Bruce S. Lieberman, Roger Kaesler

Prehistoric Life

Evolution and the Fossil Record

• Gebundenes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

Prehistoric life is the archive of evolution preserved in thefossil record. This book focuses on the meaning andsignificance of that archive and is designed for introductorycollege science students, including non-science majors, enrolled insurvey courses emphasizing paleontology, geology and biology.

From the origins of animals to the evolution of rap music, fromancient mass extinctions to the current biodiversity crisis, andfrom the Snowball Earth to present day climate change this bookcovers it, with an eye towards showing how past life on Earth putsthe modern world into its proper context. The history of life andthe 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 thehistory of life, but uses actual examples from life's historyto illustrate important concepts and theories.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Wiley & Sons
• 1. Auflage
• Seitenzahl: 400
• Erscheinungstermin: 22. März 2010
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 284mm x 222mm x 27mm
• Gewicht: 1449g
• ISBN-13: 9781444334081
• ISBN-10: 1444334085
• Artikelnr.: 28707818

Autorenporträt

Bruce S. Lieberman is a Professor in the Department of Geology and a Senior Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology in the Natural History Museum/Biodiversity Research Center (NHM/BRC) at the University of Kansas (KU), U.S.A. His research focuses on the study of evolution in the fossil record, including the origin of animals, macroevolutionary theory, and biogeography. Roger L. Kaesler passed away in 2007. He was Director of the Paleontological Institute as well as a Professor in the Department of Geology and a Senior Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology in the NHM/BRC at KU. His research focused on paleoecology and fossil arthropods.

