Download or read book Avian Evolution written by Gerald Mayr and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2016-10-31 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Knowledge of the evolutionary history of birds has much improved in recent decades. Fossils from critical time periods are being described at unprecedented rates and modern phylogenetic analyses have provided a framework for the interrelationships of the extant groups. This book gives an overview of the avian fossil record and its paleobiological significance, and it is the only up-to-date textbook that covers both Mesozoic and more modern-type Cenozoic birds in some detail. The reader is introduced to key features of basal avians and the morphological transformations that have occurred in the evolution towards modern birds. An account of the Cenozoic fossil record sheds light on the biogeographic history of the extant avian groups and discusses fossils in the context of current phylogenetic hypotheses. This review of the evolutionary history of birds not only addresses students and established researchers, but it may also be a useful source of information for anyone else with an interest in the evolution of birds and a moderate background in biology and geology.
Download or read book An Alphataxonomic Revision of Extinct and Extant Razorbills Aves Alcidae written by N. Adam Smith and published by Amer Ornithologists Union. This book was released on 2011 with total page 61 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The reliability of this method was tested using the same measurements taken from 13 extant alcid species and was found to be robust with respect to the accurate recovery of species-correlated groups of measurement data. With the exception of the similarly proportioned Alca carolinensis sp. nov. and A. olsoni sp. nov., the holotype specimens of all Alca species were recovered in separate, statistically supported clusters. These clusters of fossils were then evaluated for the presence of diagnostic morphological features, resulting in the recognition of three new Alca species. In contrast to previously described Alca species, two new species are described from holotype specimens that are associated partial skeletons. These associated specimens facilitated referral of isolated fossil material and phylogenetic estimation of Alca relationships.
Download or read book Paleogene Fossil Birds written by Gerald Mayr and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-04-21 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the present book the Paleogene fossil record of birds is detailed for the first time on a worldwide scale. I have developed the idea for such a project for several years, and think that it is an appropriate moment to present a summary of our c- rent knowledge of the early evolution of modern birds. Meanwhile not only is there a confusing diversity of fossil taxa, but also significant progress has been made concerning an understanding of the higher-level phylogeny of extant birds. Hypotheses which were not considered even a decade ago are now well supported by independent analyses of different data. In several cases these group together morphologically very different avian groups and allow a better understanding of the mosaic character distribution found in Paleogene fossil birds. The book aims at bringing some of this information together, and many of the following data are based on first-hand examination of fossil specimens.
Download or read book Extinction and Phylogeny written by Michael J. Novacek and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 1992 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More than 99% of all life that has ever existed on this planet is extinct. Moreover, human acceleration of the extinction of species has created a crisis in biodiversity. How can the history of past life be retreived? How does this history bear on our understanding of the organization and evolution of present-day species? These questions are addressed in extinction and phylogeny.
Download or read book Great Auk Islands a field biologist in the Arctic written by Tim Birkhead and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2010-10-30 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of the author's research expeditions in the Canadian Arctic, this book is for professional and amateur ornithologists, students in ecology and animal behaviour. The Arctic is one of the world's last great wildernesses: a place of outstanding beauty, history and extraordinary wildlife in which seabirds form an important component of a rich, marine environment. Like many other remote regions, it is under threat from human activities, but to protect it we need to understand it. That understanding can come only through scientific research and the central threat of this book is to examine how such research is actually done. It describes the business of conducting biological studies on seabirds in remote parts of eastern Canada. Several themes are engagingly interwoven: the sheer beauty of the Arctic environment, the intriguing biology of its wildlife, and the discovery and exploitation of enormous seabird colonies, including the destruction of the Great Auk. Tim Birkhead describes in personal detail the different facets of research and brings to life both the difficulties and the excitement of working in the Arctic. What is it like setting up a camp for four months on a remote and uninhabited island not far from the North Pole? How does it feel to commute daily by inflatable boat amidst icebergs to study-areas located on towering cliffs, set between ice-blue glaciers? What do you do when a Polar bear decides that you have invaded its Arctic home? Why are the seabird colonies in the high Arctic so enormous? What do we know about lifestyle of the extinct Great Auk? In 1992 Canada's legendary cod fishery was finally destroyed - what are the consequences of this for other wildlife? These are just a few of the questions dealt with in this book. Our future as a species depends upon science and the understanding it brings of the world we live in. The work of scientists often appears obscure, but in this book, Tim Birkhead has used his experience of seven summers in the Arctic to write an accessible and straightforward account of how research is actually done in the field. The text is enriched by David Quinn's illustrations, and by numerous photographs in both black and white, and colour.
