Plants in Mesozoic Time

Plants in Mesozoic Time
Author: Carole T. Gee
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Total Pages: 420
Release: 2010-07-16
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0253001994

Plants in Mesozoic Time showcases the latest research of broad botanical and paleontological interest from the world's experts on Mesozoic plant life. Each chapter covers a special aspect of a particular plant group -- ranging from horsetails to ginkgophytes, from cycads to conifers -- and relates it to key innovations in structure, phylogenetic relationships, the Mesozoic flora, or to animals such as plant-eating dinosaurs. The book's geographic scope ranges from Antarctica and Argentina to the western interior of North America, with studies on the reconstruction of the Late Jurassic vegetation of the Morrison Formation and on fossil angiosperm lianas from Late Cretaceous deposits in Utah and New Mexico. The volume also includes cutting-edge studies on the evolutionary developmental biology ("evo-devo") of Mesozoic forests, the phylogenetic analysis of the still enigmatic bennettitaleans, and the genetic developmental controls of the oldest flowers in the fossil record.

Dinosaur Odyssey

Dinosaur Odyssey
Author: Scott D. Sampson
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 360
Release: 2011-06-28
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0520269896

"The best general-audience dinosaur book since the Dinosaur Renaissance began in the 1970s."—Philip J. Currie, coeditor of Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs, from the foreword “Dinosaur Odyssey is not only a personable and highly accessible tour of the up-to-date discoveries about the gigantic and famous. It also builds on dinosaur paleontology to far-ranging topics like extinction, climate change, and the possibility of life on Mars. The gift to the reader is both fascination and enlightenment.”—Michael Novacek, author of Terra and Dinosaurs of the Flaming Cliffs "An odyssey indeed! One of the world's leading dinosaur paleontologists, Sampson draws on a wide variety of sciences, from astronomy and cosmology to microbiology and ecology, in order to portray dinosaurs as living animals. The reader is in for a treat and will emerge with fresh and valuable insights."—Peter Dodson, author of The Horned Dinosaurs

Introduction to Plant Fossils

Introduction to Plant Fossils
Author: Christopher J. Cleal
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 264
Release: 2019-06-30
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9781108705028

Plant remains can preserve a critical part of history of life on Earth. While telling the fascinating evolutionary story of plants and vegetation across the last 500 million years, this book also crucially offers non-specialists a practical guide to studying, dealing with and interpreting plant fossils. It shows how various techniques can be used to reveal the secrets of plant fossils and how to identify common types, such as compressions and impressions. Incorporating the concepts of evolutionary floras, this second edition includes revised data on all main plant groups, the latest approaches to naming plant fossils using fossil-taxa and techniques such as tomography. With extensive illustrations of plant fossils and living plants, the book encourages readers to think of fossils as once-living organisms. It is written for students on introductory or intermediate courses in palaeobotany, palaeontology, plant evolutionary biology and plant science, and for amateurs interested in studying plant fossils.

The Mesozoic Era

The Mesozoic Era
Author: John P. Rafferty Associate Editor, Earth Sciences
Publisher: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc
Total Pages: 287
Release: 2010-08-15
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1615301038

Explores dinosaurs from Sir Richard Owen's first attempts in classifying the strange bones found in his country to the new and contradictory ideas of what they were.

Biology of the Sauropod Dinosaurs

Biology of the Sauropod Dinosaurs
Author: Nichole Klein
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Total Pages: 369
Release: 2011-04-22
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0253013550

Sauropods, those huge plant-eating dinosaurs, possessed bodies that seem to defy every natural law. What were these creatures like as living animals and how could they reach such uniquely gigantic sizes? A dedicated group of researchers in Germany in disciplines ranging from engineering and materials science to animal nutrition and paleontology went in search of the answers to these questions. Biology of the Sauropod Dinosaurs reports on the latest results from this seemingly disparate group of research fields and integrates them into a coherent theory regarding sauropod gigantism. Covering nutrition, physiology, growth, and skeletal structure and body plans, this volume presents the most up-to-date knowledge about the biology of these enormous dinosaurs.

