Amphibian evolution : the life of early land vertebrates / Rainer R. Schoch.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Schoch, Rainer R., 1970- author.

Series:

TOPA Topics in Paleobiology

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Amphibians, Fossil.

Paleobiology.

Amphibians--Evolution.

Amphibians.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (294 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom : John Wiley & Sons, 2014.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This book focuses on the first vertebrates to conquer land and their long journey to become fully independent from the water. It traces the origin of tetrapod features and tries to explain how and why they transformed into organs that permit life on land. Although the major frame of the topic lies in the past 370 million years and necessarily deals with many fossils, it is far from restricted to paleontology. The aim is to achieve a comprehensive picture of amphibian evolution. It focuses on major questions in current paleobiology: how diverse were the early tetrapods? In which environments

Contents:

Amphibian Evolution: The Life of Early Land Vertebrates; Copyright; Contents; Preface; Acknowledgments; 1 Introduction; 1.1 Changing paradigms in amphibian evolution; 1.2 Paleobiology: data, methods, and time scales; 1.3 Concepts and metaphors: how scientists "figure out" problems; 1.4 Characters and phylogenies; 1.5 What's in a name?; References; 2 The Amphibian World: Now and Then; 2.1 Tetrapoda; 2.1.1 The tetrapod skeleton; 2.1.2 Tetrapod characters; 2.1.3 Stem-tetrapods (Tetrapodomorpha); 2.1.4 Carboniferous tetrapods or tetrapodomorphs?; 2.2 The amniote stem-group; 2.2.1 Anthracosauria

2.2.2 Seymouriamorpha2.2.3 Chroniosuchia; 2.2.4 Lepospondyli; 2.2.4.1 Lepospondyl characters; 2.2.4.2 Microsauria; 2.2.4.3 Lysorophia; 2.2.4.4 Nectridea; 2.2.4.5 Aïstopoda; 2.2.4.6 Adelospondyli; 2.2.4.7 Acherontiscidae; 2.2.5 Gephyrostegida; 2.2.6 Amniota; 2.2.6.1 Stem-amniotes and early crown amniotes; 2.3 The lissamphibian stem-group (Temnospondyli); 2.3.1 Edopoidea; 2.3.2 Dendrerpeton and Balanerpeton; 2.3.3 Dvinosauria; 2.3.4 Dissorophoidea and Zatracheidae; 2.3.5 Eryopoidea; 2.3.6 Stereospondyli; 2.4 Albanerpetontidae; 2.5 Lissamphibia; 2.5.1 Lissamphibian characters; 2.5.2 Batrachia

2.5.2.1 Anura (frogs and toads)2.5.2.2 Caudata (salamanders); 2.5.2.3 Gymnophiona (caecilians); References; 3 Amphibian Life Through Time; 3.1 Aquatic predators prepare for land; 3.2 Hot springs, scorpions, and little creepers; 3.3 Life in the tropical coal forest; 3.4 Neotenes explore unfavorable waters; 3.5 Lowlands, uplands, and a cave; 3.6 Hide and protect: extreme life in the hothouse; 3.7 Predators in deltas, lakes, and brackish swamps; 3.8 Stereospondyls in refugia, lissamphibians on the rise; 3.9 Batrachians diversify, stereospondyls disappear

3.10 Lissamphibians expand into diverse habitatsReferences; 4 The Amphibian Soft Body; 4.1 How to infer soft tissues in extinct taxa; 4.2 Fossil evidence: soft tissue preservation; 4.3 Head and visceral skeleton; 4.4 Respiratory organs; 4.5 Lateral lines, electroreception, and ears; References; 5 Evolution of Functional Systems; 5.1 How paradigms and brackets give a functional scenario; 5.2 Feeding and breathing under water; 5.3 Decoupling breathing and feeding; 5.4 Hearing: exapting the spiracle and hyomandibula; 5.5 Respiration in early tetrapods; 5.6 The evolution of terrestrial feeding

5.7 Transforming fins into limbs5.8 Locomotion of Paleozoic tetrapods; References; 6 Development and Evolution; 6.1 Ontogeny in modern amphibians; 6.2 Fossil ontogenies; 6.3 Ontogeny as a sequence: developmental trajectories; 6.4 Histology: the skeleton as archive; 6.5 Changing shape: allometry; 6.6 Heterochrony: the evolution of development; 6.7 Body plans: gene regulation and morphogenesis; References; 7 Paleoecology; 7.1 Lissamphibian ecology; 7.2 Paleoecology: problems and perspectives; 7.3 Paleozoic and Mesozoic amphibians; 7.4 Amphibian evolution as a walk through trophic levels

References

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781118759127

1118759125

9781118759134

1118759133

9781118759158

111875915X

OCLC:

878149552