Bringing Fossils To Life: An Introduction To Paleobiology

Book Description

This is the first text to combine both paleontology and paleobiology. Traditional textbooks treat these separately, despite the recent trend to combine them in teaching. It bridges the gap between purely theoretical paleobiology and purely descriptive invertebrate paleontology books. The text is targeted at undergraduate geology and biology majors, with the emphasis on organisms, rather than dead objects to be described and catalogued. Current ideas from modern biology, ecology, population genetics, and many other concepts will be applied to the study of the fossil record.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting material, great pedagogy.......2007-09-10

In my opinion, this book provides a great introduction to the study of paleobiology. It is an introductory book in the sense that it does not require any previous knowledge, but it is a serious textbook that would typically require more that just casual reading.

The first few chapters cover the basic material need to understand the history of life on Earth. It starts with fossilization and fossils, which provide the currently existing record of life in the past. The next few chapters cover the concepts of species, cladistics and evolution. There are also chapters on functional morphology which is very important when trying to determine how animals lived by studying their fossils and paleoecology which is important to understanding how they interacted. This material provides the backbone for the rest of the book. I thought it was really well done and was definitely written by someone that wanted the reader to understand the material.

The next several chapters cover the evolution of animals. It is broken up in terms of phyla, with one or more phyla being covered per chapter. The coverage is not excessively deep for any phyla, if it were the book would be far too large.

The final two chapters were quite interesting. One covered the fossil evidence for animal behavior. The other covered the evolution of plants. Since the evolution of plants seems to be ignored in most books on evolution, I found this to be particularly nice.

There is no coverage of human evolution. I thought this was a good choice because there are so many other resources for this topic.

In addition to being a good book on paleobiology, I thought this was a good book on science in general. Rather than just presenting the material as a list of facts, the book gives a nice emphasis on why various things are believed to be true. I think this makes the material more interesting, it certainly gives the reader more reason to believe it other than because it is in a book. It also gives a better sense of what science is and how it is done. If there is any downside it is that a fair amount of space is spent covering ideas that have been discredited.

To summarize, I thought this was a great book that was truly intended to teach the subject.

Bringing Fossils to Life by D. Prothero.......2003-08-09

I have not read this book yet (for my fall class in college), but I am happy with the professional courtesy that I received during shipment. I would buy books from the seller again. The book description was accurate and as expected for a used text book. I am happy with my purchase. Thank you.

not bad at all.......2003-05-20

Like a fellow reviewer, I also took the a class from Don Prothero (using this book, obviously) at Caltech, and I actually did hear his voice reading the book back at us. The book is fairly detailed for a general class, while still maintaining excellent readability, since Don uses a very conversational tone. It should be enough for an undergraduate interested in the subject. He also includes classic research experiments along with the descriptive passages and offers rare insight into what paleontologists do besides looking at specimens.

For the advanced specialist in geobiology, something more detailed would probably be necessary, but if you're simply interested in knowing about fossils and paleontology theory, this book is not bad at all.

You could not find a better book.......2001-02-21

This book has got to be one of the finest introductory paleontonlogy books on the market. I actually took Paleontology class from Don Prothero and found that this book was an excellent guide and very well written. At times I could hear his vocie reading the chapters to me. Thre are considerable references to outside sources and Don does an excellent job of removing many of the rote memorization that introductory books of this type often have. Some sections appear to be dwelled on for much longer than seems necessary, but about a week later you find yourself realizing that those subjects really are deserving of the in depth coverage they recieve. I cannot heap enough praise on this book.

Davosaurus.......1999-12-02

Excellent coverage of both the biological and geological aspects of this most fascinating science. Well illustrated with both 'further readings' and bibliography. Includes glossary. An essential text suitable for both the interested enthusiast and first/second year university students.

