Early vertebrates
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Early vertebrates
（Oxford monographs on geology and geophysics, no. 33）
Clarendon Press, 1996
- : pbk.
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Note
Includes bibliographical references(p.[333]-360) and indexes
Description and Table of Contents
- Volume
-
: pbk. ISBN 9780198526469
Description
This book presents our current knowledge of the early vertebrates, which were mainly fish, but included some land vertebrates, and lived 470 to 250 million years ago. It centres on anatomical and phylogenetic questions, but includes information about fossil discovery and preparation, as well as the analysis of the characteristics from which their relationships may be reconstructed. It addresses critically both old and new problems in the evolution of certain
anatomical structures and deals briefly with the animals' way of life, extinction, and former distribution.
In addition, the author gives a potted history of the field of vertebrate palaentology and the rise of cladistics, a cmajor methodological revolution in comparative biology.
The book is the first in this field to use a cladistic approach. For each major vertebrate group, the reader will find a diagram or relationships, or cladogram, with a selection of characters at each node, and a succinct phlyogenetic classification.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- 1. What, where and when? Early vertebrates as we imagine them
- 2. From rocks to theories: techniques of preparation and methods of analysis
- 3. A look at extant vertebrates
- 4. Early vertebrates and their extant relatives
- 5. Interrelationships of the major craniate taxa: current phylogenetic theories and controversies
- 6. Anatomical philosophy: homologies, transformations and character phylogenies
- 7. Evolution and life history
- 8. Women, men, and early vertebrates
- Epilogue
- Volume
-
ISBN 9780198540472
Description
This book presents our current knowledge of the early vertebrates, which were mainly fish, but included some land vertebrates, and lived about 470 to 250 million years ago. It centres on anatomical and phylogenetic questions, but includes information about fossil discovery and preparation, as well as the analysis of the characteristics from which their relationships may be reconstructed. It addresses critically both old and new problems in the evolution of certain anatomical structures and deals briefly with the animals' way of life, extinction, and former distribution. In addition, the author gives a potted history of the field of vertebrate palaeontology and the rise of cladistics, a major methodological revolution in comparative biology. The book is the first in theif field to use a cladistic approach. For each major vertebrate group, the reader will find a diagram of relationships, or cladogram, with a selection of characters at each node, and a cuccinct phylogenetic classification. The book is illustrated with numerous line drawings, culminating in a series of reconstructions of early vertebrates and their environment, which may have a more popular appeal.
This book is intended for palaeontologists, geologists, vertebrate biologists.
Table of Contents
Introduction. 1: What, where and when? Early vertebrates as we imagine them. 2: From rocks to theories: techniques of preparation and methods of analysis. 3: A look at extant vertebrates. 4: Early vertebrates and their extant relatives. 5: Interrelationships of the major craniate taxa: current phylogenetic theories and controversies. 6: Anatomical philosophy: homologies, transformations and character phylogenies. 7: Evolution and life history. 8: Women, men, and early vertebrates. Epilogue
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