Terrestrial Palaeoecology and Global Change

Terrestrial Palaeoecology and Global Change PDF Author: Valentin Abramovich Krasilov
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 524

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Book Description
This book critically evaluates the currently popular ideas of global change based on the plate tectonics, extraterrestrial impacts, greenhouse warming, etc. and offers alternative models. Krassilov presents ecosystem evolution as a sustainability oriented process with an increase in the biomass-to-dead mass ratio as a measure of progress. This general tendency is reversed by the geobiospheric crises starting in the earths interior and surfacing as the concerted geomagnetic, tectonomagmatic, geochemical and climatic events. These affect biota through turnovers of biotic communities and the adequate changes in population adaptive strategies, a major force under the species originations and extinctions, as well as the genomic evolution. The evolution of humans is envisaged as guiding this species to the role of the earths custodian. The book is important for evolutionists, ecologists, geologists, climatologists, geneticists, integrative biologists, botanists, zoologists, and the general educated person who is intrigued by the dynamic historical processes which shape the evolution of biosphere. It could be used as a course book for undergraduate and graduate studies and is an excellent example of inspiring and creative interdisciplinary research of our planet. Valentin Krassilov is the author of 20 books, among them the Palaeoecology of Terrestrial Plants, Cretaceous Period, Angiosperm Origins, Ecosystem and Egosystem Evolution, etc. The new book is based on his lifetime experience in the fields of palaeobotany, palaeoecology, structural geology and evolutionary biology.

Terrestrial Palaeoecology and Global Change

Terrestrial Palaeoecology and Global Change PDF Author: Valentin Abramovich Krasilov
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 524

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book critically evaluates the currently popular ideas of global change based on the plate tectonics, extraterrestrial impacts, greenhouse warming, etc. and offers alternative models. Krassilov presents ecosystem evolution as a sustainability oriented process with an increase in the biomass-to-dead mass ratio as a measure of progress. This general tendency is reversed by the geobiospheric crises starting in the earths interior and surfacing as the concerted geomagnetic, tectonomagmatic, geochemical and climatic events. These affect biota through turnovers of biotic communities and the adequate changes in population adaptive strategies, a major force under the species originations and extinctions, as well as the genomic evolution. The evolution of humans is envisaged as guiding this species to the role of the earths custodian. The book is important for evolutionists, ecologists, geologists, climatologists, geneticists, integrative biologists, botanists, zoologists, and the general educated person who is intrigued by the dynamic historical processes which shape the evolution of biosphere. It could be used as a course book for undergraduate and graduate studies and is an excellent example of inspiring and creative interdisciplinary research of our planet. Valentin Krassilov is the author of 20 books, among them the Palaeoecology of Terrestrial Plants, Cretaceous Period, Angiosperm Origins, Ecosystem and Egosystem Evolution, etc. The new book is based on his lifetime experience in the fields of palaeobotany, palaeoecology, structural geology and evolutionary biology.

Palaeoecology

Palaeoecology PDF Author: P.J. Brenchley
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1000939405
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 432

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Book Description
The first palaeoecology book to focus on evolutionary palaeoecology, in both marine and terrestrial environments. Discusses reconstruction of the past ecological world at population, community and biogeographic levels. A well-illustrated and substantial volume giving accessible coverage of the full range of subjects within palaeoecology. Reviews and summarises all the major mass extinctions.

Methods in Paleoecology

Methods in Paleoecology PDF Author: Darin A. Croft
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319942654
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 417

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Book 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.

Fossil Behavior Compendium

Fossil Behavior Compendium PDF Author: Arthur J. Boucot
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 143985923X
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 941

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Book Description
In this complete and thorough update of Arthur Boucot's seminal work, Evolutionary Paleobiology of Behavior and Coevolution, Boucot is joined by George Poinar, who provides additional expertise and knowledge on protozoans and bacteria as applied to disease. Together, they make the Fossil Behavior Compendium wider in scope, covering all relevant ani

The Impact of Climate Change on Ecosystems and Species

The Impact of Climate Change on Ecosystems and Species PDF Author: John Pernetta
Publisher: IUCN
ISBN: 9782831701707
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 118

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Book Description


Effects of Past Global Change on Life

Effects of Past Global Change on Life PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309051274
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 267

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Book Description
What can we expect as global change progresses? Will there be thresholds that trigger sudden shifts in environmental conditionsâ€"or that cause catastrophic destruction of life? Effects of Past Global Change on Life explores what earth scientists are learning about the impact of large-scale environmental changes on ancient lifeâ€"and how these findings may help us resolve today's environmental controversies. Leading authorities discuss historical climate trends and what can be learned from the mass extinctions and other critical periods about the rise and fall of plant and animal species in response to global change. The volume develops a picture of how environmental change has closed some evolutionary doors while opening othersâ€"including profound effects on the early members of the human family. An expert panel offers specific recommendations on expanding research and improving investigative toolsâ€"and targets historical periods and geological and biological patterns with the most promise of shedding light on future developments. This readable and informative book will be of special interest to professionals in the earth sciences and the environmental community as well as concerned policymakers.