Systematics and the Fossil Record: Documenting Evolutionary Patterns

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Systematics and the Fossil Record: Documenting Evolutionary Patterns
Andrew B. Smith
Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0632036427

Book Description

This new text sets out to establish the key role played by systematics in deciphering patterns of evolution from the fossil record. It begins by considering the nature of species in the fossil record and then outlines recent advances in the methodology used to establish phylogenetics relationships, stressing why fossil evidence can be crucial. The way in which species are grouped into higher taxa, and how this affects their utility in evolutionary studies is discussed. Since the fossil record abounds with sampling and preservational biases it is emphasised that observed patterns can rarely be taken at face value. It is argued that evolutionary trees, constructed from combining phylogenetic and biostratigraphic data, provide the best approach for investigating patterns of evolution through geologic time.

Neanderthals Revisited: New Approaches and Perspectives (Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology)

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Neanderthals Revisited: New Approaches and Perspectives (Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1402051204

Book Description

Recent years have witnessed exciting and important scientific breakthroughs in the study of Neanderthals and their place in human evolution which have transformed our appreciation of this group’s paleobiology and evolution. This volume presents cutting-edge research by leading scientists re-examining the major debates in Neanderthal research with the use of innovative state-of-the art methods and exciting new theoretical approaches.

Topics addressed include the re-evaluation of Neanderthal anatomy, inferred adaptations and habitual activities, developmental patterns, phylogenetic relationships, and the Neanderthal extinction; new methods include computer tomography, 3D geometric morphometrics, ancient DNA and bioenergetics. The diverse contributions offer fresh insights and advances in Neanderthal and modern human origins research.

This is a Volume in The Max-Planck-Institute Subseries in Human Evolution coordinated by Jean-Jacques Hublin, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Evolution, Leipzig, Germany

The Tertiary Record of Rodents in North America (Topics in Geobiology)

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The Tertiary Record of Rodents in North America (Topics in Geobiology)
William W. Korth
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0306446960

Book Description

This monograph is the first compilation of all known data on fossil rodents in North America. The author includes illustrations of all fossil families of rodents, the phylogenies for all familes, a discussion of the problematical taxa of rodents which are not referable to known families, and lists of all described fossil species. His work will serve as an indispensible reference for the paleontologist who wishes to identify specimens, and for the mammologist studying fossil history.

The Sauropods: Evolution and Paleobiology

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A Very Interesting Read
Indispensible for the specialist

The Sauropods: Evolution and Paleobiology

Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0520246233

Book Description

Sauropod dinosaurs were the largest animals ever to walk the earth, and they represent a substantial portion of vertebrate biomass and biodiversity during the Mesozoic Era. The story of sauropod evolution is told in an extensive fossil record of skeletons and footprints that span the globe and 150 million years of earth history. This generously illustrated volume is the first comprehensive scientific summary of sauropod evolution and paleobiology. The contributors explore sauropod anatomy, detail its variations, and question the myth that life at large size led to evolutionary stagnation and eventual replacement by more "advanced" herbivorous dinosaurs. Chapters address topics such as the evolutionary history and diversity of sauropods; methods for creating three-dimensional reconstructions of their skeletons; questions of sauropod herbivory, tracks, gigantism, locomotion, reproduction, growth rates, and more. This book, together with the recent surge in sauropod discoveries around the world and taxonomic revisions of fragmentary genera, will shed new light on "nature's greatest extravagances."

Customer Reviews:

A Very Interesting Read.......2007-03-31

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in dinosaurs, fossils and evolution. This book gives you all the information you would ever want about the Sauropod dinosaurs. The price of this book on Amazon.com may seem high, but you will never find this book anywhere else at a better price.

Indispensible for the specialist.......2006-03-09

For palaeontologists with an interest in sauropods, this volume is simply and unequivocally indispensible. Matt Wedel's chapter on postcranial skeletal pneumaticity is a particular highlight, but most of the papers are very valuable. The contributions are on the whole more substantial than those in the recent Carpenter and Tidwell volume on the same subject, "Thunder Lizards", being mostly written by sauropod specialists.

Be careful, though! This is not a book for the casual dinosaur enthusiast: the chapters are academic papers that are heavy going for those without the necessary background.

