Extinctions in the History of Life

Topical review of the role of extinction in evolution for students and researchers.

Paul D. Taylor (Edited by)

9780521842242, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 11 November 2004

204 pages, 62 b/w illus.
23.5 x 14.9 x 1.1 cm, 0.469 kg

'This book is certainly an excellent starting point for anyone wishing to engage with the literature on mass extinction, but I can also imagine it being extremely useful to those who are already familiar with at least some of the literature … I certainly found it fascinating and valuable … A very readable and well-illustrated volume at a reasonable price. Highly recommended.' Journal of Paleolimnology

Extinction is the ultimate fate of all biological species - over 99 percent of the species that have ever inhabited the Earth are now extinct. The long fossil record of life provides scientists with crucial information about when species became extinct, which species were most vulnerable to extinction, and what processes may have brought about extinctions in the geological past. Key aspects of extinctions in the history of life are here reviewed by six leading palaeontologists, providing a source text for geology and biology undergraduates as well as more advanced scholars. Topical issues such as the causes of mass extinctions and how animal and plant life has recovered from these cataclysmic events that have shaped biological evolution are dealt with. This helps us to view the biodiversity crisis in a broader context, and shows how large-scale extinctions have had profound and long-lasting effects on the Earth's biosphere.

Notes on contributors
Preface
1. Extinction and the fossil record Paul D. Taylor
2. Extinctions in life's earliest history J. William Schopf
3. Mass extinctions in plant evolution Scott L. Wing
4. The beginning of the Mesozoic: 70 million years of environmental stress and extinction David J. Bottjer
5. Causes of mass extinctions Paul D. Wignall
6. The evolutionary role of mass extinctions: disaster, recovery and something in-between David Jablonski
Glossary
Index.

Subject Areas: Palaeontology [RBX], Botany & plant sciences [PST], Evolution [PSAJ], Ecological science, the Biosphere [PSAF]