Evolution of Herbivory in Terrestrial Vertebrates Perspectives from the Fossil Record

About this book

Although herbivory probably first appeared over 300 million years ago, it only became established as a common feeding strategy during Late Permian times. Subsequently, herbivory evolved in numerous lineages of terrestrial vertebrates, and the acquisition of this mode of feeding was frequently associated with considerable evolutionary diversification in those lineages. This book represents the first comprehensive overview of the evolution of herbivory in land-dwelling amniote tetrapods in recent years. In Evolution of Herbivory in Terrestrial Vertebrates leading experts review the structural adaptations for, and the evolutionary history of, feeding on plants in the major groups of land-dwelling vertebrates, especially dinosaurs and ungulate mammals. As such it will be the definitive reference source on this topic for evolutionary biologists and vertebrate paleontologists alike.

Contents

Preface; 1. Herbivory in terrestrial vertebrates Hans-Dieter Sues; 2. Herbivory in late Paleozoic and Triassic terrestrial vertebrates Robert R. Reisz and Hans-Dieter Sues; 3. Prosauropod dinosaurs and iguanas: speculations on the diets of extinct reptiles Paul M. Barrett; 4. The evolution of sauropod feeding mechanisms Paul Upchurch and Paul M. Barrett; 5. Plant-eaters and ghost lineages: dinosaurian herbivory revisited David B. Weishampel and Coralia-Maria Jianu; 6. Dental constraints in the early evolution of mammalian herbivory John M. Rensberger; 7. Patterns in the evolution of herbivory in large terrestrial mammals: the Paleogene of North America Christine M. Janis; 8. Origin and evolution of the grazing guild in Cenozoic New World terrestrial mammals Bruce J. MacFadden.

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