Download or read book Experimental Approaches to Understanding Fossil Organisms written by Daniel I. Hembree and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-09-03 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Paleontologists and geologists struggle with research questions often complicated by the loss or even absence of key paleobiological and paleoenvironmental information. Insight into this missing data can be gained through direct exploration of analogous living organisms and modern environments. Creative, experimental and interdisciplinary treatments of such ancient-Earth analogs form the basis of Lessons from the Living. This volume unites a diverse range of expert paleontologists, neontologists and geologists presenting case studies that cover a spectrum of topics, including functional morphology, taphonomy, environments and organism-substrate interactions.
Download or read book Experimental Approaches to Understanding Fossil Organisms written by Daniel I. Hembree and published by Springer Science & Business. This book was released on 2014-04-29 with total page 425 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Paleontologists and geologists struggle with research questions often complicated by the loss or even absence of key paleobiological and paleoenvironmental information. Insight into this missing data can be gained through direct exploration of analogous living organisms and modern environments. Creative, experimental and interdisciplinary treatments of such ancient-Earth analogs form the basis of Lessons from the Living. This volume unites a diverse range of expert paleontologists, neontologists and geologists presenting case studies that cover a spectrum of topics, including functional morphology, taphonomy, environments and organism-substrate interactions.
Download or read book Fossilization written by Carole T. Gee and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2021-03-30 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An in-depth look at the latest breakthroughs in our understanding of the material record that deep time leaves behind. Understanding the complex interplay of physical and chemical processes leading to fossilization is crucial to elucidating the 3800 million years of life on earth. And yet, the process of fossilization also leads to the loss of pivotal biological information, placing constraints on the very same understanding of ancient life it preserves. Over the last decade, however, remarkable advances in approaches, techniques, tools, and instrumentation have helped scientists to transcend these constraints by enabling high-resolution analysis of fossil material—even down to the nanoscale. Fossilization provides a critical look at these cutting-edge innovations in the science of fossil preservation and provides a road map for future research. Drawing from the fields of paleontology, organic and inorganic chemistry, microbiology, and high-resolution imaging and analysis, and spanning the diversity of life from plants to vertebrates and invertebrates, this resource details expert findings on • fossilization of hard and soft part tissues in dinosaurs • high-resolution chemical analysis of organic and inorganic tissues • arthropods preserved in amber • experimental silicification of wood • chemical defenses and color in fossil plants • confocal Raman spectroscopy • microprobe analysis • radioisotopic studies • and much more A true interdisciplinary undertaking, the book is authored by paleontologists, mineralogists, geochemists, organic chemists, microbiologists, and materials scientists who have worked together to investigate questions around substance fossilization and the limits of the fossil record. A special color section contains SEM, Raman, and other striking images of vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants. Fossilization is a trailblazing reference book for research scientists and specialists in related fields, as well as for advanced undergraduates and graduate students interested in fossilization, emerging research techniques, and fresh approaches in the analysis of plant and animal fossils. Contributors: H. Jonas Barthel, Aurore Canoville, Carole T. Gee, Thorsten Geisler, Jens Götze, Conrad C. Labandeira, Sashima Läbe, Moritz Liesegang, Victoria E. McCoy, Martina Menneken, Jes Rust, P. Martin Sander, Frank Tomaschek, Torsten Wappler, Kayleigh Wiersma, Tzu-Ruei Yang
Download or read book Methods in Paleoecology written by Darin A. Croft and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-10-27 with total page 410 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume focuses on the reconstruction of past ecosystems and provides a comprehensive review of current techniques and their application in exemplar studies. The 18 chapters address a wide variety of topics that span vertebrate paleobiology and paleoecology (body mass, postcranial functional morphology, evolutionary dental morphology, microwear and mesowear, ecomorphology, mammal community structure analysis), contextual paleoenvironmental studies (paleosols and sedimentology, ichnofossils, pollen, phytoliths, plant macrofossils), and special techniques (bone microstructure, biomineral isotopes, inorganic isotopes, 3-D morphometrics, and ecometric modeling). A final chapter discusses how to integrate results of these studies with taphonomic data in order to more accurately characterize an ancient ecosystem. Current investigators, advanced undergraduates, and graduate students interested in the field of paleoecology will find this book immensely useful. The length and structure of the volume also makes it suitable for teaching a college-level course on reconstructing Cenozoic ecosystems.
