How vertebrates left the water / Michel Laurin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Laurin, Michel.

Standardized Title:

Systé́matique, paléontologie et biologie évolutive moderne. English

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Vertebrates--Evolution.

Vertebrates.

Evolution.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (217 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley : University of California Press, c2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

More than three hundred million years ago-a relatively recent date in the two billion years since life first appeared-vertebrate animals first ventured onto land. This usefully illustrated book describes how some finned vertebrates acquired limbs, giving rise to more than 25,000 extant tetrapod species. Michel Laurin uses paleontological, geological, physiological, and comparative anatomical data to describe this monumental event. He summarizes key concepts of modern paleontological research, including biological nomenclature, paleontological and molecular dating, and the methods used to infer phylogeny and character evolution. Along with a discussion of the evolutionary pressures that may have led vertebrates onto dry land, the book also shows how extant vertebrates yield clues about the conquest of land and how scientists uncover evolutionary history.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

1. How Can We Reconstruct Evolutionary History?

2. How Can We Reconstruct Evolutionary History?

3. Paleontological Context

4. Vertebrate Limb Evolution

5. Diversity of Paleozoic Stegocephalians

6. Adaptations to Life on Land

7. Synthesis and Conclusion

Glossary

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Translation of: Systématique, paleontologie et biologie evolutive moderne : l'exemple de la sortie des eaux chez les vertebres. 2008.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786612790249

9781282790247

1282790242

9780520947986

0520947983

OCLC:

698473174