Introduction to Paleobiology and the Fossil Record

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True PDF Cover Page Title Page Copyright Page Contents Full contents Preface Acknowledgments About the Companion website Chapter 1 Paleontology as a science Introduction Paleontology in the modern world Paleontology as a science What is science? Speculation, hypotheses, and testing Fact and fantasy – where to draw the line? Paleontology and the history of images Steps to understanding Earliest fossil finds Fossils as magical stones Fossils as fossils The idea of extinction The vastness of geological time Fossils and evolution Progressionism and evolution Darwinian evolution Paleontology today Dinosaurs and fossil humans Evidence of earliest life Macroevolution Paleontological research Review Questions Further reading References Chapter 2 Stratigraphy Introduction How stratigraphy works Leonardo’s legacy On the ground: lithostratigraphy Use of fossils: discovery of biostratigraphy Biostratigraphy: the means of correlation Dividing up geological time: chronostratigraphy Sequence stratigraphy: using transgressions and regressions New techniques, new tools Astrochronology and cyclostratigraphy: looking up to find the rhythm Isotope stratigraphy: mixing the chemicals Magnetostratigraphy: a useful attraction Geological time scale: a common language Geological time scales Extraterrestrial stratigraphy Fly me to the moon Planets: remote but on the radar Review Questions Further Reading References Chapter 3 Paleogeography and paleoclimates Paleobiogeography How do we position plates? Faunal and floral barriers Island biogeography: alone and isolated? Dispersal versus vicariance The history of an ancient ocean Biodiversity and geography Provinces through time Fossils in mountain belts A Caledonian conundrum Taking the strain and the heat Paleoclimates Climatic fluctuations through time Biological feedbacks The Anthropocene Review Questions Further Reading References Chapter 4 Paleoecology Introduction Taphonomic constraints: sifting through the debris Populations: can groups of individuals make a difference? Habitats and niches Definitions Trophic structures: bottom or top of the food chain? Megaguilds Controlling factors Paleocommunities Introduction Describing fossil communities Paleocommunity development through time Ecological interactions Evolutionary paleoecology Communities and habitats through time Jurassic park and deep-sea worlds Ecological patterns and trends through time Ecological ranking of mass extinctions Review questions Further reading References Chapter 5 Taphonomy and the quality of the fossil record Introduction Fossil preservation Fossilization Hard parts and soft parts Decay and scavenging Preservation of biomolecules Exceptional preservation Breakage and transport Burial and modification Plant preservation Impact of taphonomy on understanding Quality of the fossil record Incompleteness of the record Bias and adequacy Preservation bias or common cause? Sampling and reality Review questions Further reading References Chapter 6 Fossil form and function Introduction Growth and form Variations in form within species Allometry Shape variation between species Evolution and development Ontogeny and phylogeny Heterochrony: are human adults juvenile apes? Developmental genes Interpreting the function of fossils Functional morphology Comparison with modern analogs Biomechanical modeling Circumstantial evidence Review questions Further reading References Chapter 7 Macroevolution and the tree of life Introduction Evolution by natural selection Evolution and the fossil record What is a species? Speciation Speciation and evolution in the fossil record Trends and radiations Trends and progress The Red Queen Body size evolution Adaptive radiation Biotic replacements The tree of life Tree thinking Cladistics: reconstructing life’s hierarchy The molecular revolution The tree of life Review questions Further reading References Chapter 8 Biodiversity, extinction, and mass extinction Introduction The diversification of life Onward and upward Interpreting global diversification patterns Equilibrium or expansion? Mass extinctions Definition Pattern and timing of mass extinctions Selectivity and mass extinctions The “big five” mass extinction events The “big five” mass extinctions The Permian-Triassic event The Cretaceous-Paleogene event Extinction then and now Extinction events Recovery after mass extinctions Extinction today Review questions Further reading References Chapter 9 The origin of life Introduction The origin of life Scientific models Testing the biochemical model RNA world Evidence for the origin of life The Early Precambrian world The oldest life on Earth The two-step rise in oxygen levels The universal tree of life Biomarkers Life diversifies: eukaryotes Eukaryote characters Basal eukaryotes Multicellularity and sex The late Neoproterozoic Review questions Further reading References Chapter 10 Protists