Author: Donald R. Prothero
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 0801887356
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 382
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Book Description
Artiodactyls are diverse and successful hoofed mammals, represented by nearly two hundred living species of pigs, peccaries, hippos, camels, deer, sheep, cattle, giraffes, and other even-toed ungulates. In the recent years, a tremendous amount of research has been conducted on this important order. The Evolution of Artiodactyls synthesizes this research into a single volume. The authors explore a variety of topics, including molecular phylogeny of terrestrial artiodactyls phylogenetic relationships of cetaceans to terrestrial artiodactyls, and the earliest artiodactyls—Diacodexidae, Dichobunidae, Homacodontidae, Leptochoeridae, and Raoellidae.
Author: Donald R. Prothero
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231536909
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 689
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Book Description
One of the leading textbooks in its field, Bringing Fossils to Life applies paleobiological principles to the fossil record while detailing the evolutionary history of major plant and animal phyla. It incorporates current research from biology, ecology, and population genetics, bridging the gap between purely theoretical paleobiological textbooks and those that describe only invertebrate paleobiology and that emphasize cataloguing live organisms instead of dead objects. For this third edition Donald R. Prothero has revised the art and research throughout, expanding the coverage of invertebrates and adding a discussion of new methodologies and a chapter on the origin and early evolution of life.
Author: J. G. M. Hans Thewissen
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520959418
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 257
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Book Description
Hans Thewissen, a leading researcher in the field of whale paleontology and anatomy, gives a sweeping first-person account of the discoveries that brought to light the early fossil record of whales. As evidenced in the record, whales evolved from herbivorous forest-dwelling ancestors that resembled tiny deer to carnivorous monsters stalking lakes and rivers and to serpentlike denizens of the coast. Thewissen reports on his discoveries in the wilds of India and Pakistan, weaving a narrative that reveals the day-to-day adventures of fossil collection, enriching it with local flavors from South Asian culture and society. The reader senses the excitement of the digs as well as the rigors faced by scientific researchers, for whom each new insight gives rise to even more questions, and for whom at times the logistics of just staying alive may trump all science. In his search for an understanding of how modern whales live their lives, Thewissen also journeys to Japan and Alaska to study whales and wild dolphins. He finds answers to his questions about fossils by studying the anatomy of otters and porpoises and examining whale embryos under the microscope. In the book's final chapter, Thewissen argues for approaching whale evolution with the most powerful tools we have and for combining all the fields of science in pursuit of knowledge.
Author: Donald R. Prothero
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 9780801871351
Category : Nature
Languages : ru
Pages : 334
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Book Description
Since the extinction of the dinosaurs, hoofed mammals have been the planet's dominant herbivores. Native to all continents except Australia and Antarctica, recent paleontological and biological discoveries have deepened understanding of their evolution. This text reveals their evolutionary history.
Author: Jessica Madeleine Theodor
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 394
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Book Description
Author: Colin Groves
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 1421403293
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 330
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Book Description
A group of special interest to mammalogists, taxonomists, and systemicists, ungulates have proven difficult to classify. This comprehensive review of the taxonomic relationships of artiodactyls and perissodactyls brings forth new evidence in order to propose a theory of ungulate taxonomy. With this straightforward volume, Colin Groves and the late Peter Grubb cut through previous assumptions to define ungulate genera, species, and subspecies. The species-by-species accounts incorporate new molecular, cytogenetic, and morphological data, as well as the authors’ own observations and measurements. The authors include references and supporting arguments for new classifications. A starting point for further research, this book is sure to be discussed and hotly debated in the mammalogical community. A well-reasoned synthesis, Ungulate Taxonomy will be a defining volume for years to come.
Author: J.G.M. Thewissen
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1489901590
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 480
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Book Description
Research in whale origins is now in an explosive phase, with a cascade of discoveries adding to our understanding of the evolutionary pattern and a suite of new techniques being applied to address new questions. The objective of this volume is to provide a snapshot of this explosion. The volume paints the scene with a broad brush. Taken together the chapters clearly indicate that cetacean origins is a field that is dynamic, multidisciplinary, and that the end of the explosive phase is not in sight.
