Humans have "gone underground" for survival for thousands of years, from underground cities in Turkey to Cold War-era bunkers. But our burrowing roots go back to the very beginnings of animal life on earth. Without burrowing, the planet would be very different today. Many animal lineages alive now-including our own-only survived a cataclysmic meteorite strike 65 million years ago because they went underground. On a grander scale, the chemistry of the planet itself had already been transformed many millions of years earlier by the first animal burrows, which altered whole ecosystems. Every day we walk on an earth filled with an under-ground wilderness teeming with life. Most of this life stays hidden, yet these animals and their subterranean homes are ubiquitous, ranging from the deep sea to mountains, from the equator to the poles. Burrows are a refuge from predators, a safe home for raising young, or a tool to ambush prey. Burrows also protect animals against all types of natural disasters: fires, droughts, storms, meteorites, global warmings-and coolings. In a book filled with spectacularly diverse fauna, acclaimed paleontologist and ichnologist Anthony Martin reveals this fascinating, hidden world that will continue to influence and transform life on this planet.

A collaboration to excite the mind and dazzle the eye, probing such mysteries as: Where the first dinosaurs appeared and how they evolved; how the giant sauropods lived and reared their young; hunting strategies among the predators; migratory habits and family life of the dinosaurs; possible causes of extinction. An extraordinary new look at the prehistoric life of the dinosaurs by some of the world's foremost paleontologists, dinosaur illustrators, and visionary authors. This unique collaboration produces a spectacular tour of the world of the dinosaurs with vivid pictures, fascinating new ideas and thought-provoking tales by a dozen respected dreamers.

During the past forty-three years our Division of Zoology of the Royal Ontario Museum has been most active in collecting various species of animals throughout the Province of Ontario, with particular emphasis on the local fauna of the Toronto region. During this time a number of outstanding naturalists have not only made careful collections of animals, but have also recorded accurate observations on the species with which they were familiar. This publication, we most sincerely hope, will be the first of many similar contributions to the study of the distribution of the fauna of Ontario.

"Fossils are the fragments from which, piece by laborious piece, the great mosaic of the history of life has been constructed. Here and there, we can supplement these meager scraps by the use of biochemical markers or geochemical signatures that add useful information, but, even with such additional help, our reconstructions and our models of descent are often tentative. For the fossil record is, as we have seen, as biased as it is incomplete. But fragmentary, selective, and biased though it is, the fossil record, with all its imperfections, is still a treasure. Though whole chapters are missing, many pages lost, and the earliest pages so damaged as to be, as yet, virtually unreadable, this-the greatest biography of all-is one in whose closing pages we find ourselves."-from Origins In Origins, Frank H. T. Rhodes explores the origin and evolution of living things, the changing environments in which they have developed, and the challenges we now face on an increasingly crowded and polluted planet. Rhodes argues that the future well-being of our burgeoning population depends in no small part on our understanding of life's past, its long and slow development, and its intricate interdependencies. Rhodes's accessible and extensively illustrated treatment of the origins narrative describes the nature of the search for prehistoric life, the significance of geologic time, the origin of life, the emergence and spread of flora and fauna, the evolution of primates, and the emergence of modern humans.

The paleoecological history of the Americas is as complex as the region is broad: stretching from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego, the New World features some of the most extraordinary vegetation on the planet. But until now it has lacked a complete natural history. Alan Graham remedies that with "A Natural History of the New World." With plants as his scientific muse, Graham traces the evolution of ecosystems, beginning in the Late Cretaceous period (about 100 million years ago) and ending in the present, charting their responses to changes in geology and climate. By highlighting plant communities' roles in the environmental history of the Americas, Graham offers an overdue balance to natural histories that focus exclusively on animals. Plants are important in evolution's splendid drama. Not only are they conspicuous and conveniently stationary components of the Earth's ecosystems, but their extensive fossil record allows for a thorough reconstruction of the planet's paleoenvironments. What's more, plants provide oxygen, function as food and fuel, and provide habitat and shelter; in short, theirs is a history that can speak to many other areas of evolution. "A Natural History of the New World "is an ambitious and unprecedented synthesis written by one of the world's leading scholars of botany and geology.