Introduction Microfossils Protist history Protozoa Foraminifera Radiolaria Mystery protists of the proterozoic and paleozoic Acritarchs Chitinozoans Phytoplankton Dinoflagellates Ciliophora Coccolithophores Diatoms Review Questions Further reading References Chapter 11 Origin and expansion of the metazoans Origins and classification Body fossil evidence Trace fossil evidence Embryo fossil evidence Molecular evidence Biomarker evidence Invertebrate body and skeletal plans Classification and relationships Five key faunas Ediacara biota Small shelly fauna Cambrian Explosion Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event The Nekton revolution: lift-off from the seabed Review Questions Further reading References Chapter 12 The basal metazoans: sponges and corals Introduction Porifera Morphology: dissecting a typical sponge Autecology: life as a sponge Synecology: sponges and sponge reefs through time Stromatoporoidea Archaeocyatha Cnidaria Morphology: the basic cnidarian Classification: design and relationships of the main groups Corals Synecology: corals and reefs Corals through time Modern coral reefs under threat Review Questions Further Reading References Chapter 13 Lophophorates 1: brachiopods and bryozoans Introduction Brachiopoda Introduction Morphology: brachiopod animal Ultramorphology: brachiopod shell Distribution in time: extinctions and radiations Ecology: life on the seabed Brachiopods, functional morphology, and paradigms Distribution in space: biogeography Bryozoa Introduction Morphology: Amathia Ecology: feeding and colonial morphology Evolution: main fossil bryozoan groups Ecology and life modes Competition and replacement Review questions Further reading References Chapter 14 Lophotrochozoans 2: mollusks and annelids Mollusks Introduction Early mollusks Class Bivalvia Basic morphology Main bivalve groups Lifestyles and morphology Bivalve evolution Class Gastropoda Main gastropod groups and their ecology Gastropod evolution Class Cephalopoda Nautiloidea Ammonoidea Coleoidea Class Scaphopoda Class Rostroconcha Evolutionary trends within the Mollusca Annelids Review questions Further reading References Chapter 15 Ecdysozoa: arthropods Introduction Early arthropod faunas Subphylum Trilobitomorpha (artiopoda) Trilobite morphology Trilobite diversity and lifestyles Trilobite paleogeography and evolution Trilobite abnormalities and injuries Subphylum Chelicerata Subphylum Myriapoda Subphylum Hexapoda Subphylum Crustacea Barnacles, shrimps, and crabs Ostracodes Exceptional arthropod faunas through time Review questions Further reading References Chapter 16 Deuterostomes: echinoderms and hemichordates Introduction Echinoderms Crinoidea Blastozoans Echinoidea Asteroidea and Ophiuroidea Carpoidea Hemichordates Modern hemichordates Graptolites Review questions Further reading References Chapter 17 Fishes and basal tetrapods Introduction Origin of the vertebrates The skeleton Jawless fishes: slurping rather than biting Conodonts: animals of mystery Jaws and fish evolution The first jaws Bony fishes: ray fins and lobefins The evolution of sharks: an arms race with their prey? Tetrapods The origin of tetrapods: fins to limbs The amphibians: halfway land animals Reign of the reptiles Making the break: the origin of the reptiles A world of synapsids Dinosaurs and mammals Review questions Further reading References Chapter 18 Dinosaurs and mammals Introduction Dinosaurs and their kin The diapsids take over The age of dinosaurs Being a monster Dragons of the deep Bird evolution Rise of the mammals Primitive forms, and then success Marsupials: the pouched mammals Paleogeography and diversification of the placentals Placentals in southern continents The “northern” placentals The monkey-rabbits The line to humans Early primates Human evolution Modern peoples Review questions Further reading References Chapter 19 Fossil plants and fungi Introduction Terrestrialization of plants Fungi The greening of the land: mosses, liverworts, and hornworts Relationships of green plants Adapting to life on land Plant reproductive cycles Vascular plants in the Silurian and Devonian The great coal forests Lycopsids, small, and large The horsetails Ferns – fronds or leaves? Seed-bearing plants The origin of seeds Seed ferns Plant ecology of the Coal Measures Conifers Diverse gymnosperm groups Flowering plants Flowers and angiosperm success The first angiosperms Radiation of the angiosperms Angiosperms and climate Review questions Further reading References Chapter 20 Trace fossils Introduction Understanding trace fossils Types of trace fossils Naming trace fossils: shapes not biological species Preservation of trace fossils Interpreting ancient behavior Trace fossils in sediments Trace fossils as environmental indicators Organisms in sediments Trace fossils and time Trace fossils and the oil industry Review questions Further reading References Finale Glossary Appendix 1: Stratigraphic chart Appendix 2: Paleogeographic maps Index EULA