Download or read book Introduction to Paleobiology and the Fossil Record written by Michael J. Benton and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2020-04-14 with total page 656 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents a comprehensive overview of the science of the history of life. Paleobiologists bring many analytical tools to bear in interpreting the fossil record and the book introduces the latest techniques, from multivariate investigations of biogeography and biostratigraphy to engineering analysis of dinosaur skulls, and from homeobox genes to cladistics. All the well-known fossil groups are included, including microfossils and invertebrates, but an important feature is the thorough coverage of plants, vertebrates and trace fossils together with discussion of the origins of both life and the metazoans. All key related subjects are introduced, such as systematics, ecology, evolution and development, stratigraphy and their roles in understanding where life came from and how it evolved and diversified. Unique features of the book are the numerous case studies from current research that lead students to the primary literature, analytical and mathematical explanations and tools, together with associated problem sets and practical schedules for instructors and students. New to this edition The text and figures have been updated throughout to reflect current opinion on all aspects New case studies illustrate the chapters, drawn from a broad distribution internationally Chapters on Macroevolution, Form and Function, Mass extinctions, Origin of Life, and Origin of Metazoans have been entirely rewritten to reflect substantial advances in these topics There is a new focus on careers in paleobiology
Download or read book Past Environments of Mexico written by Rosalía Guerrero-Arenas and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on with total page 467 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Ichnology in Shallow marine and Transitional Environments written by C. Cónsole-Gonella and published by Geological Society of London. This book was released on 2023-06-06 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ichnology of shallow-marine to transitional environments is a key field of study with respect to understanding the variability of environmental parameters from inshore marginal-marine settings to the offshore transition zone. Over the last decades ichnology has evolved from being a tool to determine bathymetry, becoming the standard palaeoenvironmental methodology by which trace fossils can be used to inform sedimentary facies models. In particular, the analysis of mixed assemblages of invertebrate and vertebrate trace fossils allows detailed palaeoenvironmental and facies analysis. This volume focuses on the ichnological record of shallow-marine to transitional environments through the geological record, in addition to modern ones through neoichnology.
Download or read book The Rise of Marine Mammals written by Annalisa Berta and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2017-10-02 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Setting the stage : rocks, fossils and evolution -- The oldest marine mammals : whales and sea cows -- Later diverging whales : Neoceti -- Aquatic carnivores : pinnipeds and a bear-like carnivoran -- Crown sirenians and their desmostylian relatives -- Aquatic sloths and recent occupants of the sea-sea otters and polar bears -- Diversity changes through time : the influence of climate change and humans
Download or read book Fossils at a Glance written by Clare Milsom and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2009-10-19 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fossils provide a powerful tool for the study of the nearly 4-billion-year history of life, and its role in the evolution of Earth systems. They also provide important data for evolutionary studies, and contribute to our understanding of the extinction of organisms and the origins of modern biodiversity. Fossils At A Glance is written for students taking an introductory level course in paleontology. Short chapters introduce the main topics in the modern study of fossils. The most important fossil groups are discussed, from microfossils through invertebrates to vertebrates and plants, followed by a brief narrative of life on Earth. Diagrams are central to the book and allow the reader to see most of the important data “at a glance”. Each topic covers two pages and provides a self-contained suite of information or a starting point for future study. This second edition has been thoroughly revised and brought up to date. It includes new line diagrams as well as photographs of selected fossils
Download or read book The Walking Whales written by J. G. M. Hans Thewissen and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2014-11-13 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hans Thewissen, a leading researcher in the field of whale paleontology and anatomy, gives a sweeping first-person account of the discoveries that brought to light the early fossil record of whales. As evidenced in the record, whales evolved from herbivorous forest-dwelling ancestors that resembled tiny deer to carnivorous monsters stalking lakes and rivers and to serpentlike denizens of the coast. Thewissen reports on his discoveries in the wilds of India and Pakistan, weaving a narrative that reveals the day-to-day adventures of fossil collection, enriching it with local flavors from South Asian culture and society. The reader senses the excitement of the digs as well as the rigors faced by scientific researchers, for whom each new insight gives rise to even more questions, and for whom at times the logistics of just staying alive may trump all science. In his search for an understanding of how modern whales live their lives, Thewissen also journeys to Japan and Alaska to study whales and wild dolphins. He finds answers to his questions about fossils by studying the anatomy of otters and porpoises and examining whale embryos under the microscope. In the book's final chapter, Thewissen argues for approaching whale evolution with the most powerful tools we have and for combining all the fields of science in pursuit of knowledge.
