The Rise Of Amphibians

Author : Robert Carroll
Publisher : Johns Hopkins University Press
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2009-07-15
Category : Science
ISBN : 080189140X

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The Rise of Amphibians by Robert Carroll Pdf

2009 Outstanding Academic Title, ChoiceHonorable Mention, Biological and Life Sciences, 2009 PROSE Awards, Professional and Scholarly Publishing division of the Association of American Publishers For nearly 100 million years, amphibians and their ancestors dominated the terrestrial and shallow water environments of the earth. Archaic animals with an amphibious way of life gave rise not only to modern frogs, salamanders, and caecilians but also to the ancestors of reptiles, birds, and mammals. In this landmark publication, one of the leading paleontologists of our time explores a pivotal moment in vertebrate evolution, the rise of amphibians. Synthesizing findings from the rich and highly diverse fossil record of amphibians, Robert Carroll traces their origin back 365 million years, when particular species of fish traveled down an evolutionary pathway of fin modification that gave rise to legs. This period of dramatic radiation was followed by a cataclysmic extinction 250 million years ago. After a long gap, modern amphibian groups gradually emerged. Now the number of amphibian species and individuals throughout the tropical and temperate regions of the earth exceeds that of mammals. The Rise of Amphibians is documented with more than two hundred illustrations of fossil amphibians and sixteen exquisite color plates depicting amphibians in their natural habitats throughout their long existence. The most comprehensive examination of amphibian evolution ever produced, The Rise of Amphibians is an essential resource for paleontologists, herpetologists, geologists, and evolutionary biologists.

Author : Rainer R. Schoch
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 280 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2014-03-19
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781118759134

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Amphibian Evolution by Rainer R. Schoch Pdf

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 did they live, and how did they come to be preserved? What do we know about the soft body of extinct amphibians, and what does that tell us about the evolution of crucial organs during the transition to land? How did early amphibians develop and grow, and which were the major factors of their evolution? The Topics in Paleobiology Series is published in collaboration with the Palaeontological Association, and is edited by Professor Mike Benton, University of Bristol. Books in the series provide a summary of the current state of knowledge, a trusted route into the primary literature, and will act as pointers for future directions for research. As well as volumes on individual groups, the series will also deal with topics that have a cross-cutting relevance, such as the evolution of significant ecosystems, particular key times and events in the history of life, climate change, and the application of a new techniques such as molecular palaeontology. The books are written by leading international experts and will be pitched at a level suitable for advanced undergraduates, postgraduates, and researchers in both the paleontological and biological sciences.

Author : Hans-Dieter Sues
Publisher : Johns Hopkins University Press
Page : 401 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2019-08-06
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781421428673

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The Rise of Reptiles by Hans-Dieter Sues Pdf

Accurate, synthetic, and sweeping, The Rise of Reptiles is the definitive work on the subject.

Author : Olivia Brookes
Publisher : The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc
Page : 34 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 2012-01-15
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN : 9781615335268

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The Rise of the Reptiles by Olivia Brookes Pdf

This informative volume explains how life evolved from aquatic creatures to reptiles. From fish to amphibians to land and air reptiles, each evolutionary step is covered. Illustrations accompany easy-to-follow text to show the fascinating development of these scaly creatures.

Author : Robert C. Stebbins,Nathan W. Cohen
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 335 pages
File Size : 46,6 Mb
Release : 2021-08-10
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9780691234618

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A Natural History of Amphibians by Robert C. Stebbins,Nathan W. Cohen Pdf

This is a book for all readers who want to learn about amphibians, the animal group that includes frogs, toads, salamanders, and caecilians. It draws on many years of classroom teaching, laboratory experience, and field observation by the authors. Robert Stebbins and Nathan Cohen lead readers on a fascinating odyssey as they explore some of nature's most interesting creatures, interspersing their own observations throughout the book. A Natural History of Amphibians can serve as a textbook for students and independent learners, as an overview of the field for professional scientists and land managers, and as an engaging introduction for general readers. The class Amphibia contains more than 4,500 known living species. New species are being discovered so rapidly that the number may grow to more than 5,000 during our lifetimes. However, their numbers are being rapidly decimated around the globe, largely due to the encroachment of humans on amphibian habitats and from growing human-caused environmental pollution, discussed at length in the final chapter. The authors focus our attention on the "natural history" of amphibians worldwide and emphasize their interactions with their environments over time: where they live; how they reproduce; how they have been affected by evolutionary processes; what factors will determine their destinies over time. Through the experienced eyes of the authors, who are skilled observers, we come to see and understand the place of amphibians in the natural world around us.

