Download or read book Evolution of and Approaches to the Concept of Fossilization written by Annika Onken and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2012-01-31 with total page 19 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seminar paper from the year 2010 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 1,3, University of Münster (Englisches Seminar), course: Psycholinguistics, language: English, abstract: Fossilization is commonly described in SLA literature as a “phenomenon of non-progression of learning despite continuous exposure to input, adequate motivation to learn, and sufficient opportunity for practice” (Han 13). The Question behind this notion is: Are adults able to ever acquire native-like competence in an L2? And if some learners are, what does this mean with respect to a majority of learners who seem not to be (cf. Han 13)? This bifurcation of possible outcomes in learning a second language is mirrored in the large variety of terms used to describe the concept of ‘fossilization’. Among others, it is described “as ‘virtual halt’, ‘linguistic monstrosities’, ‘plateau’, ‘rigor mortis’, ‘stopping short’, ‘fossilized variation’, ‘permanent optionality’, ‘siesta’ [and] ‘endstate’”(Han 13 - 14). Such a range of labels reveals differing conceptual ideas about the topic’s nature concerning its powers of spread within the learner’s interlanguage, its finitude, reoccurring continuation and inevitableness. The terms ‘linguistic monstrosities’ and ‘fossilized variation’ rather hint at only parts of the interlanguage being affected by fossilization as opposed to the notion of a completely ‘fossilized interlanguage’. The term ‘virtual halt’ supports this idea that while some aspects seem to be fossilized others might continue to develop. Whereas the terms ‘rigor mortis’ and ‘endstate’ convey an understanding of fossilization’s lethal and final everlastingness prohibiting any further linguistic development whatsoever, the terms ‘siesta’, ‘plateau’ and ‘permanent optionality’ ,on the other hand, consider the concept to be negotiable in some sense holding an option of resuming linguistic development. In this paper I will very briefly outline some of the major stopping points in the more than three-decade evolution of the concept ‘fossilization’ and illustrate key conceptional issues. Relating to these difficulties I will look at recent voices who express the need for more comprehensive empirical research and rethinking of hitherto approaches and convictions. In doing so, the focus will also be on fossilization in relation to second language instruction.
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: "This edited volume provides researchers with an in-depth look at cutting-edge innovations in the art and science of taphonomy--the branch of paleontology that deals with the processes of fossilization--bringing them up to date on current knowledge and defining future directions for research"--
Download or read book Quantifying the Evolution of Early Life written by Marc Laflamme and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-02-28 with total page 474 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume provides a detailed description of a wide range of numerical, statistical or modeling techniques and novel instrumentation separated into individual chapters written by paleontologists with expertise in the given methodology. Each chapter outlines the strengths and limitations of specific numerical or technological approaches, and ultimately applies the chosen method to a real fossil dataset or sample type. A unifying theme throughout the book is the evaluation of fossils during the prologue and epilogue of one of the most exciting events in Earth History: the Cambrian radiation.
Download or read book Species and Speciation in the Fossil Record written by Warren D. Allmon and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2016-10-05 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The literature of paleobiology is brimming with qualifiers and cautions about using species in the fossil record, or equating such species with those recognized among living organisms. Species and Speciation in the Fossil Record digs through this literature and surveys the recent research on species in paleobiology. In these pages, experts in the field examine what they think species are - in their particular taxon of specialty or more generally in the fossil record. They also reflect on what the answers mean for thinking about species in macroevolution. The first step in this approach is an overview of the Modern Synthesis, and paleobiology’s development of quantitative ways of documenting and analyzing variation with fossil assemblages. Following that, this volume’s central chapters explore the challenges of recognizing and defining species from fossil specimens, and show how with careful interpretation and a clear species concept, fossil species may be sufficiently robust for meaningful paleobiological analyses. Tempo and mode of speciation over time are also explored, exhibiting how the concept of species, if more refined, can reveal enormous amounts about the interplay between species origins and extinction and local and global climate change.
