Methods in Paleoecology: Reconstructing Cenozoic Terrestrial Environments and Ecological Communities

Description

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. Front Matter ....Pages i-xvi Introduction to Paleoecological Reconstruction (Darin A. Croft, Denise F. Su, Scott W. Simpson)....Pages 1-5 Estimation of Body Size in Fossil Mammals (Samantha S. B. Hopkins)....Pages 7-22 Functional Morphology of the Postcranial Skeleton (Rachel H. Dunn)....Pages 23-36 Inferring Mammal Dietary Ecology from Dental Morphology (Alistair R. Evans, Silvia Pineda-Munoz)....Pages 37-51 Using Dental Mesowear and Microwear for Dietary Inference: A Review of Current Techniques and Applications (Jeremy L. Green, Darin A. Croft)....Pages 53-73 Permanent Record: The Use of Dental and Bone Microstructure to Assess Life History Evolution and Ecology (Russell Hogg)....Pages 75-98 Isotope Ecology from Biominerals (Pennilyn Higgins)....Pages 99-120 Reconstructing Terrestrial Paleoenvironments Using Sedimentary Organic Biomarkers (Melissa A. Berke)....Pages 121-149 Paleopedology as a Tool for Reconstructing Paleoenvironments and Paleoecology (Emily J. Beverly, William E. Lukens, Gary E. Stinchcomb)....Pages 151-183 The Role of Continental Trace Fossils in Cenozoic Paleoenvironmental and Paleoecological Reconstructions (Daniel Hembree)....Pages 185-214 Fossil Pollen and Spores in Paleoecology (Luke Mander, Surangi W. Punyasena)....Pages 215-234 Phytoliths in Paleoecology: Analytical Considerations, Current Use, and Future Directions (Caroline A. E. Strömberg, Regan E. Dunn, Camilla Crifò, Elisha B. Harris)....Pages 235-287 Reconstructing Paleoclimate and Paleoecology Using Fossil Leaves (Daniel J. Peppe, Aly Baumgartner, Andrew Flynn, Benjamin Blonder)....Pages 289-317 Three-Dimensional Geometric Morphometrics in Paleoecology (Sabrina C. Curran)....Pages 319-337 Ecomorphology (W. Andrew Barr)....Pages 339-349 Mammal Community Structure Analysis (Kris Kovarovic, Denise F. Su, Kari Lintulaakso)....Pages 351-372 Ecometrics: A Trait-Based Approach to Paleoclimate and Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction (Wesley A. Vermillion, P. David Polly, Jason J. Head, Jussi T. Eronen, A. Michelle Lawing)....Pages 373-394 Making Sense of the Evidence: Synthesizing Paleoecological Data (Denise F. Su, Darin A. Croft)....Pages 395-404 Back Matter ....Pages 405-410