The invasion of land by ocean-dwelling plants and animals was one
of the most revolutionary events in the evolution of life on Earth,
yet the animal invasion almost failed-twice-because of the twin
mass extinctions of the Late Devonian Epoch. Some 359 to 375
million years ago, these catastrophic events dealt our ancestors a
blow that almost drove them back into the sea. If those extinctions
had been just a bit more severe, spiders and insects-instead of
vertebrates-might have become the ecologically dominant forms of
animal life on land. This book examines the profound evolutionary
consequences of the Late Devonian extinctions and the various
theories proposed to explain their occurrence. Only one group of
four-limbed vertebrates exists on Earth, while other tetrapod-like
fishes are extinct. This gap is why the idea of "fish with feet"
seems so peculiar to us, yet such animals were once a vital part of
our world, and if the Devonian extinctions had not happened,
members of these species, like the famous Acanthostega and
Ichthyostega, might have continued to live in our rivers and lakes.
Synthesizing decades of research and including a wealth of new
discoveries, this accessible, comprehensive text explores the
causes of the Devonian extinctions, the reasons vertebrates were so
severely affected, and the potential evolution of the modern world
if the extinctions had never taken place.
General
| Imprint: |
Columbia University Press
|
| Country of origin: |
United States |
| Series: |
The Critical Moments and Perspectives in Earth History and Paleobiology |
| Release date: |
October 2013 |
| First published: |
October 2013 |
| Authors: |
George R. McGhee Jr
|
| Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 15mm (L x W x T) |
| Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
| Pages: |
336 |
| Edition: |
New |
| ISBN-13: |
978-0-231-16057-5 |
| Categories: |
Books >
Earth & environment >
Earth sciences >
Palaeontology >
General
Promotions
|
| LSN: |
0-231-16057-7 |
| Barcode: |
9780231160575 |
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