Download or read book Evolution of Fossil Ecosystems written by Paul Selden and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2012-03-15 with total page 613 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evolution of Fossil Ecosystems describes all of the main Fossil Lagerstätten (sites of exceptional fossil preservation) from around the world in a chronological order. It covers the history of research, stratigraphy and taphonomy, main faunal and floral elements, and the palaeoecology of each site and gives a comparison with coeval sites around the w
Download or read book Rereading the Fossil Record written by David Sepkoski and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2012-04-16 with total page 442 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The title provides a historical account of the origin, rise, and importance of paleobiology. Drawing on a wealth of archival material, Sepkoski shows how the movement was promoted by an influential group of paleontologists and examines the intellectual, disciplinary, and political dynamics involved in the ascendancy of paleobiology.
Download or read book Fossils and Evolution written by Thomas Stainforth Kemp and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 1999-01-01 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book is about the ideas, methodology and scope of contemporary palaeobiology, rather than a comprehensive, detailed survey of the factual basis of the subject. It addresses the issue of how on the one hand evolutionary theory is necessary for interpretation of the fossil record, and yet on the other the fossils themselves can contribute to evolutionary theory. This is shown not to be the circular argument between pattern and process sometimes alleged, but a matter of understanding carefully the interrelationship between palaeontological and neontological evidence. The book is organised into two sections. Part 1 consists of four chapters outlining the principles, namely: the nature of the pattern/process relationship, taxonomic methods and the analysis of pattern, evolutionary theory and the analysis of process and the nature of incompleteness of the fossil record and what to do about it. Armed with these principles and methods, Part 2 is devoted to the five centralareas of contemporary research in evolutionary palaeobiology. These are: fossils and phylogenetic inference; the mechanism of speciation; taxonomic turnover on the geological time-scale; mass-extinctions; the origin of new higher taxa. In each case the nature of the questions and the relevant kinds of evidence, including such new sources as molecular sequence data and stable isotope ratios where appropriate, are reviewed. The extent to which palaeobiology has, and has not yet, contributedto providing the sought after answers is made clear.
Download or read book Fossils Phylogeny and Form written by Jonathan M. Adrain and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2002-01-31 with total page 420 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Phylogenetic analysis and morphometrics have been developed by biologists into rigorous analytic tools for testing hypotheses about the relationships between groups of species. This book applies these tools to paleontological data. The fossil record is our one true chronicle of the history of life, preserving a set of macroevolutionary patterns; thus various hypotheses about evolutionary processes can be tested in the fossil record using phylogentic analysis and morphometrics. The first book of its type, Fossils, Phylogeny, and Form will be useful in evolutionary biology, paleontology, systematics, evolutionary development, theoretical biology, biogeography, and zoology. It will also provide a practical, researcher-friendly gateway into computer-based phylogenetics and morphometrics.
Download or read book Quantifying the Evolution of Early Life written by Marc Laflamme and published by Springer. This book was released on 2011-07-23 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume provides a detailed description of a wide range of numerical, statistical or modeling techniques and novel instrumentation separated into individual chapters written by paleontologists with expertise in the given methodology. Each chapter outlines the strengths and limitations of specific numerical or technological approaches, and ultimately applies the chosen method to a real fossil dataset or sample type. A unifying theme throughout the book is the evaluation of fossils during the prologue and epilogue of one of the most exciting events in Earth History: the Cambrian radiation.
Download or read book Why and How written by George Gaylord Simpson and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2015-12-04 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why and How: Some Problems and Methods in Historical Biology discusses an overall approach to the study of fossils combined with paleontology. This book is divided into six chapters. Chapter 1 consists of a few examples of studies of the fossil record, focusing on its adequacy, and ways of looking at and representing some of its aspects. The most basic aspects of study of the fossil record such as the examination, description, and illustration of the morphology of fossils are described in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 focuses on paleoecology and faunal analysis, while Chapter 4 emphasizes some of the aspects of phylogenetic principles and eclectic taxonomic theory. The essential apparatus for zoological studies that include biometrical statistics both in concepts and in measures are deliberated in Chapter 5. The last chapter deliberates the geographic distribution of organisms. This publication is a good source for paleontologists and biologists interested in historical biology.
