Insect Traces in Soils and Paleosols is devoted to the ichnology of insects, and associated trace fossils, in soils and paleosols. The traces described here, mostly nests and pupation chambers, include one of the most complex architectures produced by animals. Chapters explore the walls, shapes and fillings of trace fossils followed by descriptions of their classifications and ichnotaxonomy. Detailed descriptions and interpretations for different groups of insects like bees, ants, termites, dung beetles and wasps are also provided. Chapters also highlight the the paleoenvironmental significance of insect trace fossils in paleosols for paleontological reconstructions, sedimentological interpretation, and ichnofabrics analysis. Readers will discover how insect trace fossils act as physical evidence for reconstructing the evolution of behavior, phylogenies, past geographical distributions, and to know how insects achieved some of the more complex architectures. Insect Traces in Soils and Paleosols will appeal to researchers and graduate students in ichnology, sedimentology, paleopedology, and entomology and readers interested in insect architecture.
Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 The wall: where everything begins
Chapter 3 Other characters: shape, fillings and further micromorphological characters
Chapter 4 Classifications. The utopia of classifying the unclassifiable
Chapter 5 The keys I. Celliformidae and Coprinisphaeridae
Chapter 6 The keys II. Krausichnidae and Pallichnidae
Chapter 7 Dung beetle masonry
Chapter 8 Trace fossils of dung beetles
Chapter 9 Basic architecture of soil nesting wasps and bees
Chapter 10 Wasp and bee trace fossils
Chapter 11 Blueprints of termite and ant nests
Chapter 12 The trace fossil record of eusociality in ants and termites
Chapter 13 Other insect trace fossils in paleosols: cicadas, chafers, weevils and sphinx moths
Chapter 14 Traces from nest invaders
Chapter 15 Soil neighbors I: traces of other organisms in paleosols. Crustaceans and earthworms
Chapter 16 Soil neighbors II: traces of other organisms in paleosols. Vertebrates and roots
Chapter 17 Insect trace fossils in other substrates than paleosols I. Plant remains
Chapter 18 Insect trace fossils in other substrates than paleosols II. Bones, caddisfly cases, trackways, imprints and aerial nests
Chapter 19 Trace fossils as the physical evidence of evolution of insect behavior
Chapter 20 (The most remarkable insect) ichnofabrics in paleosols
Chapter 21 Paleosol ichnofacies
Chapter 22 Paleoenvironmental analysis and ichnoentomological synthesis
Jorge F. Genise is the Principal Researcher for the National Research Council of Argentina and works on insect traces, extant and fossil, particularly in paleosols, a field in which he is a recognized international expert. He is member of the editorial board of Ichnos (The International Journal of Animal and Plant Traces), invited lecturer in international ichnological and paleoentomological congresses, and president of the First International Congress on Ichnology. He has edited a special issue on ichnology, and has published several book chapters and more than 100 scientific articles.