Methods in Paleoecology Reconstructing Cenozoic Terrestrial Environments and Ecological Communities

About this book

Methods in Paleoecology focuses on the reconstruction of past ecosystems and provides a comprehensive review of current techniques and their application in exemplar studies. The 18 chapters address a wide variety of topics that span vertebrate palaeobiology and palaeoecology (body mass, postcranial functional morphology, evolutionary dental morphology, microwear and mesowear, ecomorphology, mammal community structure analysis), contextual palaeoenvironmental studies (palaeosols and sedimentology, ichnofossils, pollen, phytoliths, plant macrofossils), and special techniques (bone microstructure, biomineral isotopes, inorganic isotopes, 3-D morphometrics, and ecometric modeling). A final chapter discusses how to integrate results of these studies with taphonomic data in order to more accurately characterize an ancient ecosystem.

Current investigators, advanced undergraduates, and graduate students interested in the field of palaeoecology will find Methods in Paleoecology immensely useful. The length and structure of the volume also makes it suitable for teaching a college-level course on reconstructing Cenozoic ecosystems.

Contents

1 Introduction to Paleoecological Reconstruction / Darin A. Croft, Denise F. Su, and Scott W. Simpson
2 Estimation of Body Size in Fossil Mammals / Samantha S.B. Hopkins
3 Functional Morphology of the Postcranial Skeleton / Rachel H. Dunn
4 Evolutionary Dental Morphology / Alistair R. Evans and Silvia Pineda-Munoz
5 Using Dental Mesowear and Microwear for Dietary Inference: A Review of Current Techniques and Applications / Jeremy L. Green and Darin A. Croft
6 Permanent Record: The Use of Dental and Bone Microstructure to Assess Life History Evolution and Ecology / Russell Hogg
7 Isotopic Ecology from Biominerals / Pennilyn Higgins
8 Reconstructing Terrestrial Paleoenvironments Using Sedimentary Organic Biomarkers / Melissa A. Berke
9 Paleopedology as a Tool for Reconstructing Paleoenvironments / Emily J. Beverly, William E. Lukens, and Gary E. Stinchcomb
10 The Role of Continental Trace Fossils in Cenozoic Paleoenvironmental and Paleoecological Reconstructions / Daniel Hembree
11 Fossil Pollen and Spores in Paleoecology / Luke Mander and Surangi W. Punyasena
12 Phytoliths in Paleoecology: Analytical Considerations, Current Use, and Future Directions / Caroline A.E. Stroemberg, Regan E. Dunn, Camilla Crifo, and Elisha B. Harris
13 Reconstructing Paleoclimate and Paleoecology Using Fossils / Daniel J. Peppe, Aly Baumgartner, Andrew Flynn, and Benjamin Blonder
14 Three-Dimensional Geometric Morphometrics in Paleoecology / Sabrina C. Curran
15 Ecomorphology / W. Andrew Barr
16 Mammal Community Structure Analysis / Kris Kovarovic, Denise F. Su, and Kari Lintulaakso
17 Ecometrics: A Trait-based Approach to Paleoclimate and Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction / Wesley A. Vermillion, P. David Polly, Jason J. Head, Jussi T. Eronen, and A. Michelle Lawing
18 Summary and Synthesis / Denise F. Su and Darin A. Croft

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Biography

Dr. Darin A. Croft is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anatomy at the Case School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Denise F. Su is the Curator and Head of Paleobotany and Paleoecology at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Dr. Scott Simpson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anatomy at the Case School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio.