EXTINCTIONS IN THE HISTORY OF LIFE; ED. BY PAUL D. TAYLOR

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. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Title......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Contents......Page 7 Notes on contributors......Page 9 Preface......Page 13 Introduction......Page 15 Brief history of fossil extinction studies......Page 17 Detecting extinction in the incomplete fossil record......Page 21 Measuring extinction......Page 24 Phanerozoic diversity and extinction patterns......Page 27 Decline in background extinction......Page 30 Mass extinctions......Page 31 Extinction periodicity......Page 35 Extinction selectivity......Page 36 Interpretation of extinction patterns and processes......Page 37 Interpreting extinction patterns......Page 38 Interpreting extinction processes......Page 40 Conclusions......Page 43 Further reading......Page 44 References......Page 45 J. William Schopf......Page 49 The 'Standard View' of life's history......Page 50 Life in the Precambrian......Page 52 Cyanobacterial 'living fossils'......Page 53 Status quo evolution......Page 59 Cyanobacterial versatility......Page 61 Why are cyanobateria so tolerant?......Page 63 The rise of eukaryotic (nucleated) life......Page 64 Eukaryotes perfect the art of cloning......Page 65 Sex: a key advance......Page 67 Why does sex matter?......Page 68 Evolution evolved......Page 70 If it's not broken, don't fix it......Page 71 Life-s two-part history......Page 73 References......Page 74 Introduction......Page 75 The Westphalian-Stephanian extinction (c. 305 Ma ago)......Page 80 The Permian-Triassic extinction (c. 251 Ma ago)......Page 83 The Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction (c. 65.5 Ma)......Page 88 Floral change at the Paleocene0Eocene boundary (c. 55.5 Ma ago)......Page 93 Conclusions......Page 96 Summary......Page 99 Appendix 3.1 Brief descriptions of the major types of land plants......Page 101 Appendix 3.2 Megafossils, mesofossils, microfossils and resolving extinctions in the plant fossil record......Page 104 References......Page 105 Introduction......Page 113 Reefs during the beginning of the mesozoic......Page 114 Other biological indicators of early mesozoic conditions......Page 117 Causes of long-term ecological degradation......Page 119 Causes of early mesozoic mass extinctions......Page 126 Implications......Page 127 Conclusions......Page 129 References......Page 130 What are mass extinctions?......Page 133 The nature of the evidence......Page 136 End-Cretaceous impact......Page 137 Other impacts......Page 139 Massive volcanism......Page 141 Regression......Page 147 Transgression......Page 149 Marine anoxia......Page 151 Global warming......Page 154 Global cooling......Page 158 Strangelove oceans......Page 160 References......Page 162 Introduction......Page 165 The Big Five......Page 166 Extinction selectivity......Page 167 The complexities of recovery......Page 170 Geographic variation......Page 172 Not all survivors are winners......Page 175 Summary and implications for the future......Page 185 References......Page 188 Glossary......Page 193 Index......Page 201 Extinction is the ultimate fate of all biological species - over 99% 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 current biodiversity crisis in a broader context, and shows how large-scale extinctions have had profound and long-lasting effects on the Earth's biosphere. "Key aspects of extinctions in the history of life are here reviewed by six leading paleontologists, providing a source text for geology and biology undergraduates as well as more advanced scholars. Topical issues are dealt with such as the causes of mass extinctions and how animal and plant life have recovered from these cataclysmic events that have shaped biological evolution. This helps us to view the current biodiversity crisis in a broader context, and shows how large-scale extinctions have had profound and long-lasting effects on the Earth's biosphere."--Jacket Recognition of a biodiversity crisis, and the development of new analytical and geological techniques for studying extinction, have increased our appreciation of global change in recent years. Paul Taylor looks at the implications for plants, animals and microbes, and discusses the role of extinction in evolution. His useful reference brings together key findings from the current debate concerning extinction for students, researchers and the interested general reader. Extinction and the fossil record / Paul D. Taylor Extinctions in life's earliest history / J. William Schopf Mass extinctions in plant evolution / Scott L. Wing The beginning of the Mesozoic: 70 million years of environmental stress and extinction / David J. Bottjer Causes of mass extinctions / Paul D. Wignall The evolutionary role of mass extinctions: disaster, recovery and something in-between / David Jablonski