Our knowledge of the origin and early evolution of birds has exploded in the past ten to fifteen years. In the 1990s alone, scientists became aware of approximately three times more species of early birds than were previously known, marking the first 85 million years of avian development as a period of remarkable species diversity. Assembling work by an international group of renowned scientists, "Mesozoic Birds: Above the Heads of Dinosaurs "is the most authoritative and up-to-date source on early avian evolution currently available. This unique resource provides a comprehensive examination of the known fossil record and is also an unparalleled guide to the fast-paced developments in current research.
"Mesozoic Birds: Above the Heads of Dinosaurs "covers a wide range of topics, including discussions of avian origins, the fossil record of feathers and footprints, bone histology, and locomotor evolution. Controversial taxa such as "Protoavis, Caudipteryx, "and "Mononykus "receive special treatment. But the heart of the volume presents the anatomy, relationships, and paleobiology of the undisputed Mesozoic aviary. Some of the book's most exciting features are the new definitive descriptions and illustrations of taxa that previously have received only brief notice, such as the alvarezsaurid "Shuvuuia; "the enantiornithines "Sinornis; Eoalulavis, Vorona, "and "Patagopteryx; "and the hesperornithiform "Enaliornis.
"The origin of birds and their relationship to dinosaurs continue to be hotly debated among paleontologists, ornithologists, and evolutionary biologists. This cutting-edge reference will become an essential resource for those interested in this debate and in the many other fascinating topics relating to the evolution of the earliest known birds.

Approximately 99% of all life that has ever existed is extinct. Fortunately, these long dead species have left traces of their lives and interactions with other species in the rock record that paleoecologists use to understand how species and ecosystems have changed over time. This record of past life allows us to study the dynamic nature of the Earth and gives context to current and future ecological challenges. This book brings together forty-four classic papers published between 1924 and 1999 that trace the origins and development of paleoecology. The articles cross taxonomic groups, habitat types, geographic areas, and time and have made substantial contributions to our knowledge of the evolution of life. Encompassing the full breadth of paleoecology, the book is divided into six parts: community and ecosystem dynamics, community reconstruction, diversity dynamics, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, species interaction, and taphonomy. Each paper is also introduced by a contemporary expert who gives context and explains its importance to ongoing paleoecological research. A comprehensive introduction to the field, Foundations of Paleoecology will be an essential reference for new students and established paleoecologists alike.

Humans are the only mammals to walk on two, rather than four, legs. From an evolutionary perspective, this is an illogical development, as it slows us down. But here we are, suggesting there must have been something tremendous to gain from bipedalism. First Steps takes our ordinary, everyday walking experience and reveals how unusual and extraordinary it truly is. The seven-million-year-long journey through the origins of upright walking shows how it was in fact a gateway to many of the other attributes that make us human-from our technological skills and sociality to our thirst for exploration. DeSilva uses early human evolution to explain the instinct that propels a crawling infant to toddle onto two feet, differences between how men and women tend to walk, physical costs of upright walking, including hernias, varicose veins and backache, and the challenges of childbirth imposed by a bipedal pelvis. And he theorises that upright walking may have laid the foundation for the traits of compassion, empathy and altruism that characterise our species today and helped us become the dominant species on this planet.