Global Change in the Holocene

Global Change in the Holocene PDF Author: John Birks
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1444119176
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 556

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Book Description
The Holocene spans the 11,500 years since the end of the last Ice Age and has been a period of major global environmental change. However the rate of change has accelerated during the last hundred years, due largely to human impacts and this has led to a growing concern for the future of our environmental resources. Global Change in the Holocene demonstrates how reconstructing the record of past environmental change can provide us with essential knowledge about how our environment works and presents the reader with an informed viewpoint from which to project realistic future scenarios. The book brings together key techniques that are widely used in Holocene research, such as radiocarbon dating, dendrochronology and sediment analysis and offers a comprehensive analysis of various archives of environmental change including instrumental and documentary records, corals, lake sediments, glaciers and ice cores. This reference will be an informative and cutting-edge resource for all researchers in the fields of climate change, environmental science, geography, palaeoecology and archaeology.

What Bugged the Dinosaurs?

What Bugged the Dinosaurs? PDF Author: George Poinar Jr.
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400835690
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 279

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Book Description
Millions of years ago in the Cretaceous period, the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex--with its dagger-like teeth for tearing its prey to ribbons--was undoubtedly the fiercest carnivore to roam the Earth. Yet as What Bugged the Dinosaurs? reveals, T. rex was not the only killer. George and Roberta Poinar show how insects--from biting sand flies to disease-causing parasites--dominated life on the planet and played a significant role in the life and death of the dinosaurs. The Poinars bring the age of the dinosaurs marvelously to life. Analyzing exotic insects fossilized in Cretaceous amber at three major deposits in Lebanon, Burma, and Canada, they reconstruct the complex ecology of a hostile prehistoric world inhabited by voracious swarms of insects. The Poinars draw upon tantalizing new evidence from their amazing discoveries of disease-producing vertebrate pathogens in Cretaceous blood-sucking flies, as well as intestinal worms and protozoa found in fossilized dinosaur excrement, to provide a unique view of how insects infected with malaria, leishmania, and other pathogens, together with intestinal parasites, could have devastated dinosaur populations. A scientific adventure story from the authors whose research inspired Jurassic Park, What Bugged the Dinosaurs?? offers compelling evidence of how insects directly and indirectly contributed to the dinosaurs' demise.

Evolution on Planet Earth

Evolution on Planet Earth PDF Author: Lynn Rothschild
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0080494854
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 469

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Book Description
Driving evolution forward, the Earth's physical environment has challenged the very survival of organisms and ecosystems throughout the ages. With a fresh new perspective, Evolution on Planet Earth shows how these physical realities and hurdles shaped the primary phases of life on the planet. The book's thorough coverage also includes chapters on more proximate factors and paleoenvironmental events that influenced the diversity of life. A team of notable ecologists, evolutionary biologists, and paleontologists join forces to describe drifting continents, extinction events, and climate change -- important topics that continue to shape Earth's inhabitants to this very day. In a world where global change has become an international issue, this book provides a several billion-year evolutionary perspective on what the environment and environmental change means to life.* Provides thorough background information on each topic while introducing cutting-edge research* Features original material solicited from the leading minds in evolutionary biology and geology today* Emphasizes the influence of massive geological forces - continental drift, volcanic activity, sea and tides

Encyclopedia of Biodiversity

Encyclopedia of Biodiversity PDF Author:
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0123847206
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 5485

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Book Description
The 7-volume Encyclopedia of Biodiversity, Second Edition maintains the reputation of the highly regarded original, presenting the most current information available in this globally crucial area of research and study. It brings together the dimensions of biodiversity and examines both the services it provides and the measures to protect it. Major themes of the work include the evolution of biodiversity, systems for classifying and defining biodiversity, ecological patterns and theories of biodiversity, and an assessment of contemporary patterns and trends in biodiversity. The science of biodiversity has become the science of our future. It is an interdisciplinary field spanning areas of both physical and life sciences. Our awareness of the loss of biodiversity has brought a long overdue appreciation of the magnitude of this loss and a determination to develop the tools to protect our future. Second edition includes over 100 new articles and 226 updated articles covering this multidisciplinary field— from evolution to habits to economics, in 7 volumes The editors of this edition are all well respected, instantly recognizable academics operating at the top of their respective fields in biodiversity research; readers can be assured that they are reading material that has been meticulously checked and reviewed by experts Approximately 1,800 figures and 350 tables complement the text, and more than 3,000 glossary entries explain key terms