Functional Morphology in Vertebrate Paleontology

Looks at how fossil vertebrates moved, fed and reproduced.

Jeffrey J. Thomason (Edited by)

9780521629218, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 28 October 1997

296 pages, 150 b/w illus.
25.3 x 17.8 x 1.8 cm, 0.645 kg

'… for graduate study and serious research, this is an important collection of bench-mark papers … A rich seam to be mined for a long period of study.' Arthur Cruikshank, Open University Geological Society Journal

How well can we reconstruct the appearance, movements and behavior of extinct vertebrates from studies of their bones and other, more rarely preserved parts? Where is the boundary between the scientific evidence for reconstruction and the need to resort to imagination? In this book, sixteen paleontologists and biologists discuss these questions, review the status of functional studies of extinct vertebrates in the context of similar work on living animals, and present a broad philosophical view of the subject's development within the framework of phylogenetic analysis. The authors describe and debate methods for making robust inferences of function in fossil vertebrates, and present examples where we may be confident that our reconstructions are both detailed and accurate. The detailed studies are placed in the context of their contribution to the understanding of evolutionary processes and will be valuable reading for vertebrate paleontologists, comparative anatomists and evolutionary biologists.

1. On the inference of function from structure George V. Lauder
2. The extant phylogenetic bracket and the importance of reconstructing soft tissues in fossils Lawrence M. Witmer
3. Fossils, function and phylogeny David B. Weishampel
4. Masticatory function in nonmammalian cynodonts and early mammals A. W. Crompton
5. Correlations between craniodental morphology and feeding behavior in ungulates: reciprocal illumination between living and fossil taxa Christine M. Janis
6. Functional predictions from theoretical models of the skull and jaws in reptiles and mammals Walter S. Greaves
7. Carnassial functioning in nimravid and felid sabretooths: theoretical basis and robustness of inferences Harold N. Bryant and Anthony P. Russell
8. The artificial determination of wear patterns on tooth models as a means to infer mandibular movement during feeding in mammals Virginia L. Naples
9. Determination of stresses in mammalian dental enamel and their relevance to the interpretation of feeding behaviors in extinct taxa John M. Rensberger
10. The structural consequences of skull flattening in crocodilians Arthur S. Busbey
11. Graphical analysis of dermal skull roof patterns Keith S. Thomson
12. The forelimb of Torosaurus, and an analysis of the posture and gait of ceratopsian dinosaurs Rolf E. Johnson and John H. Ostrom
13. Functional evolution of the hindlimb and tail from basal theropods to birds Stephen M. Gatesy
14. Functional interpretation of spinal anatomy in living and fossil amniotes Emily B. Giffin
15. To what extent may the mechanical environment of a bone be inferred from its internal architecture? Jeffrey J. Thomason
16. Form vs function: the evolution of a dialectic Kevin Padian.

Subject Areas: Palaeontology [RBX]