Author: Allison K. Bormet
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
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Book Description
Mammalian morphological response to Cenozoic environmental change has long been studied. Traditionally, the appearance of hypsodonty in equids is considered an adaptation to the introduction of abrasive material to the diet (e.g. grass), and has been used as a means of signifying the opening of environments. However, the timing of the radiation of hypsodont equids conflicts with the paleobotanical appearance of grasses and, in fact, hyspodont dentition may not necessarily indicate the addition of grasses to the diet. Despite the conflict arising between dentition and timing of environmental opening, other skeletal characters can be examined for morphological adaptation to environmental opening (e.g. cursoriality). In an attempt to further explore ungulate adaptation to environment, I am evaluating the Order Artiodactyla for rate of cursorial evolution. Artiodactyla was selected because of the availability of a large number of extant and extinct specimens and the fact that these ungulates emerged and radiated during the time of environmental opening. This study represents novel research by exploring fusions and reductions in the number of distal limb elements across the entire order. Reductions and fusions are important to cursoriality because they reduce the limb0́9s distal weight and render the distal limb elements more stable, allowing for faster and more efficient locomotion across open terrain. The spread of open environments (e.g., savannas), as a result of Cenozoic environmental change, might have provided an impetus for these types of cursorial adaptations. Cenozoic environmental opening is believed to have occurred gradually, beginning as small patches of low-biomass vegetation in the Eocene, leading to short grasslands in the Oligocene, followed by the tall, modern grasslands of the Late Miocene. With this in mind, my working hypothesis that the opening of environment drives cursorial adaptation, and therefore, rates of cursoriality should be highest from the Eocene to Late Miocene. To test this, 306 artiodactyls were analyzed for 47 discrete characters in limb morphology that were indicative of cursorial adaptations and recorded in Mesquite 2.72 (build 514). I calculated the rate of limb evolution across the entire order and found that there was a very high peak throughout the Eocene, which has also been found in ungulates by a study examining metatarsal/femur ratios- a method used to determine cursoriality. In addition, the earliest artiodactyls (about 55Mya) were already showing signs of cursoriality. The evidence suggested by my results, metatarsal/femoral ratios and the morphology of the earliest artiodactyls indicate that artiodactyls were evolving cursorial adaptations early on in their evolutionary history. In addition to the high rate of the Eocene, I found a slight increase of rate during the Late Oligocene. This increase in rate coincides with a dramatic increase in open habitat phytolith assemblages from the Great Plains of North America. This may indicate that artiodactyl cursoriality rate was increasing simultaneous to North American environmental opening. My hypothesis that the opening of environments drives cursorial adaptation is supported by the second, smaller peak of the Late Oligocene, but more research is needed to explore this drastically high rate of cursorial adaptation during the Eocene, which was considered to be a time of closed, widespread forests with few pockets of low-biomass vegetation.
Author: Barry Berkovitz
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 012802819X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 348
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Book Description
"The Teeth of Mammalian Vertebrates is an important reference for researchers in dentistry, comparative morphology, anthropology, and vertebrate palaeontology, and those with an interest in exploring and understanding diversity. The book provides a comprehensive and informed analysis of mammalian dentitions and highlights the importance of teeth as drivers and mirrors of evolution and diversity." - Journal of Anatomy The Teeth of Mammalian Vertebrates presents a comprehensive survey of mammalian dentitions that is based on material gathered from museums and research workers from around the world. The teeth are major factors in the success of mammals, and knowledge of tooth form and function is essential in mammalian biology. Illustrated with high-quality color photographs of skulls and dentitions, together with X-rays, CT images and histology, this book reveals the tremendous variety of tooth form and structure in mammals. Written by two internationally-recognized experts in dental anatomy, the book provides an up-to-date account of how teeth are adapted to acquiring and processing food. With its companion volume, this book provides a complete survey of the teeth of vertebrates. It is the ideal resource for students and researchers in zoology, biology, anthropology, archaeology and dentistry. Provides a comprehensive account of mammalian dentitions, together with helpful reading lists Illustrated by 900 high-quality photographs, X-rays, CT scans and histological images from leading researchers and world class museum collection Depicts lateral and occlusal views of the skull and dentition, which conveys a much greater level of morphological detail than line drawings Contains clear-and-concise, up-to-date reviews of the structure and properties of dental tissues, especially the enamel and tooth support system, both of which play vital roles in the functioning of the mammalian dentition
Author: Alan F. Dixson
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108426182
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 405
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Book Description
The first detailed account of post-copulatory sexual selection and the evolution of reproduction in mammals.