Author : Thomas Stainforth Kemp
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 160 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2021
Category : Amphibians
ISBN : 0192580841

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Amphibians by Thomas Stainforth Kemp Pdf

From frogs, toads, newts, and salamanders, to the lesser-known caecilians, there are over 8,000 species of amphibians alive today. T.S. Kemp explores their evolution, adaptations, and biology, as well as the threat humans represent to their survival.

Author : James P. Collins,Martha L. Crump,Thomas E. Lovejoy III
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 304 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 2009-07-07
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780199717880

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Extinction in Our Times by James P. Collins,Martha L. Crump,Thomas E. Lovejoy III Pdf

For over 350 million years, thousands of species of amphibians have lived on earth, but since the 1990s they have been disappearing at an alarming rate, in many cases quite suddenly and mysteriously. What is causing these extinctions? What role do human actions play in them? What do they tell us about the overall state of biodiversity on the planet? In Extinction in Our Times, James Collins and Martha Crump explore these pressing questions and many others as they document the first modern extinction event across an entire vertebrate class, using global examples that range from the Sierra Nevada of California to the rainforests of Costa Rica and the Mediterranean coast of North Africa. Joining scientific rigor and vivid storytelling, this book is the first to use amphibian decline as a lens through which to see more clearly the larger story of climate change, conservation of biodiversity, and a host of profoundly important ecological, evolutionary, ethical, philosophical, and sociological issues.

Author : Kentwood D. Wells
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 1160 pages
File Size : 45,7 Mb
Release : 2007-11-15
Category : Science
ISBN : 0226893340

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The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians by Kentwood D. Wells Pdf

Consisting of more than six thousand species, amphibians are more diverse than mammals and are found on every continent save Antarctica. Despite the abundance and diversity of these animals, many aspects of the biology of amphibians remain unstudied or misunderstood. The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians aims to fill this gap in the literature on this remarkable taxon. It is a celebration of the diversity of amphibian life and the ecological and behavioral adaptations that have made it a successful component of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Synthesizing seventy years of research on amphibian biology, Kentwood D. Wells addresses all major areas of inquiry, including phylogeny, classification, and morphology; aspects of physiological ecology such as water and temperature relations, respiration, metabolism, and energetics; movements and orientation; communication and social behavior; reproduction and parental care; ecology and behavior of amphibian larvae and ecological aspects of metamorphosis; ecological impact of predation on amphibian populations and antipredator defenses; and aspects of amphibian community ecology. With an eye towards modern concerns, The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians concludes with a chapter devoted to amphibian conservation. An unprecedented scholarly contribution to amphibian biology, this book is eagerly anticipated among specialists.

Author : Sankar Chatterjee
Publisher : JHU Press
Page : 387 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2015-04-01
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781421416144

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The Rise of Birds by Sankar Chatterjee Pdf

The most comprehensive account of the origin of ancient and modern birds—the "living dinosaurs." A small set of fossilized bones discovered almost thirty years ago led paleontologist Sankar Chatterjee on a lifelong quest to understand their place in our understanding of the history of life. They were clearly the bones of something unusual, a bird-like creature that lived long, long ago in the age of dinosaurs. He called it Protoavis, and the animal that owned these bones quickly became a contender for the title of "oldest known bird." In 1997, Chatterjee published his findings in the first edition of The Rise of Birds. Since then Chatterjee and his colleagues have searched the world for more transitional bird fossils. And they have found them. This second edition of The Rise of Birds brings together a treasure trove of fossils that tell us far more about the evolution of birds than we once dreamed possible. With no blind allegiance to what he once thought he knew, Chatterjee devours the new evidence and lays out the most compelling version of the birth and evolution of the avian form ever attempted. He takes us from Texas to Spain, China, Mongolia, Madagascar, Australia, Antarctica, and Argentina. He shows how, in the "Cretaceous Pompeii" of China, he was able to reconstruct the origin and evolution of flight of early birds from the feathered dinosaurs that lay among thousands of other amazing fossils. Chatterjee takes us to where long-hidden bird fossils dwell. His compelling, occasionally controversial, revelations—accompanied by spectacular illustrations—are a must-read for anyone with a serious interest in the evolution of "the feathered dinosaurs," from vertebrate paleontologists and ornithologists to naturalists and birders.

