several articles also present the forecasts about future development. The main objective of our Yearbook as well as of the previous issues is the creation of a unified interdisciplinary field of research in which the scientists specializing in different disciplines could work within the framework of unified or similar paradigms, using the common terminology and searching for common rules, tendencies and regularities. At the same time for the formation of such an integrated field one should use all available opportunities: theories, laws and methods. In the present volume, a number of such approaches are used

Evolution: From Big Bang to Nanorobots

The present volume is the fourth issue of the Yearbook series entitled ‘Evolution’. The title of the present volume is ‘From Big Bang to Nanorobots’. In this way we demonstrate that all phases of evolution and Big History are covered in the articles of the present Yearbook. Several articles also present the forecasts about future development. The main objective of our Yearbook as well as of the previous issues is the creation of a unified interdisciplinary field of research in which the scientists specializing in different disciplines could work within the framework of unified or similar paradigms, using the common terminology and searching for common rules, tendencies and regularities. At the same time for the formation of such an integrated field one should use all available opportunities: theories, laws and methods. In the present volume, a number of such approaches are used

Malignant melanoma of the urethra: a rare histologic subdivision of vulvar cancer with a poor prognosis

Malignant melanoma of the urethra is a rare tumour that is difficult to diagnose and treat, resulting in a poor prognosis. In this paper, we present the case of a 65-year-old woman who was referred to a gynaecologist because of a urethral mass that mimicked a caruncle. The tumour was removed by local excision, and a pathological analysis revealed a malignant melanoma. Distal urethrectomy was performed after three months with no evidence of residual tumour. There was no evidence of disease at a six-year followup. In this paper, we compare the epidemiology, treatment, staging, and prognosis of vulvar cancer in general to malignant melanoma of the vulva in particular

Bayesian molecular phylogenetics: estimation of divergence dates and hypothesis testing

With the advent of automated sequencing, sequence data are now available to help us understand the functioning of our genome, as well as its history. To date,powerful methods such as maximum likelihood have been used to estimate its mode and tempo of evolution and its branching pattern. However, these methods appear to have some limitations. The purpose of this thesis is to examine these issues in light of Bayesian modelling, taking advantage of some recent advances in Bayesian computation. Firstly, Bayesian methods to estimate divergence dates when rates of evolution vary from lineage to lineages are extended and compared. The power of the technique is demonstrated by analysing twenty-two genes sampled across the metazoans to test the Cambrian explosion hypothesis. While the molecular clock gives divergence dates at least twice as old as those indicated by the fossil records, it is shown (i) that modelling rate change gives results consistent with the fossils, (ii) that this improves dramatically the fit to the data and (iii) that these results are not dependent on the choice of a specific model of rate change.Results from this analysis support a molecular explosion of the metazoans about 600 million years (MY) ago, i.e. only some 50 MY before the morphological Cambrian explosion. Secondly, two new Bayesian tests of phylogenetic trees are developed. The first aims at selecting the correct tree, while the second constructs confidence sets of trees. Two other tests are also developed, in the frequentist framework. Based on p-values adjusted for multiple comparisons,they are built to match their Bayesian counterparts. These four new tests are compared with previous tests. Their sensitivity to model misspecification and the problem of regions is discussed. Finally, some extensions to the models examined are made to estimate divergence dates from data of multiple genes, and to detect positive selection

Stochastic Tree Models for Macroevolution: Development, Validation and Application

Phylogenetic trees capture the relationships between species and can be investigated by morphological and/or molecular data. When focusing on macroevolution, one considers the large-scale history of life with evolutionary changes affecting a single species of the entire clade leading to the enormous diversity of species obtained today. One major problem of biology is the explanation of this biodiversity. Therefore, one may ask which kind of macroevolutionary processes have given rise to observable tree shapes or patterns of species distribution which refers to the appearance of branching orders and time periods. Thus, with an increasing number of known species in the context of phylogenetic studies, testing hypotheses about evolution by analyzing the tree shape of the resulting phylogenetic trees became matter of particular interest. The attention of using those reconstructed phylogenies for studying evolutionary processes increased during the last decades. Many paleontologists (Raup et al., 1973; Gould et al., 1977; Gilinsky and Good, 1989; Nee, 2004) tried to describe such patterns of macroevolution by using models for growing trees. Those models describe stochastic processes to generate phylogenetic trees. Yule (1925) was the first who introduced such a model, the Equal Rate Markov (ERM) model, in the context of biological branching based on a continuous-time, uneven branching process. In the last decades, further dynamical models were proposed (Yule, 1925; Aldous, 1996; Nee, 2006; Rosen, 1978; Ford, 2005; Hernández-García et al., 2010) to address the investigation of tree shapes and hence, capture the rules of macroevolutionary forces. A common model, is the Aldous\\\'' Branching (AB) model, which is known for generating trees with a similar structure of \\\"real\\\" trees. To infer those macroevolutionary forces structures, estimated trees are analyzed and compared to simulated trees generated by models. There are a few drawbacks on recent models such as a missing biological motivation or the generated tree shape does not fit well to one observed in empirical trees. The central aim of this thesis is the development and study of new biologically motivated approaches which might help to better understand or even discover biological forces which lead to the huge diversity of organisms. The first approach, called age model, can be defined as a stochastic procedure which describes the growth of binary trees by an iterative stochastic attachment of leaves, similar to the ERM model. At difference with the latter, the branching rate at each clade is no longer constant, but decreasing in time, i.e., with the age. Thus, species involved in recent speciation events have a tendency to speciate again. The second introduced model, is a branching process which mimics the evolution of species driven by innovations. The process involves a separation of time scales. Rare innovation events trigger rapid cascades of diversification where a feature combines with previously existing features. The model is called innovation model. Three data sets of estimated phylogenetic trees are used to analyze and compare the produced tree shape of the new growth models. A tree shape statistic considering a variety of imbalance measurements is performed. Results show that simulated trees of both growth models fit well to the tree shape observed in real trees. In a further study, a likelihood analysis is performed in order to rank models with respect to their ability to explain observed tree shapes. Results show that the likelihoods of the age model and the AB model are clearly correlated under the trees in the databases when considering small and medium-sized trees with up to 19 leaves. For a data set, representing of phylogenetic trees of protein families, the age model outperforms the AB model. But for another data set, representing phylogenetic trees of species, the AB model performs slightly better. To support this observation a further analysis using larger trees is necessary. But an exact computation of likelihoods for large trees implies a huge computational effort. Therefore, an efficient method for likelihood estimation is proposed and compared to the estimation using a naive sampling strategy. Nevertheless, both models describe the tree generation process in a way which is easy to interpret biologically. Another interesting field of research in biology is the coevolution between species. This is the interaction of species across groups such that the evolution of a species from one group can be triggered by a species from another group. Most prominent examples are systems of host species and their associated parasites. One problem is the reconciliation of the common history of both groups of species and to predict the associations between ancestral hosts and their parasites. To solve this problem some algorithmic methods have been developed in recent years. But only a few host parasite systems have been analyzed in sufficient detail which makes an evaluation of these methods complex. Within the scope of coevolution, the proposed age model is applied to the generation of cophylogenies to evaluate such host parasite reconciliation methods. The presented age model as well as the innovation model produce tree shapes which are similar to obtained tree structures of estimated trees. Both models describe an evolutionary dynamics and might provide a further opportunity to infer macroevolutionary processes which lead to the biodiversity which can be obtained today. Furthermore with the application of the age model in the context of coevolution by generating a useful benchmark set of cophylogenies is a first step towards systematic studies on evaluating reconciliation methods