Dinosaurs in Australia

Dinosaurs in Australia
Author: Benjamin P Kear
Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
Total Pages: 201
Release: 2011-04-19
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0643102310

Over the last few decades our understanding of what Australia was like during the Mesozoic Era has changed radically. A rush of new fossil discoveries, together with cutting-edge analytical techniques, has created a much more detailed picture of ancient life and environments from the great southern continent. Giant dinosaurs, bizarre sea monsters and some of the earliest ancestors of Australia’s unique modern animals and plants all occur in rocks of Mesozoic age. Ancient geographical positioning of Australia close to the southern polar circle and mounting geological evidence for near freezing temperatures also make it one of the most unusual and globally significant sources of fossils from the age of dinosaurs. This book provides the first comprehensive overview of current research on Australian Mesozoic faunas and floras, with a balanced coverage of the many technical papers, conference abstracts and unpublished material housed in current collections. It is a primary reference for researchers in the fields of palaeontology, geology and biology, senior undergraduate and postgraduate students, secondary level teachers, as well as fossil collectors and anyone interested in natural history. Dinosaurs in Australia is fully illustrated in colour with original artworks and 12 reconstructions of key animals. It has a foreword by Tim Flannery and is the ideal book for anybody seeking to know more about Australia’s amazing age of dinosaurs.

A History of Plants in Fifty Fossils

A History of Plants in Fifty Fossils
Author: Paul Kenrick
Publisher: Smithsonian Institution
Total Pages: 158
Release: 2020-03-20
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1588346714

An illustrated history of plants presented through the stories of 50 key fossil discoveries This is the lively, fully illustrated story of plant life on Earth as revealed through some of the most significant fossil discoveries ever made. Beginning with the origins of plant life in the sea, where photosynthesis first evolved in bacteria, the book traces the evolution of land plants, ferns, conifers and their relatives, and flowering plants. Each fossil is depicted with stunning full-color photography alongside narrative from paleobotanist Paul Kenrick explaining its significance and revealing the story behind its discovery. Interspersed throughout the book are contextual "snapshots" of landscapes and environments at various periods of geological time, focusing on plants and plant-animal interactions. A History of Plants in Fifty Fossils is perfect for anyone interested in plants, fossils, and the stories they tell us about life on Earth.

History of the Australian Vegetation

History of the Australian Vegetation
Author: Robert S. Hill
Publisher: University of Adelaide Press
Total Pages: 445
Release: 2017-03-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1925261476

The Australian vegetation is the end result of a remarkable history of climate change, latitudinal change, continental isolation, soil evolution, interaction with an evolving fauna, fire and most recently human impact. This book presents a detailed synopsis of the critical events that led to the evolution of the unique Australian flora and the wide variety of vegetational types contained within it. The first part of the book details the past continental relationships of Australia, its palaeoclimate, fauna and the evolution of its landforms since the rise to dominance of the angiosperms at the beginning of the Cretaceous period. A detailed summary of the palaeobotanical record is then presented. The palynological record gives an overview of the vegetation and the distribution of important taxa within it, while the complementary macrofossil record is used to trace the evolution of critical taxa. This book will interest graduate students and researchers interested in the evolution of the flora of this fascinating continent.

Plants & People

Plants & People
Author: James D. Mauseth
Publisher: Jones & Bartlett Publishers
Total Pages: 524
Release: 2013
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0763785504

Part of the Jones & Bartlett Learning Special Topics in Biology Series!Plants play a role in the environment, in food, beverage, and drug production, as well as human health. Written for the introductory, non-science major course, Plants and People outlines the practical, economical, and environmental aspects of plants' interaction with humans and the earth. Mauseth provides comprehensive coverage of plants in the environment --global warming, deforestation, biogeography -- as well as the role plants play in food, fiber, and medicine.