Description
Book SynopsisPaleoecology is a discipline that uses evidence from fossils to provide an understanding of ancient environments and the ecological history of life through geological time.
Trade Review‘This work is intended as a gateway into an understanding of paleoecology, particularly as a primer for advanced undergraduate or graduate students. It provides both a critical jumping off point for a guided exploration of the technical literature and enough structure to design a class or seminar around, which is one of its greatest strengths. The volume should be a valued reference for the professional as well, particularly its extensive references and numerous figures. A book such as this is sorely needed in the field today, and shines in its ability to connect patterns found in ancient organisms to the present and future health of the biosphere.’ The Quarterly Review of Biology, 92:4 (2017)
Table of ContentsPreface vii
1 Overview 1
2 Deep time and actualism in paleoecological reconstruction 10
3 Ecology, paleoecology, and evolutionary paleoecology 17
4 Taphonomy 33
5 Bioturbation and trace fossils 52
6 Microbial structures 64
7 Across the great divide: Precambrian to Phanerozoic paleoecology 76
8 Phanerozoic level-bottom marine environments 95
9 Reefs, shell beds, cold seeps, and hydrothermal vents 114
10 Pelagic ecosystems 128
11 Terrestrial ecosystems 139
12 Ecological change through time 153
13 Ecological consequences of mass extinctions 175
14 Conservation paleoecology 203
Index 217
Color plate pages fall between pp. 1 and 42