Florida's Fossils: Guide to Location, Identification and Enjoyment

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Florida's Fossils: Guide to Location, Identification, and Enjoyment
Florida's Fossils: Guide to Location, Identification and Enjoyment
Buyer Rejoice!!!
Great Field Guide!
Buyer Beware!!!

Florida's Fossils: Guide to Location, Identification and Enjoyment
Robin C. Brown
Manufacturer: Pineapple Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1561641146

Product Description

Revised edition. Updated directions (with maps) on where and how to hunt for fossils in the Sunshine State. Complete photo identification section and insightful comments on the history of the fossil treasures you'll uncover. A great gift for serious or beginning archaeologists. Paintings by Chris Kreider; photos by the author.

Customer Reviews:

Florida's Fossils: Guide to Location, Identification, and Enjoyment.......2006-02-27

Very easy to read, understand, and use book. I have visited many of the sites listed in the book, and have enjoyed them tremendously. This book eliminates the need to cart around several books to find the information needed. Perfect for the amateur fossil hunter.

Florida's Fossils: Guide to Location, Identification and Enjoyment.......2005-10-01

Very nicely presented book. Photos are very good. A great guidebook and reference for any collector's library.

Buyer Rejoice!!!.......2003-10-30

The reviewer who wrote under the title of "Buyer Beware" is badly informed if he/she thinks that people who study fossils are "archaeologists." In fact, archaeologists study the remains of past people, while paleontologists study fossils.

Dr. Robin Brown is indeed a retired medical doctor, but as an accomplished avocational paleontologist, he is one of the most respected experts on Florida's fossils in the state. He works regularly with paleontologists of the Florida Museum of Natural History (Florida's official natural history museum), and he has contributed numerous important fossil specimens to that institution.

If you are interested in an authoritative, easy-to-read, and beautifully illustrated guide to Florida's fossils, Robin Brown's book is for you.

Great Field Guide!.......2003-10-30

This great book sorts out the confusing and often contradictory jumble of fossils one finds when hunting in Florida. It is the only trade book available that does this. PLUS it has a fabulous section of photographs for help in identification. Whatever else he is, the author is a man of science!

Buyer Beware!!!.......2003-07-22

After reading this book, I am compelled to warn other would-be buyers to save their money. This is a book that does not live up to its title and seems to be riddled with factual and syntactical errors. Moreover, when I researched the author, I was intrigued to find out he is not an archaeologist or scholar at all but rather an M.D.(ENT) masquerading as an expert in archaeology. And, to top it off, it appears that the book is published by a press that specializes in travel books and cook books, not in serious subjects like archaeology. For those interested in the archaeology of Florida, I recommend the numerious well-written and well-researched books by the experts at the University of Florida or Florida State. Dr. Brown, the ear, nose and throat specialist, is simply out of his element in this book.

Taphonomy: A Process Approach (Cambridge Paleobiology Series)

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very interesting book
Fossilization, information -- and scientific illustration

Taphonomy: A Process Approach (Cambridge Paleobiology Series)
Ronald E. Martin
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521598338

Book Description

This book offers a comprehensive review of the entire field of taphonomy, the science of fossil preservation. It describes the formation of plant and animal fossils in oceanic, terrestrial and river settings and how this affects deciphering the ecology and extinction of past lifeforms and the environments in which they lived. Coverage emphasizes a process approach to the subject and reviews the taphonomic behavior of all important taxa, both plant and animal. The book will be of main interest to advanced students and professionals working in paleontology, stratigraphy, sedimentology, climate modeling and biogeochemistry. It will also appeal to anyone interested in the preservation of fossils and the formation of fossil assemblages.

Customer Reviews:

very interesting book.......2007-01-28

perfect to those who want to know more on paleontology .i am happy i didnt listen to mr g.v middleton( above )as he give extremely partial perspective
to this book.the only LOSS of information is that Ronald E. Martin forget mention his name ...- not for the lazy reader!

