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.Table of Contents
1 Introduction to Paleoecological Reconstruction Darin A. Croft, Denise F. Su, and Scott W. Simpson.- 2 Estimation of Body Size in Fossil Mammals Samantha S.B. Hopkins.- 3 Functional Morphology of the Postcranial Skeleton Rachel H. Dunn.- 4 Evolutionary Dental Morphology Alistair R. Evans and Silvia Pineda-Munoz.- 5 Using Dental Mesowear and Microwear for Dietary Inference: A Review of Current Techniques and Applications Jeremy L. Green and Darin A. Croft.- 6 Permanent Record: The Use of Dental and Bone Microstructure to Assess Life History Evolution and Ecology Russell Hogg.- 7 Isotopic Ecology from Biominerals Pennilyn Higgins.- 8 Reconstructing Terrestrial Paleoenvironments Using Sedimentary Organic Biomarkers Melissa A. Berke.- 9 Paleopedology as a Tool for Reconstructing Paleoenvironments and Paleoecology Emily J. Beverly, William E. Lukens, and Gary E. Stinchcomb.- 10 The Role of Continental Trace Fossils in Cenozoic Paleoenvironmental and Paleoecological Reconstructions Daniel Hembree.- 11 Fossil Pollen and Spores in Paleoecology Luke Mander and Surangi W. Punyasena.- 12 Phytoliths in Paleoecology: Analytical Considerations, Current Use, and Future Directions Caroline A.E. Strömberg, Regan E. Dunn, Camilla Crifò, and Elisha B. Harris.- 13 Reconstructing Paleoclimate and Paleoecology Using Fossil Leaves Daniel J. Peppe, Aly Baumgartner, Andrew Flynn, and Benjamin Blonder.- 14 Three-Dimensional Geometric Morphometrics in Paleoecology Sabrina C. Curran.- 15 Ecomorphology W. Andrew Barr.- 16 Mammal Community Structure Analysis Kris Kovarovic, Denise F. Su, and Kari Lintulaakso.- 17 Ecometrics: A Trait-based Approach to Paleoclimate and Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction Wesley A. Vermillion, P. David Polly, Jason J. Head, Jussi T. Eronen, and A. Michelle Lawing.- 18 Summary and Synthesis Denise F. Su and Darin A. Croft.