Download or read book Fossils written by Niles Eldredge and published by White Lion Publishing. This book was released on 1991 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this fascinating exploration of the fossil record, Niles Eldredge overturns the traditional view of evolution as a slow and inevitable process, and he shows that lifeforms generally do not evolve to any significant degree until after massive extinction. This rhythm of life--a concept developed by Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould known as punctuated equilibria in evolution-- is revealed by the fossilized remains of the earth's ancient flora and fauna. Distinguished photographer Murray Alcosser augments Eldredge's text with 160 luminous color plates illustrating more than 250 different fossil specimens. In this new paperback edition, Fossils becomes an accessible text with appeal to a broad audience, including natural history readers and students.
Download or read book New Approaches to Speciation in the Fossil Record written by Douglas H. Erwin and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 1995 with total page 542 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A collection of case studies that seeks to reexamine the understanding of the speciation patterns that appear in the fossil record through an analysis of the patterns and their presumed processes. In each case, the rigorous techniques of morphological analysis, quantitative genetic analysis, phylogenetic analysis, and sedimentary completeness have been employed.
Download or read book Prehistoric Life written by Bruce S. Lieberman and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2010-03-22 with total page 405 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Prehistoric life is the archive of evolution preserved in the fossil record. This book focuses on the meaning and significance of that archive and is designed for introductory college science students, including non-science majors, enrolled in survey courses emphasizing paleontology, geology and biology. From the origins of animals to the evolution of rap music, from ancient mass extinctions to the current biodiversity crisis, and from the Snowball Earth to present day climate change this book covers it, with an eye towards showing how past life on Earth puts the modern world into its proper context. The history of life and the patterns and processes of evolution are especially emphasized, as are the interconnections between our planet, its climate system, and its varied life forms. The book does not just describe the history of life, but uses actual examples from life’s history to illustrate important concepts and theories.
Download or read book Genes Fossils and Behaviour written by Peter Donnelly and published by IOS Press. This book was released on 2001 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While the basic pattern of hominid evolution is well documented, the recent evolutionary history of homo sapiens is less clear. Application of molecular genetics techniques has great potential for resolving issues over this period, but as the complexity of such data increases, the quantitative methods used for its analysis are becoming more important. This phase is also one of the richest for biological and behavioural evidence derived from both fossils and archaeology. The book will contain expository and state-of-the-art research contributions from experts in these diverse areas, covering data and its interpretation, and experimental and analytical techniques.
Download or read book Exceptional Fossil Preservation written by David J. Bottjer and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 422 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most nonscientists are usually aware of fossils, and it is commonly believed that they are extremely rare. In fact, fossils are exceptionally common in many sedimentary rocks and are used extensively in geology for age dating, interpretation of ancient environments, and the discovery of natural resources. However, there is another type of fossil deposit that is truly rare. These rare fossil deposits, called Lagerstätten, preserve the remains of the soft tissues or the articulated skeletal remains of ancient creatures in truly astonishing fine detail. Some of these deposits are world-famous, such as the Burgess Shale, or Solnhofen but there are others dating from many different geological eras from the Paleozoic, up to the Eocene. Recently, a concerted effort has been made to understand the overall significance of these rare fossil deposits. Whereas in the past these deposits were considered novelties, modern researchers are trying to understand what they can tell us about ancient life and environments. New sophisticated techniques (including image and geochemical analyses) are providing enormous new contributions to our knowledge of Lagerstätten sites and to paleobiology in general. This volume describes many of the most famous Lagerstätten locations worldwide and is complete with over 70 superb halftones showing some of these exotic fossils in all their glory. Paleontologists are beginning to understand why such deposits occur, how they have varied since the advent of marine metazoan life, and how their presence effects our understanding of the evolution of life in the Earth's oceans. In this way, the study of Lagerstätten continues to move towards the mainstream of paleobiological, biological, and geological research, and away from its former status as the examination of mere curiosities. All those interested in these beautiful and sometimes enigmatic deposits will want to own this book.
Download or read book Deep Time written by Henry Gee and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gee introduces the revolutionary new approach to looking at the history of life - a way of looking beyond the fossil record called cladistics. This throws out old ideas of missing links and descent and instead shows a way back to our ancestors through the almost unimaginable depths of evolutionary time.
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