Hadrosaurs--also known as duck-billed dinosaurs--are abundant in the fossil record. With their unique complex jaws and teeth perfectly suited to shred and chew plants, they flourished on Earth in remarkable diversity during the Late Cretaceous. So ubiquitous are their remains that we have learned more about dinosaurian paleobiology and paleoecology from hadrosaurs than we have from any other group. In recent years, hadrosaurs have been in the spotlight. Researchers around the world have been studying new specimens and new taxa seeking to expand and clarify our knowledge of these marvelous beasts. This volume presents the results of an international symposium on hadrosaurs, sponsored by the Royal Tyrrell Museum and the Royal Ontario Museum, where scientists and students gathered to share their research and their passion for duck-billed dinosaurs. A uniquely comprehensive treatment of hadrosaurs, the book encompasses not only the well-known hadrosaurids proper, but also Hadrosaouroidea, allowing the former group to be evaluated in a broader perspective. The 36 chapters are divided into six sections--an overview, new insights into hadrosaur origins, hadrosaurid anatomy and variation, biogeography and biostratigraphy, function and growth, and preservation, tracks, and traces--followed by an afterword by Jack Horner.

Earth's climate has undergone dramatic changes over the geologic timescale. At one extreme, Earth has been glaciated from the poles to the equator for periods that may have lasted millions of years. At another, temperatures were once so warm that the Canadian Arctic was heavily forested and large dinosaurs lived on Antarctica. Paleoclimatology is the study of such changes and their causes. Studying Earth's long-term climate history gives scientists vital clues about anthropogenic global warming and how climate is affected by human endeavor.

In this book, Michael Bender, an internationally recognized authority on paleoclimate, provides a concise, comprehensive, and sophisticated introduction to the subject. After briefly describing the major periods in Earth history to provide geologic context, he discusses controls on climate and how the record of past climate is determined. The heart of the book then proceeds chronologically, introducing the history of climate changes over millions of years--its patterns and major transitions, and why average global temperature has varied so much. The book ends with a discussion of the Holocene (the past 10,000 years) and by putting manmade climate change in the context of paleoclimate.

The most up-to-date overview on the subject, "Paleoclimate" provides an ideal introduction to undergraduates, nonspecialist scientists, and general readers with a scientific background.

The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is the location of one of the best-known terrestrial records for the late Cretaceous. Prior fieldwork confirmed the richness of the area, but a major effort begun in the new century has documented over 2,000 new vertebrate fossil sites, provided new radiometric dates, and identified five new genera of ceratopsids, two new species of hadrosaur, a probable new genus of hypsilophodontid, new pachycephalosaurs and ankylosaurs, several kinds of theropods (including a new genus of oviraptor and a new tyrannosaur), plus the most complete specimen of a Late Cretaceous therizinosaur ever collected from North America, and much more. The research documented in this book is rewriting our understanding of Late Cretaceous paleobiogeography and dinosaur phyletics. At the Top of the Grand Staircase: The Late Cretaceous of Southern Utah is a major stepping stone toward a total synthesis of the ecology and evolution of the Late Cretaceous ecosystems of western North America.

South America is home to some of the most distinctive mammals on Earth—giant armadillos, tiny anteaters, the world's largest rodent, and its smallest deer. But the continent once supported a variety of other equally intriguing mammals that have no close living relatives: armored mammals with tail clubs, saber-toothed marsupials, and even a swimming sloth. We know of the existence of these peculiar species thanks to South America's rich fossil record, which provides many glimpses of prehistoric mammals and the ecosystems in which they lived. Organized as a "walk through time" and featuring species from 15 important fossil sites, this book is the most extensive and richly illustrated volume devoted exclusively to the Cenozoic mammals of South America. The text is supported by 75 life reconstructions of extinct species in their native habitats, as well as photographs of fossil specimens and the sites highlighted in the book. An annotated bibliography is included for those interested in delving into the scientific literature.

This book focuses on the evolution of sedimentary basins of the Arabian Plate and its surroundings. Because these sedimentary basins developed in various tectonic settings, from extensional or transtensional to flexural, transpressional or compressional, their sedimentary sequences provide unique records of the regional geology. Georesources of the Arabian Plate are also described here, including petroleum potential, reservoirs, water resources, fresh water and deep saline aquifers, as well as materials and ore deposits. The book is made by a set of papers authored by geoscientists working in both academia and industry. Numerous chapters describe some regional important geologic features and selected sedimentary basins from the Middle East, North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula domains. Other chapters focus on georesources. A particular focus is given to the geology of Saudi Arabia. This book is an important contribution to the geology of the Arabian Peninsula and its surroundings. In view of the strategic and economic importance of the regional geology and georesources of the Arabian Plate and Surroundings, this volume will constitute an important reference for a wide range of geoscientists interested in the geology of this region, especially those active in petroleum geosciences and related industry. Ultimately, readers will discover important thematic maps in this book.

