Paleontological Data Analysis

Paleontological Data Analysis
Author: Øyvind Hammer
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 368
Release: 2008-04-15
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1405172940

During the last 10 years numerical methods have begun to dominate paleontology. These methods now reach far beyond the fields of morphological and phylogenetic analyses to embrace biostratigraphy, paleobiogeography, and paleoecology. Paleontological Data Analysis explains the key numerical techniques in paleontology, and the methodologies employed in the software packages now available. Following an introduction to numerical methodologies in paleontology, and to univariate and multivariate techniques (including inferential testing), there follow chapters on morphometrics, phylogenetic analysis, paleobiogeography and paleoecology, time series analysis, and quantitative biostratigraphy Each chapter describes a range of techniques in detail, with worked examples, illustrations, and appropriate case histories Describes the purpose, type of data required, functionality, and implementation of each technique, together with notes of caution where appropriate The book and the accompanying PAST software package (see www.blackwellpublishing.com/hammer) are important investigative tools in a rapidly developing field characterized by many exciting new discoveries and innovative techniques An invaluable tool for all students and researchers involved in quantitative paleontology

Paleontological Data Analysis

Paleontological Data Analysis
Author: Øyvind Hammer
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 404
Release: 2024-03-05
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1119933951

PALEONTOLOGICAL DATA ANALYSIS An up-to-date edition of the indispensable guide to analysing paleontological data Paleontology has developed in recent decades into an increasingly data-driven discipline, which brings to bear a huge variety of statistical tools. Applying statistical methods to paleontological data requires a discipline-specific understanding of which methods and parameters are the most appropriate ones, and how to account for statistical bias inherent in the fossil record. By guiding the reader to these and other fundamental questions in the statistical analysis of fossilized specimens, Paleontological Data Analysis has become the standard text for anyone with an interest in quantitative analysis of the fossil record. Now fully updated to reflect the latest statistical methods and disciplinary advances, it is an essential tool for practitioners and students alike. Readers of the second edition of Paleontological Data Analysis readers will also find: New sections on machine learning, Bayesian inference, phylogenetic comparative methods, analysis of CT data, and much more New use cases and examples using PAST, R, and Python software packages Full color illustrations throughout Paleontological Data Analysis is ideal for paleontologists, evolutionary biologists, taxonomists, and students in any of these fields.

Fossils, Phylogeny, and Form

Fossils, Phylogeny, and Form
Author: Jonathan M. Adrain
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 420
Release: 2002-01-31
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780306467219

Phylogenetic analysis and morphometrics have been developed by biologists into rigorous analytic tools for testing hypotheses about the relationships between groups of species. This book applies these tools to paleontological data. The fossil record is our one true chronicle of the history of life, preserving a set of macroevolutionary patterns; thus various hypotheses about evolutionary processes can be tested in the fossil record using phylogentic analysis and morphometrics. The first book of its type, Fossils, Phylogeny, and Form will be useful in evolutionary biology, paleontology, systematics, evolutionary development, theoretical biology, biogeography, and zoology. It will also provide a practical, researcher-friendly gateway into computer-based phylogenetics and morphometrics.

Numerical Palaeobiology

Numerical Palaeobiology
Author: D. A. T. Harper
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 488
Release: 1999-07-09
Genre: Science
ISBN:

Numerical Palaeobiology Computer-Based Modelling and Analysis of Fossils and their Distributions Edited by David A.T. Harper University of Copenhagen, Denmark Microcomputers have become an everyday part of the palaeobiologists tool-kit. Moreover, there is now a wide range of computer software available to handle all sorts of palaeontological data and problems. This book, aimed at final year undergraduates, graduate students and professional palaeontologists, biologists and geologists, brings together the many strands of contemporary palaeontology through the medium of numeracy. It provides a comprehensive review, with applications, of the many computer based techniques available for the analysis and modelling of palaeontological data. The first part of the book covers classical phenetic taxonomy through cladistics and the computer-generated reconstructions of fossils to actual models for fossil growth. This leads onto distribution analysis and modelling of fossils in time and space. Detailed stratigraphical distributions of fossils are described in quantitative terms together with the larger-scale patterns in the history of life itself, while palaeoecology, palynofacies, trace fossils and palaeogeography are all introduced through a spectrum of numerical algorithms. The majority of the studies are linked to specific software packages and many are illustrated with case histories. Although there are a number of books available on computer modelling and data analysis in geology, no study has integrated the two with such a range of palaeontological subject material.

Statistics and Data Analysis in Geology

Statistics and Data Analysis in Geology
Author: John C. Davis
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2011
Genre: Geology
ISBN:

Special Features: · Offers a comprehensive treatment of statistics in geology.· Topics progress from background information to analysis of geological sequences, then maps, and finally multivariate observations.· The book places special emphasis on probability and statistics, including nonparametric statistics, constant-sum data, eigenvalue calculations, analysis of directional data, mapping and geostatistics, fractals, and multivariate analysis.· The text now includes numerous geological data sets that illustrate how specific computational procedures can be applied to problems in the Earth sciences. All data sets are available on the book's companion Web site.· Each chapter now ends with a set of exercises of greater or lesser complexity that the student can address using methods discussed in the chapter.· Provides expanded coverage of elementary probability theory.· The discussion of nonparametric methods has been expanded to address closure effects.· Coverage of eigenvalues and eigenvectors has been revised.· Includes a new section on singular value decomposition and the relationship between R- and Q-mode factor methods in the chapter on multivariate analysis.· The section on contour mapping has been revised to reflect modern practices.· Includes revised coverage of the many varieties of kriging and provides of series of simple demonstrations that illustrate how geostatistical methodologies work.· Includes a discussion of fractals, a promising area of future research.· The section on regression has been expanded to include several variants that have special significance in the Earth sciences.

Paleontology in Ecology and Conservation

Paleontology in Ecology and Conservation
Author: Julien Louys
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 277
Release: 2012-04-25
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3642250386

The fossil record contains unique long-term insights into how ecosystems form and function which cannot be determined simply by examining modern systems. It also provides a record of endangered species through time, which allow us to make conservation decisions based on thousands to millions of years of information. The aim of this book is to demonstrate how palaeontological data has been or could be incorporated into ecological or conservation scientific studies. This book will be written by palaeontologists for modern ecologists and conservation scientists. Manuscripts will fall into one (or a combination) of four broad categories: case studies, review articles, practical considerations and future directions. This book will serve as both a ‘how to guide’ and provide the current state of knowledge for this type of research. It will highlight the unique and critical insights that can be gained by the inclusion of palaeontological data into modern ecological or conservation studies.

Principles of Paleontology

Principles of Paleontology
Author: David Raup
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 498
Release: 1978-03-15
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780716700227

Presents principles of paleontology at an undergraduate level Emphasizes theory and concepts over details of morphology and the fossil record Profusely illustrated with photographs, charts, graphs, and tables

Rereading the Fossil Record

Rereading the Fossil Record
Author: David Sepkoski
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 441
Release: 2015-03-05
Genre: Science
ISBN: 022627294X

Rereading the Fossil Record presents the first-ever historical account of the origin, rise, and importance of paleobiology, from the mid-nineteenth century to the late 1980s. Drawing on a wealth of archival material, David Sepkoski shows how the movement was conceived and promoted by a small but influential group of paleontologists and examines the intellectual, disciplinary, and political dynamics involved in the ascendency of paleobiology. By tracing the role of computer technology, large databases, and quantitative analytical methods in the emergence of paleobiology, this book also offers insight into the growing prominence and centrality of data-driven approaches in recent science.