Historical Biogeography, Plate Tectonics, and the Changing Environment PDF Download

Author: Jane Gray
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780870711763
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 524

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Author: Jane Gray
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 520

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Author: J.C. Briggs
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0080868517
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 217

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Book Description
One needs to look at only a small portion of the enormous literature on plate tectonics published in the last 15 years to realize that there are many differences between the various reconstructions that have been presented. It becomes obvious that, although there is a general agreement about the presence of an assembly of continents (a Pangaea) in the early Mesozoic, there is considerable disagreement among earth scientists as to the configurement of the assembly and the manner and timing of the subsequent dispersal. While the revolution in geophysics was taking place, systematic work in paleontology and neontology was being carried out. This book is an attempt to incorporate the biological evidence into the theory of plate tectonics.The author traces the changing relationships among the various biogeographic regions and demonstrates how such changes may often be correlated with the gradual geographic alteration of the earth's surface. He analyses recent information about the distribution of widespread groups of terrestrial and freshwater vertebrates, invertebrates and plants, and discusses the biogeographical effects of the movement of oceanic plates.It is particularly important to obtain dependable information about certain critical times in the history of continental relationships. We need to know when the terrestrial parts of the earth were broken apart and when they were joined together. The present investigation makes it clear that we cannot depend entirely on evidence from plate tectonics nor will purely biological evidence suffice. This book thus provides much of interest to systematists working on contemporary groups of plants and animals, paleontologists, evolutionary biologists, and professors teaching courses in biogeography.

Author: Jorge CRISCI
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674030044
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 263

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Though biogeography may be simply defined--the study of the geographic distributions of organisms--the subject itself is extraordinarily complex, involving a range of scientific disciplines and a bewildering diversity of approaches. For convenience, biogeographers have recognized two research traditions: ecological biogeography and historical biogeography. This book makes sense of the profound revolution that historical biogeography has undergone in the last two decades, and of the resulting confusion over its foundations, basic concepts, methods, and relationships to other disciplines of comparative biology. Using case studies, the authors explain and illustrate the fundamentals and the most frequently used methods of this discipline. They show the reader how to tell when a historical biogeographic approach is called for, how to decide what kind of data to collect, how to choose the best method for the problem at hand, how to perform the necessary calculations, how to choose and apply a computer program, and how to interpret results.

Author: Naomi Oreskes
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0195117336
Category : Continental drift
Languages : en
Pages : 433

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Why did American geologists reject the notion of continental drift, first posed in 1915? And why did British scientists view the theory as a pleasing confirmation? This text, based on archival resources, provides answers to these questions.

Author: A.A. Myers
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400904355
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 578

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Book Description
Biogeography may be defined simply as the study of the geographical distribution of organisms, but this simple defmition hides the great complexity of the subject. Biogeography transcends classical subject areas and involves a range of scientific disciplines that includes geogra phy, geology and biology. Not surprisingly, therefore, it means rather different things to different people. Historically, the study of biogeogra phy has been concentrated into compartments at separate points along a spatio-temporal gradient. At one end of the gradient, ecological biogeography is concerned with ecological processes occurring over short temporal and small spatial scales, whilst at the other end, historical biogeography is concerned with evolutionary processes over millions of years on a large, often global scale. Between these end points lies a third major compartment concerned with the profound effects of Pleistocene glaciations and how these have affected the distribution of recent organisms. Within each of these compartments along the scale gradient, a large number of theories, hypotheses and models have been proposed in an attempt to explain the present and past biotic distribution patterns. To a large extent, these compartments of the subject have been non-interactive, which is understandable from the different interests and backgrounds of the various researchers. Nevertheless, the distribu tions of organisms across the globe cannot be fully understood without a knowledge of the full spectrum of ecological and historical processes. There are no degrees in biogeography and today' s biogeographers are primarily born out of some other discipline.

Author: E. N. K. Clarkson
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1444313320
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 471

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Book Description
Invertebrate Palaeontology and Evolution is well established as the foremost palaeontology text at the undergraduate level. This fully revised fourth edition includes a complete update of the sections on evolution and the fossil record, and the evolution of the early metazoans. New work on the classification of the major phyla (in particular brachiopods and molluscs) has been incorporated. The section on trace fossils is extensively rewritten. The author has taken care to involve specialists in the major groups, to ensure the taxonomy is as up-to-date and accurate as possible.

Author: Russell L. Ciochon
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351496689
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 786

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Book Description
Primate Evolution and Human Origins compiles, for the first time, the major ideas and publications that have shaped our current view of the evolutionary biology of the primates and the origin of the human line. Designed for freshmen-to-graduate students in anthropology, paleontology, and biology, the book is a unique collection of classic papers, culled from the past 20 years of research. It is also an important reference for academicians and researchers, as it covers the entire scope of primate and human evolution (with an emphasis on the fossil record). A comprehensive bibliography cites over 2000 significant articles not found in the main text.

Author: Christine M. Janis
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521355193
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 712

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Book Description
This book is designed as a source and reference for people interested in the history and fossil record of North American tertiary mammals. Each chapter covers a different family or order, and includes information on anatomical features, systematics, the distribution of the genera and species at different fossil localities, and a discussion of their paleobiology. Many of these groups have never been covered in this fashion before.

Author: David Williams
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 110711764X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 509

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Book Description
This book documents Willi Hennig's founding of phylogenetic systematics and the relevancy of his work for the future of cladistics.