Download or read book The Great Auk written by Errol Fuller and published by Bunker Hill Publishing, Inc.. This book was released on 2003 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A seabird whose extinction was entirely the work of humankind, the last two recorded great auk's were killed on June 3, 1844. This book pays homage to this incredible species.
Download or read book Pleistocene Birds of the Palearctic written by Tommy Tyrberg and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 746 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Avifauna of Emeryville Shellmound written by Hildegarde Howard and published by . This book was released on 1929 with total page 334 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Who Killed the Great Auk written by Jeremy Gaskell and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Who Killed the Great Auk? takes us on a tour of some of the wildest and most remote communities on earth. We travel with Audubon to Labrador, sail to the remote Scottish island of St. Kilda, experience the hardship of life in the Newfoundland colonies, and follow the peregrinations of intrepid naturalists as they put to sea in search of the very last of the Great Auks."--Jacket.
Download or read book Birds of Stone written by Luis M. Chiappe and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2016-11-01 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Captivating photographs of the world’s most detailed bird fossils illuminate the early diversity of avifauna. When fossils of birds from China’s Jehol region first appeared in scientific circles, the world took notice. These Mesozoic masterpieces are between 120 and 131 million years old and reveal incredible details that capture the diversity of ancient bird life. Paleontologists all over the world began to collaborate with Chinese colleagues as new and wondrous fossil-related discoveries became regular events. The pages of National Geographic and major scientific journals described the intricate views of feathers as well as food still visible in the guts of these ancient birds. Now, for the first time, a sweeping collection of the most interesting of Jehol’s avian fossils is on display in this beautiful book. Birds of Stone makes visible the unexpected avian diversity that blanketed the earth just a short time (geologically speaking) after a dinosaur lineage gave rise to the first birds. Our visual journey through these fossils is guided by Luis M. Chiappe, a world expert on early birds, and Meng Qingjin, a leading figure in China's natural history museum community. Together, they help us understand the "meaning" of each fossil by providing straightforward narratives that accompany the full-page photographs of the Jehol discoveries. Anyone interested in the history of life—from paleontologists to inquisitive birders—will find Birds of Stone an irresistible feast for the eyes and mind.
Download or read book Conservation of Marine Birds written by Lindsay Young and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2022-09-27 with total page 626 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Conservation of Marine Birds is the first book to outline and synthesize the myriad of threats faced by one of the most imperiled groups of birds on earth. With more than half of all 346 seabird species worldwide experiencing population declines and 29% of species recognized as globally threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the timing to determine solutions to threats could not be more urgent. Written by a diverse team of international experts on marine birds, this book explores the environmental and biogeographical factors that influence seabird conservation and provides concrete recommendations for mounting climate change issues. This book will be an important resource for researchers and conservationists, as well as ecologists and students who want to understand seabirds, the threats they are facing, and tactics to help conserve and protect them. - Outlines both threats and solutions in the marine and terrestrial realm - Synthesizes information to provide a comprehensive strategy moving forward, especially considering climate change - Created by a team of experts with the latest and most comprehensive knowledge of seabird conservation
Download or read book Proceedings of the 5th Symposium of the Society of Avian Paleontology and Evolution written by Society of Avian Paleontology and Evolution. Symposium and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A new Teratorn (Aves: Teratornithidae) from the Upper Pleistocene of Oregon, USA / Kenneth E. Campbell Jr. and Alison T. StengerAn overview of the genus Athene in the Pleistocene of the Mediterranean islands, with the description of Athene trinacriae n. sp. (Aves: Strigidae) / Marco Pavia and Cécile Mourer-ChauviréNeogene avifauna of Bulgaria / Zlatozar N. BoevPhylogeny of the Tertiary giant anhingas (Pelecaniformes: Anhingidae) from South America / Jorge I. Noriega and Herculano M.F. AlvarengaAdditional material of Macranhinga paranensis (Aves: Pelecaniformes: Anhingidae) from the Upper Miocene Ituzaingó Formation of Entre Rios Province, Argentina / Jorge I. NoriegaA preliminary report on the diversity and stratigraphic distribution of the Plotopteridae (Pelecaniformes) in Paleogene rocks of Washington State, USA / James L. Goedert and John CornishAvian remains from the Middle Eocene of the Geiseltal (Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany) / Gerald MayrRevision of the Cathartidae (Aves: Ciconiiformes) from the Middle Eocene to the Upper Oligocene phosphorites du Quercy, France / Ceìcile Mourer-ChauviréNew interpretations of the birds from the Navesink and Hornerstown formations, New Jersey, USA (Aves: Neornithes) / David C. Parris and Sylvia HopeThe morphology and systematics of Polarornis, a Cretaceous loon (Aves: Gaviidae) from Antarctica / Sankar ChatterjeeThe significance of early Cretaceous bird tracks / Jong-Deock Lim [and others]New information on the hesperornithiform radiation / Larry D. Martin and Jong-Deock LimOviraptorosaurs compared to birds / Junchang Lü [and others]The evolution of avian cranial kinesis / Walter J. BockThe pelvis in early birds and dinosaurs / Virginia L. Naples, Larry D. Martin and John SimmonsBiology of basal birds and the origin of avian flight / Andrzej ElzanowskiThe aerodynamically streamlined body shape of birds : implications for the evolution of birds, feathers, and avian flight / Dominique G. HombergerWing loading in primitive birds / Joseì L. Sanz [and others]The evidence for the timing of speciation of modern continental birds and the taxonomic ambiguity of the Quaternary fossil record / John R. StewartAvian species turnover and species longevity in the Pleistocene of the Palearctic / Tommy TyrbergPalaeogeographical implications concerning early history of chosen groups of birds / Zygmunt Bochenìski and Zbigniew M. BochenskiAre Confuciusornis and Archaefructus Jurassic fossils? / Zhiwei GuEarly Cretaceous maars, depositional environments and their relationship to the fossil preservation in Sihetun, Liaoning, northeast China / Tungsheng Liu, Jiaqi Liu and Guoqiang Chu.