This volume presents state-of-the-art papers on important topics and methods in the analysis of vertebrate microfossil assemblages. The minute remains of animals and plants have proven very useful to paleontologists as tools for dating large fossils, describing the environments which existed at the time the fossils were deposited, and identifying and mapping the extent of local floras and faunas, among other things. Due to the large sample sizes that can be obtained, the chance to recover rare taxa is much higher than it is during a search for skeletal remains. Analysis of the data produced from microvertebrate localities can address a wide range of questions as these papers clearly demonstrate.

Part of a monograph series on fossils The publication, Strategraphic Correlation by Microfacies of the Cenomanian Coniacian of the Sergipe Basin, Brazil, gives an account of the results of research conducted by the authors on the Sergipe Basin around the coast of Brazil. The published findings are featured in the international Fossils and Strata series.

"Special Papers in Palaeontology," published by The Palaeontological Association, is a series of substantial separate works conforming to the style of the "Palaeontology" journal. Two issues are published each year and feature high standard illustrations.This issue investigates the Hope Bay and Botany Bay, Graham Land, Antarctica which have yielded two of the most diverse floras known from the Jurassic.Presents a major revision of the Hope Bay flora, based on extensive subsequent collections.Brings together researchers, geologists and enthusiasts who continue to find material of significance.Highlights the need for reappraisal of a number of other Mesozoic Gondwanan floras that have been dated mainly on their close similarity to the Hope Bay flora.Includes 20 plates, 2 tables and 9 text-figures.

A classic in its field, "Human Osteology "has been used by students and professionals through nearly two decades. Now revised and updated for a third edition, the book continues to build on its foundation of detailed photographs and practical real-world application of science. New information, expanded coverage of existing chapters, and additional supportive photographs keep this book current and valuable for both classroom and field work.
Osteologists, archaeologists, anatomists, forensic scientists and paleontologists will all find practical information on accurately identifying, recovering, and analyzing and reporting on human skeletal remains and on making correct deductions from those remains.
KEY FEATURES:
* From the world renowned and bestselling team of osteologist Tim D. White, Michael T. Black and photographer Pieter A. Folkens
* Includes hundreds of exceptional photographs in exquisite detail showing the maximum amount of anatomical information
* Features updated and expanded coverage including forensic damage to bone and updated case study examples
* Presents life sized images of skeletal parts for ease of study and reference

Darriwilian to Sandbian Graptolites from Northwest China provides information on the exquisite, mostly-pyritic graptolites of middle to late Ordovician from North China and Tarim, China. These locations have developed the most complete successions of strata and fossil records of the time in the world. It provides the first systematic account of the renowned graptolite faunas with over 100 species belonging to 45 genera and 15 families preserved in black shale and limestone, with plentiful elaborate figures, camera-lucida illustrations and color photos of graptolites.

The book presents many aspects of the graptolites during the critical transition from middle to late Ordovician, including new morphologies, classification of latest convention, diversity change and evolutions, and based on which a refined biostratigraphy divisions and correlation with other major regions or continents. The book is useful for paleontologists, stratigraphic specialists, petroleum geologists, and graduate students of various fields in geology.
Presents the first monograph of the middle to late Ordovician graptolites from Northwest ChinaOffers four color figures and photos throughoutIncorporates knowledge and opinions from many top influential Ordovician graptolite and conodont paleontologists

