What can the interactions of ancient mammals and their environments
tell us about the present-and the future? Classic paleontology has
focused on the study of fossils and the reconstruction of lineages
of extinct species. But as diverse fossils of animals and plants
were unearthed and catalogued, it became possible to reconstruct
more elaborate ecosystems, tying together plants, animals, and
geology. By the second half of the twentieth century, this effort
gave birth to the field of paleoecology: the study of the
interactions between organisms and their environments across
geologic timescales. In Mammalian Paleoecology, Felisa Smith
broadly considers extinct mammals in an ecological context. Arguing
that the past has much to teach us and that mammals, which display
an impressive array of diverse life history and ecological
characteristics, are the ideal organism through which to view the
fossil record, Smith * reviews the history, major fossil-hunting
figures, and fundamental principles of paleoecology, including
stratigraphy, dating, and taphonomy * discusses the importance of
mammal body size, how to estimate size, and what size and shape
reveal about long-dead organisms * explains the structure,
function, and utility of different types of mammal teeth *
highlights other important methods and proxies used in modern
paleoecology, including stable isotopes, ancient DNA, and
paleomidden analyses * assesses nontraditional fossils * presents
readers with several case studies that describe how the fossil
record can help inform the scientific discussion on anthropogenic
climate change Mammalian Paleoecology is an approachable overview
of how we obtain information from fossils and what this information
can tell us about the environments of the distant past. It will
profoundly affect the way paleontologists and climatologists view
the lives of ancient mammals.
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