Download or read book On the Classification of Birds written by Thomas Henry Huxley and published by . This book was released on 1807 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Fossil Horses written by Bruce J. MacFadden and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1994-06-24 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The horse has frequently been used as a classic example of long-term evolution because it possesses an extensive fossil record. This book synthesizes the large body of data and research relevant to an understanding of fossil horses from perspectives such as biology, geology, paleontology.
Download or read book Book of Lindisfarne written by Deirdre O'Sullivan and published by B. T. Batsford Limited. This book was released on 1995 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lindisfarne, or Holy Island, is a small island situated in a spectacular location off the coast of Northumberland. It is famous for its early Christian monastery, founded in 635 by St Aidan, and for Lindisfarne Castle, which dominates the island's scenery. The name Lindisfarne is associated with the Golden Age of Northumbria, as recounted by the Venerable Bede, and many beautiful works of art were produced in the Anglo-Saxon monastery, including the Lindisfarne Gospels, which are probably the finest illuminated English manuscripts of the Middle Ages. The island was also the scene of the first clearly documented Viking raid on the British Isles, which led to the eventual abandonment of the monastery.
Download or read book Phylonyms written by Kevin de Queiroz and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2020-04-30 with total page 1030 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Phylonyms is an implementation of PhyloCode, which is a set of principles, rules, and recommendations governing phylogenetic nomenclature. Nearly 300 clades - lineages of organisms - are defined by reference to hypotheses of phylogenetic history rather than by taxonomic ranks and types. This volume will document the Real World uses of PhyloCode and will govern and apply to the names of clades, while species names will still be governed by traditional codes. Key Features Provides clear regulations for implementing new guidelines for naming lineages of organisms incorporates expressly evolutionary and phylogenetic principles Works with existing codes of nomenclature Eliminates the reliance on rank-based classification in favor of phylogenetic relationships Related Titles: Rieppel, O. Phylogenetic Systematics: Haeckel to Hennig (ISBN 978-1-4987-5488-0) Cantino, P. D. and de Queiroz, K. International Code of Phylogenetic Nomenclature (PhyloCode) (ISBN 978-1-138-33282-9).
Download or read book This Idea Must Die written by John Brockman and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2015-02-17 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The bestselling editor of This Explains Everything brings together 175 of the world’s most brilliant minds to tackle Edge.org’s 2014 question: What scientific idea has become a relic blocking human progress? Each year, John Brockman, publisher of Edge.org—”The world’s smartest website” (The Guardian)—challenges some of the world’s greatest scientists, artists, and philosophers to answer a provocative question crucial to our time. In 2014 he asked 175 brilliant minds to ponder: What scientific idea needs to be put aside in order to make room for new ideas to advance? The answers are as surprising as they are illuminating. In : Steven Pinker dismantles the working theory of human behavior Richard Dawkins renounces essentialism Sherry Turkle reevaluates our expectations of artificial intelligence Geoffrey West challenges the concept of a “Theory of Everything” Andrei Linde suggests that our universe and its laws may not be as unique as we think Martin Rees explains why scientific understanding is a limitless goal Nina Jablonski argues to rid ourselves of the concept of race Alan Guth rethinks the origins of the universe Hans Ulrich Obrist warns against glorifying unlimited economic growth and much more. Profound, engaging, thoughtful, and groundbreaking, This Idea Must Die will change your perceptions and understanding of our world today . . . and tomorrow.