Author : T. S. Kemp
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 144 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2021-07-22
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780192580856

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Amphibians: A Very Short Introduction by T. S. Kemp Pdf

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring From frogs, toads, newts, and salamanders, to the lesser-known caecilians, there are over 8,000 species of amphibians alive today. Characterised by their moist, naked skin and the tadpole phase of their lives, they are uniquely adapted to occupy the interphase habitat between freshwater and land. This Very Short Introduction explores amphibians' evolution, adaptations, and biology, from the first emergence of tetrapods onto land 370 million years ago, to how their permeable skin enables them to thrive in their habitat today. T. S. Kemp describes how different amphibians go about their lives, looking in particular at their complex courtship behaviour and their extraordinary means of providing care for their eggs and larvae. Finally, he considers amphibians' relationship to humans, and the ways in which they have been exploited as food, folk medicine, and pets, as well as used in many areas of scientific research. Today amphibians face a serious threat, with almost half of species judged to be at risk of extinction. As the causes include habitat destruction, pollution, and disease, mostly resulting from human activity, T. S. Kemp shows that the conservation of amphibians is very much in our hands. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Author : Mikhail A. Fedonkin
Publisher : JHU Press
Page : 352 pages
File Size : 55,8 Mb
Release : 2007
Category : Science
ISBN : 0801886791

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The Rise of Animals by Mikhail A. Fedonkin Pdf

An essential resource for paleontologists, biologists, geologists, and teachers, The Rise of Animals is the best single reference on one of earth's most significant events.

Author : Gregorio Moreno-Rueda,Mar Comas
Publisher : CRC Press
Page : 362 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 2023-06-30
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781000909241

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Evolutionary Ecology of Amphibians by Gregorio Moreno-Rueda,Mar Comas Pdf

Amphibians are the oldest tetrapod group and show an astonishing diversity in lifestyles, many of them being unique. However, globally, they are on a decline. Hence, their study is fundamental to understanding the evolution of diversity and conserving them. This book, authored by experts from around the world, summarizes the current knowledge on the evolutionary ecology of amphibians. The book treats biological concepts related to the evolution, ecology, physiology, immunology, behaviour, and morphology of amphibians in their different states. This book constitutes an actualized work indispensable for evolutionary ecologists and herpetologists.

Author : Emily Mahoney
Publisher : Gareth Stevens Publishing LLLP
Page : 32 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 2016-07-15
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN : 9781482444094

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20 Fun Facts About Amphibian Adaptations by Emily Mahoney Pdf

Reptiles lay their eggs on land and most spend a lot of their time out of the water. While this is a fact today, it wasn’t always this way! Living on land is an adaptation reptiles underwent millions of years ago. Even more adaptations, such as how reptiles regulate their body temperature and their scaly skin, are more apparent to those studying crocodiles, turtles, and other reptiles in modern times. Using a unique format of short facts, this book introduces readers to the science concepts of evolution as well as the features that classify an animal as a reptile.

Author : Larry F. Rhinehart,Spencer G. Lucas
Publisher : New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science
Page : 118 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 2024-07-01
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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EOCYCLOTOSAURUS APPETOLATUS, A MIDDLE TRIASSIC AMPHIBIAN: OSTEOLOGY, LIFE HISTORY, AND PALEOBIOLOGY by Larry F. Rhinehart,Spencer G. Lucas Pdf

Author : Christine Taylor-Butler
Publisher : Children's Press
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 2013-09
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN : 0531223353

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Amphibians (a True Book: Animal Kingdom) by Christine Taylor-Butler Pdf

Learn all about amphibians.