Download or read book Evolutionary Patterns written by Alan H. Cheetham and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2001-08 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With all the recent advances in molecular and evolutionary biology, one could almost wonder why we need the fossil record. Molecular sequence data can resolve taxonomic relationships, experiments with fruit flies demonstrate evolution and development in real time, and field studies of Galapagos finches have provided the strongest evidence for natural selection ever measured in the wild. What, then, can fossils teach us that living organisms cannot? Evolutionary Patterns demonstrates the rich variety of clues to evolution that can be gleaned from the fossil record. Chief among these are the major trends and anomalies in species development revealed only by "deep time," such as periodic mass extinctions and species that remain unchanged in form for millions of years. Contributors explore modes of development, the tempo of speciation and extinction, and macroevolutionary patterns and trends. The result is an important contribution to paleobiology and evolutionary biology, and a spirited defense of the fossil record as a crucial tool for understanding evolution and development. The contributors are Ann F. Budd, Efstathia Bura, Leo W. Buss, Mike Foote, Jörn Geister, Stephen Jay Gould, Eckart Hâkansson, Jean-Georges Harmelin, Lee-Ann C. Hayek, Jeremy B. C. Jackson, Kenneth G. Johnson, Nancy Knowlton, Scott Lidgard, Frank K. McKinney, Daniel W. McShea, Ross H. Nehm, Beth Okamura, John M. Pandolfi, Paul D. Taylor, and Erik Thomsen.
Download or read book Fossils of the World written by Vojtěch Turek and published by Gramercy. This book was released on 1989 with total page 508 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fossils of the World is a comprehensive, practical guide to every aspect of collecting and studying fossils. The book is divided into three sections. Section one is a brief, illustrated introduction that explains how fossils were formed, the classification of fossils, and the principles of nomenclature. This section also discusses ontogenesis, variability and phylogenesis, as well as palioecology and paliogeography. Section two is a systematic survey of fossil organisms illustrated with around 800 photographs and some 300 line drawings. Each kingdom and phylum of fossils is preceded by a brief introduction and each fossil is described in detail. Section three covers the collection, preparation, and preservation of fossils and includes stratigraphic tables.
Download or read book Cetacean Paleobiology written by Felix G. Marx and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2016-03-29 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) have fascinated and bewildered humans throughout history. Their mammalian affinities have been long recognized, but exactly which group of terrestrial mammals they descend from has, until recently, remained in the dark. Recent decades have produced a flurry of new fossil cetaceans, extending their fossil history to over 50 million years ago. Along with new insights from genetics and developmental studies, these discoveries have helped to clarify the place of cetaceans among mammals, and enriched our understanding of their unique adaptations for feeding, locomotion and sensory systems. Their continuously improving fossil record and successive transformation into highly specialized marine mammals have made cetaceans a textbook case of evolution - as iconic in its own way as the origin of birds from dinosaurs. This book aims to summarize our current understanding of cetacean evolution for the serious student and interested amateur using photographs, drawings, charts and illustrations.
Download or read book Understanding Fossils written by Peter Doyle and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2014-08-15 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first introductory palaeontology text which demonstrates the importance of selected fossil groups in geological and biological studies, particularly in understanding evolutionary patterns, palaeoenvironmental analysis, and stratigraphy. Part one explores several key concepts, such as the processes of fossil preservation, the determination of evolutionary patterns, and use of fossils and statigraphical tools. Part two introduces the main fossil groups of value in these applied fields. Part three concentrates on the examination of important case histories which demonstrate the use of fossils in diverse practical examples. Evolutionary studies, palaeoenvironmental analysis, and stratigraphical applications are documented using up-to-date examples supported by overviews of the principles.