Fossilization, information -- and scientific illustration.......2000-08-03

I should explain first of all that I am a professional geologist specializing in physical sedimentology (though my doctorate, long years ago was in stratigraphic paleontology). My initial reaction to seeing this book was strongly positive: "At last", I thought, "an inexpensive book that will bring us up to date on this interesting field, on the borders between palaeontology and sedimentology." And such a book is badly needed because most sedimentologists are not as knowledgeable about paleontology (and the fashionable modern subdisciplines of paleoecology and taphonomy) as they should be. As I started to read this book, however, my enthusiasm diminished. Who are the target readers? The author explains in the preface that taphonomy "is concerned with the information content of the fossil record and the processes by which fossils are incorporated into the fossil record." (Would it not have been better to write "by which organic remains and traces are incorporated..."?). But he never really tells us who he sees as his readers. The style, however, soon establishes that this is NOT a book for the common reader, nor even for students. It is written in the style of a series of extended professional review papers -- heavy on the completeness of the documentation, incorporating much jargon, only partly explained, and many cryptic summaries of papers, that are short on explaining what the authors really did. A fuller discussion of fewer examples would have made this a better book. One of the author's professed messages is that fossilization does not simply result in LOSS of information (about the original organisms), but also in gain of information about sedimentary and organic processes, averaged over time scales that are otherwise difficult to observe because they are longer than a human lifetime. After initial chapters on biostratinomy (the relationship between an organism and its environment after death and during burial -- so dealing with decay, physical effects of transport by water, and early diagenetic (chemical) modification of shell or bone structure), he continues to bioturbation and other time-averaging processes, examples of exceptional preservation (such as the Burgess Shale fauna), and chapters on large scale phenomena, such as sea-level change and changes in chemical and organic processes through Phanerozoic time. A penultimate chapter deals with the relevance of taphonomy to modern environmental concerns such as climate change and organism extinctions. All these are important topics, and I am very glad to have an up-to-date source of references on them, but (based on the topics that I know something about) I am wary of the author's capsule comments on the (very broad range of) subjects that he discusses. I close with an example of a neglected field for taphonomic studies: the fate of illustrations as they become fossilized in the scientific literature. The author's Figure 2.4 (on p. 32) caught my eye, for the simple reason that I happened to draw both parts of the diagram myself. There is no reference, however, to the original source of the diagrams. Instead they are credited to a textbook by Sam Boggs. Boggs gives full source information, and a long figure caption that gives a nearly but not-quite accurate description of what the diagram depict: Part A (from a set of notes, published by SEPM in two editions, and designed by John Southard and myself to acquaint geologists who lacked a strong physical/mathematical background with the essential fluid mechanics they needed to understand sediment transport) shows the various forces acting on a grain lying on the bed of an alluvial stream; Part B shows a more idealized picture of the flow and forces acting on a cylinder lying in an inviscid flow over a plane bed. This part was actually first published in an article by Briggs and myself, published in 1965, but was reprinted (without acknowledgement, since I was the original artist) in a text, published in 1972, and cited by Boggs. Boggs, however, states that it shows flow "over a grain," and fails to mention that the "grain" is a cylinder, and the flow is inviscid. The reason for using this greatly simplified version of reality is that there is a theoretical solution available (dating back to Jeffreys, 1929), so the streamlines and pressures shown are calculated, not just imagined. Boggs reproduces the figures without modification, but in Martin's book they have been redrafted, with the unfortunate result that the pressure force vectors are no longer to scale, and in fact are almost all of equal length. This, if true, would lead to the erroneous conclusion that such a "grain" suffers NO lift force -- which is the exact opposite of what the diagram was designed to demonstrate! Indeed, in this case fossilization of these figures and their explanation, originally published in the 1960s, has lead to a serious loss of information. Martin's text shows other evidence of his shaky grasp of fluid mechanics: on p.28 he writes that "shear-stress at the sediment water interface...is called shear velocity," (whereas shear velocity is the square root of the boundary shear stress divided by the fluid density). In explaining the Shield diagram on p.32, he remarks that u* is the "friction velocity (a measure of turbulence)" -- without pointing out that the friction velocity is just a different name for the shear velocity, and that it does not directly measure turbulence, but is roughly equal to the root mean square of the VERTICAL COMPONENT of turbulent velocities, close to the bed. Though it is surprising that Martin cites as his authority on the mechanics of sediment transport only an elementary textbook by an author best known for his work in sedimentary petrology (omitting references to accessible books by J.R.L. Allen, and M.J. Leeder, for example) it is even more surprising that he omits any reference to the works of Steven Vogel, notably his "Life in Moving Fluids: The Physical Biology of Flows" (Princeton, 2nd ed., 1994). Judging from a quick scan of some of the major symposia that he cites, this gap between the disciplines of taphomy, and physical sedimentology and physical biology, seems to be found in other leading taphonomists too. Hopefully it will not persist.