The aim of the atlas is to provide images of taphonomic modifications, making it as comprehensive as possible with evidence presently available. This volume is intended both as a field guide for identifying taphonomic modifications in the field, and for use in the laboratory when collections of fossils are being analyzed. Images in the book are a combination of scanning electron micrographs, regular photographs, cross-sections of bones and line drawings and graphs. By providing good quality illustrations of taphonomic modifications, with links between similar types of modification, the atlas provides a reference source for identifying the agents responsible for the modifications, the processes by which they were formed, and the potential bias introduced by the processes. The authors also aim to emphasize on the directions they consider taphonomic studies should be headed. Firstly, we should seek to quantify the degree of bias introduced into a fossil fauna and to take account of this bias before interpreting the palaeoecology of the fossil site. Secondly, we should recognize that taphonomic modifications increase the information encoded in fossils by identifying perimortem and postmortem contexts. This provides a more dynamic and realistic view of the past.

This study is organized around three themes: the origin and early diversification of life during the Archean Eon; the maturation of life and the Earth during the long Proterozoic Eon; and the explosive diversification of multicellular life that marks the dawn of the Phanerozoic Eon. The contributors discuss the coherence of history, the combinatorial generation of taxonomic diversity, early Metazoan evolution, and the Cambrian explosion.

The Jurassic Coast in the United Kingdom is a World Heritage Site and one of the most significant geological and geomorphological locations on earth. Its geology, which dates from the Triassic through the Cretaceous Ages, features a remarkable fossil record, including the remains of dinosaurs. The Jurassic Coast also boasts extraordinary landforms, such as huge landslips, raised beaches, dry valleys, shingle barriers, and coastal lagoons. Many leading geologists, geomorphologists, and paleontologists have worked in the area, making the Jurassic Coast a nexus for the study of earth science. Geological Pioneers of the Jurassic Coast describes the importance of the site and examines the lives and achievements of over forty individuals who studied it. Progressing chronologically, the book tells the stories of early researchers, fossil collectors, geological mappers, stratigraphers, and paleontologists from the seventeenth century to today. These include such groundbreaking figures as Robert Hooke, Mary Anning, William Buckland, William Conybeare, Henry De La Beche, W.J. Arkell, and Joseph Prestwich. Written to appeal to both specialists and general readers, Geological Pioneers of the Jurassic Coast will be of interest to historians of science, geologists and geomorphologists, and students and visitors to the area.

An up-to-date atlas of an important fossil and living group, with the Natural History Museum. Deep-sea benthic foraminifera have played a central role in biostratigraphic, paleoecological, and paleoceanographical research for over a century. These single-celled marine protists are important because of their geographic ubiquity, distinction morphologies and rapid evolutionary rates, their abundance and diversity deep-sea sediments, and because of their utility as indicators of environmental conditions both at and below the sediment-water interface. In addition, stable isotopic data obtained from deep-sea benthic foraminiferal tests provide paleoceanographers with environmental information that is proving to be of major significance in studies of global climatic change. This work collects together, for the first time, new morphological descriptions, taxonomic placements, stratigraphic occurrence data, geographical distribution summaries, and palaeoecological information, along with state-of-the-art colour photomicrographs (most taken in reflected light, just as you would see them using light microscopy), of 300 common deep-sea benthic foraminifera species spanning the interval from Jurassic - Recent. This volume is intended as a reference and research resource for post-graduate students in micropalaeontology, geological professionals (stratigraphers, paleontologists, paleoecologists, palaeoceanographers), taxonomists, and evolutionary (paleo)biologists.

This book chronicles the earliest histories of familiar tropical Asian crops in the ancient Middle East and the Mediterranean, from rice and cotton to citruses and cucumbers. Drawing on archaeological materials and textual sources in over seven ancient languages, The Tropical Turn unravels the breathtaking anthropogenic peregrinations of these familiar crops from their homelands in tropical and subtropical Asia to the Middle East and the Mediterranean, showing the significant impact South Asia had on the ecologies, dietary habits, and cultural identities of peoples across the ancient world. In the process, Sureshkumar Muthukumaran offers a fresh narrative history of human connectivity across Afro-Eurasia from the Bronze Age to the late centuries BCE.