Inhaltsangabe

Preface. 1. Introduction to Fossils. History, Science, and Historical
Science. Time, Life, and Stratigraphy. What is a Fossil?. How do Fossils
Form?. Conclusions: Fossils as Curious Stones. Additional Reading. 2. The
Nature of the Fossil Record. Fossils in Sedimentary Rock. Taphonomy. Time
Averaging. Mode of Growth. Colonial Organisms. Trace Fossils. Concluding
Remarks. Additional Reading. 3. Organizing the Fossil Record. History of
Ideas on Biological Classification. Applying Linnaeus' Hierarchy. What is a
Species and How Does a Paleontologist Identify Them?. Conclusions: the
Difference Between Inanimate Atoms and Living Things. Additional Reading.
4. Introduction to Evolution. Introduction. A Biological Definition of
Evolution. The History of Evolutionary Thought. Science and Religion.
Darwin and Wallace: Never Ask a Stranger to Present Your Paper at a Meeting
You Cannot Attend. Natural Selection. Conclusions: Why was Natural
Selection Not Endorsed at Once by Many Scientists?. Additional Reading. 5.
Macroevolution, Progress, and the History of Life. Introduction.
Competition and Macroevolution. Does Evolution Happen Gradually or
Episodically?. Natural Selection Operating Above and Below the Level of the
Individual Organism. Progress and the History of Life. Conclusions:
Patterns and Processes of Increasing Complexity. Additional Reading. 6.
Extinctions: The Legacy of the Fossil Record. Introduction. Contingency.
Boundaries in the Geological Time Scale and the Nature of Extinction. The
Cretaceous-Tertiary Mass Extinction. How has the Existence of Mass
Extinctions Influenced the History of Life?. Were Most Extinctions Caused
by Asteroid Impact?. The Permo-Triassic Mass Extinction--Causes and
Consequences. The Ordovician-Silurian Mass Extinction. Other Mass
Extinction Events: The Late Devonian and the End of the Triassic. Habitat
Degradation and Mass Extinctions. The Sixth Great Mass Extinction: The
Current Biodiversity Crisis. Conclusions: Lessons from the Past and Future
Prospects for Humanity. Additional Reading. 7. Systematics and the Fossil
Record. Introduction. Methods and Approaches in Systematics. The Growth of
Molecular Biology and Improvements in DNA Sequencing Technology. The Spread
of Computers and Computer Programs Used to Study Evolutionary
Relationships. Systematics and How to go About Identifying Species in the
Fossil Record. Systematics and its Relevance for Identifying Patterns of
Mass Extinction. Systematics and the Meaning of Adaptations. Concluding
Remarks. Additional Reading. 8. Principles of Growth and Form: Life, the
Universe, and Gothic Cathedrals. Introduction. Galileo's Principle.
Galileo's Principle and its Relevance to the Biology of Living Organisms.
Galileo's Principle and Constraints on the Evolution of Large Body Size.
Galileo's Principle and its Relevance to Medieval Architecture. Galileo's
Principle and its Relevance to Cratering Density in our Solar System.
Concluding Remarks. Additional Reading. 9. The Role of Fossils in the
Genesis of Myths and Legends. Introduction. Paleontologist's Have Come from
Many Different Walks of Life and Have Sported Many Different Hairdos.
Paleontology in Ancient Greece. Native American Contributions to
Paleontology. Concluding Remarks. Additional Reading. 10. Plate Tectonics
and its Effects on Evolution. Introduction. Early Ideas on Continents in
Motion: Continental Drift. Plate Tectonics: Continental Drift in a
Different Guise and with a Valid Mechanism. The Evolutionary Implications
of Plate Tectonics. Biogeography. Concluding Remarks. Additional Reading.
11. Life, Climate, and Geology. Introduction. Some of the Major Factors
that Govern the Climate System. Examples of How Life has Influenced
Climate: The Difference Between the Proterozoic and the Permian. Life
Influencing Geology: the Form and Shape of Rivers and the Rocks they Leave
Behind. Plants, Oxygen, and Coal: More Examples of Life Affecting the
Atmosphere and Geology. How Geology Affects Climate: Considering How Plate
Tectonic Changes have Contributed to Climate Changes Over the Last 60
Million Years. Concluding Remarks. Additional Reading. 12. Patterns and
Processes of Precambrian Evolution. Introduction. The Earliest Evidence for
Life in the Geological Record. The Time of Pond Scum and the Rise of
Oxygen. For Billions of Years Organisms Have Been Modifying the Atmosphere
and Their Environment. More Effects of Rising Oxygen Levels. The Evolution
of the Eukaryotic Cell. Concluding Remarks. Additional Reading. 13. The
Cambrian Radiation and Beyond: Understanding Biology's Big Bang.
Introduction. Life Before the Cambrian Radiation. The Burgess Shale and the
Cambrian Radiation. The Ordovician Radiation and Concluding. Remarks.
Additional Reading. 14. The Evolution and Extinction of Reefs Through
Time: From the Precambrian to the Current Biodiversity Crisis.
Introduction. Reef-Forming Organisms Today. Cnidarians and Outer Space. How
Modern Cnidarian Corals Feed. Reefs Through Geological Time. Corals and the
Biodiversity Crisis. Lessons from Human Effects on Modern Reefs. Concluding
Remarks. Additional Reading. 15. Key Evolutionary Transitions: The Origins
of Multicellularity and the Evolution of the Vertebrate Brain.
Introduction. Origins of Multicellularity. The Evolution of the Vertebrate
Brain. Trends in Brain Size Within Primates and. Hominids. Concluding
Remarks. Additional Reading. 16. Key Events in Vertebrate Evolution.
Introduction. Cambrian Origins. Major Groups of Chordates. The Vertebrates.
Lobe-Finned Aquatic Vertebrates. The Origins and Evolution of the
Tetrapods. Concluding Remarks. Additional Reading. 17. Are We Alone in the
Universe?. Introduction. What is the Potential that Humans will Encounter
Extraterrestrial Civilizations?. Radio Waves and the Search for
Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence. Possible Evidence for Life in a Martian
Meteorite?. Concluding Remarks. Additional Reading. 18. Humanity: Origins
and Prospects. Introduction. How do New Species Evolve--The Shift from
Chimps to Hominids. Humans in a Changing Climate. The Current Biodiversity
Crisis. Mapping a Course for Future Changes--Climate and Life. Concluding
Remarks. Additional Reading. Color plate section. Index.