The Terrestrial Eocene-Oligocene Transition in North America

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The Terrestrial Eocene-Oligocene Transition in North America

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0521433878

Book Description

The transition from the Eocene to the Oligocene epoch, occurring approximately 47 to 30 million years ago, was the most dramatic episode of climatic and biotic change since the demise of the dinosaurs. The mild tropical climates of the Paleocene and early Eocene were replaced by modern climatic conditions and extremes, including glacial ice in Antarctica. The first part of this book summarizes the latest information in the dating and correlation of the strata of late middle Eocene through early Oligocene age in North America. The second part reviews almost all the important terrestrial reptiles and mammals found near the Eocene-Oligocene boundary, in the White River Chronofauna--from the turtles, snakes and lizards to the common rodents, carnivores, oreodonts and deer of the Badlands. This is the first comprehensive treatment of these topics in over sixty years, and will be invaluable to vertebrate paleontologists, geologists, mammalogists and evolutionary biologists.

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Palaeobiology (Paleobiology)
Peter R. Crowther
Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Evolution of Fossil Ecosystems

ASIN: 0632051493

Book Description

Palaeobiology: A Synthesis was widely acclaimed both for its content and production quality. Ten years on, Derek Briggs and Peter Crowther have once again brought together over 150 leading authorities from around the world to produce Palaeobiology II. Using the same successful formula, the content is arranged as a series of concise articles, taking a thematic approach to the subject, rather than treating the various fossil groups systematically.This entirely new book, with its diversity of new topics and over 100 new contributors, reflects the exciting developments in the field, including accounts of spectacular newly discovered fossils, and embraces data from other disciplines such as astrobiology, geochemistry and genetics.Palaeobiology II will be an invaluable resource, not only for palaeontologists, but also for students and researchers in other branches of the earth and life sciences.

Geological Approaches to Coral Reef Ecology (Ecological Studies)

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Geological Approaches to Coral Reef Ecology (Ecological Studies)

Manufacturer: Springer
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0387335382

Book Description

Coral reefs around the world are sustaining massive damage at an alarming rate. Geological Approaches to Coral Reef Ecology provides a uniquely historical perspective on the destruction—through both natural and human processes—of coral reef ecosystems. Chapters applying the principles of geophysics, paleontology, geochemistry, and physical and chemical oceanography supply novel insights into the workings of coral reefs, complementing real-time ecological studies and providing critical information for crafting realistic environmental policy.

By reconstructing the ecological history of coral reefs, the authors are able to evaluate whether or not recent, dramatic changes to reef ecosystems are novel events or part of a long-term trend or cycle. The contributions examine the interacting causes of change, which include hurricane damage, regional outbreaks of coral-consuming predators, disease epidemics, sea-level rise, nutrient loading, global warming and acidification of the oceans. Crucial predictions about the future of coral reefs lead to practical strategies for the successful restoration and management of reef ecosystems. Geological Approaches to Coral Reef Ecology will be of particular interest to students and professionals in ecology and marine biology, including environmental managers.

About the Editor:

Richard B. Aronson is Senior Marine Scientist at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Dauphin Island, Alabama and Professor of Marine Sciences at the University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, USA.

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