Download or read book The History of Fossils Over Centuries written by Maurizio Forli and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-08-22 with total page 509 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book discusses the history of invertebrate fossil understanding and classification by exploring fossil studies between the 15th and 18th centuries. Before the modern age, the understanding of fossil findings went through several phases. The treatment by philologists, philosophers and historians of natural sciences involved religious, sometimes folkloristic, aspects before scientific ones. This work showcases and assesses these original findings by carrying out a bibliographical, and above all iconographical research, aimed at finding the first printed images of the objects that we now know as fossils. From here, the authors provide an understanding of the true nature of fossils by analyzing them through modern academic viewpoints, and describing each fossil group from a paleontological and taxonomic point of view, retracing their treatment in the course of the centuries. As a point of reference for each fossil group treated, the authors have considered indispensable the use of ancient prints as evidence of the first iconographic sources dedicated to fossils, starting from those in the late fifteenth century, dedicated to the most common groups of invertebrates without neglecting a necessary exception, the ichthyodontolites, fundamental in the discussion in Italy on the interpretation of the organic origin of fossils, and from the end of the sixteenth century to about half of the eighteenth century. The abundant iconographic apparatus used, often unpublished or specially reworked, is essential and functional to the understanding of the various aspects addressed, a visual complement to the text and vice versa, designed and used taking its cue from the need imposed on early scholars to document their discoveries visually. Among the chosen images there is no shortage of original attributions to fossil finds that have been poorly understood or misidentified until now. The English translation of this book from its Italian original manuscript was done with the help of artificial intelligence (machine translation by the service provider DeepL.com). A subsequent human revision of the content was done by the authors.
Download or read book Freshwater Mollusks of the World written by Charles Lydeard and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2019-04-02 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The definitive resource on the biology and evolution of freshwater mollusks. There are more species of freshwater mollusks—well over 5,000—than all the mammal species of the world. Freshwater mollusks are also arguably the most endangered fauna on the planet. Yet few references exist for researchers, shell enthusiasts, and general readers who are interested in learning more about these fascinating creatures. In Freshwater Mollusks of the World, Charles Lydeard and Kevin S. Cummings fill that void with contributions from dozens of renowned mollusk experts. Touching on 34 families of freshwater gastropods (snails) and 9 families of freshwater bivalves (mussels and clams), each chapter provides a synthesis of the latest research on the diversity and evolutionary relationships of the family. The book also includes • a look at how evolving DNA sequencing data techniques help shed light on mollusk taxonomy • distribution maps of each family's biogeographic locales • a representative photo and distribution map for each of the freshwater mollusk families • the latest information on each family's conservation status—and how to reverse the habitat destruction, modification, and pollution that threatens it • a discussion of the ecological and economic damages caused by invasive mollusk species, as well as their role as disease vectors Mollusks provide us with amazing biogeographical insights: their ancient fossil record goes back over 500 million years, and their distribution patterns are a reflection of past continental and climate changes. The only comprehensive summary of systematic and biodiversity information on freshwater mollusk families throughout the world, this reference is a must for malacologists, limnologists, ichthyologists, stream ecologists, biogeographers, and conservation biologists. Contributors: Christian Albrecht, Rüdiger Bieler, Bert Van Bocxlaer, David C. Campbell, Stephanie A. Clark, Catharina Clewing, Robert H. Cowie, Kevin S. Cummings, Diana Delicado, Hiroshi Fukuda, Hiroaki Fukumori, Matthias Glaubrecht, Daniel L. Graf, Diego E. Gutiérrez Gregoric, Kenneth A. Hayes, Yasunori Kano, Taehwan Lee, Charles Lydeard, Nathaniel T. Marshall, Paula M. Mikkelsen, Marco T. Neiber, Timea P. Neusser, Winston Ponder, Michael Schrödl, Alena A. Shirokaya, Björn Stelbrink, Carol A. Stepien, Ellen E. Strong, Maxim V. Vinarski, Amy R. Wethington, Thomas Wilke
Download or read book An Introduction to the Study of Fossils written by Hervey Woodburn Shimer and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2015-06-02 with total page 474 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from An Introduction to the Study of Fossils: Plants and Animals This little volume has grown out of a need experienced by the author during fifteen years of teaching paleontology. He has found that students come to the subject either with very little previous training in biology, or at best with a training which has not been along the lines that would definitely aid them in understanding fossils. Too often fossils are looked upon merely as bits of stone, differing only in form from the rocks in which they are embedded. Hence to awaken interest in them as once living animals and plants, connected by the wonderful chain of evolution with the animals and plants now living, has been the chief aim of the author's lectures and laboratory work upon introductory paleontology which he here presents. To this end certain living forms have first been discussed as types of their phyla or classes with especial reference to those features which will help the student to understand the related fossil forms considered later. The response which these living forms make to their environment is considered, where they live, how their life is maintained and how they perpetuate their kind. The relation of the soft body to the hard skeleton or shell is especially emphasized, since it is largely through this very intimate relationship that our interpretation of extinct life is made possible. The student may thus reconstruct from the hard parts preserved in the rocks the appearance of the once living animal. The discussion has been kept as free as possible from unnecessary technical terms. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
