You can download Palaeogeography and Palaeobiogeography ebook here.
- Title: Palaeogeography and Palaeobiogeography – Biodiversity in Space and Time
- Author: Paul Upchurch, Alistair J. McGowan, Claire S.C. Slater
- Publisher: CRC Press
- Pages: 230
Biogeography represents one of the most complex and challenging aspects of macroevolutionary research, requiring input from both the earth and life sciences. Palaeogeographic reconstruction is frequently carried out by researchers with backgrounds in geology and palaeontology, who are less likely to be familiar with the latest biogeographic techniques: conversely, biogeographic methods are often devised by neontologists who may be less familiar with the fossil record, stratigraphy, and palaeogeography. Palaeogeography and Palaeobiogeography: Biodiversity in Space and Time bridges the gap between these two communities of researchers, who work on the same issues but typically use different types of data.
The book covers a range of topics, and reflects some of the major overall questions in the field such as:
- Which approaches are best suited to reconstructing biogeographic histories under a range of circumstances?
- How do we maximize the use of organismal and earth sciences data to improve our understanding of events in earth history?
- How well do analytical techniques devised for researching the biogeography of extant organisms perform in the fossil record?
- Can alternative biodiversity metrics, particularly those based on morphological measurements, enhance our understanding of biogeographic patterns and processes?
This book approaches palaeobiogeography with coverage of technological applications and detailed case studies. It spans a wide selection of overlapping and integrative disciplines, including evolutionary theory, vicariance biogeography, extinctions, and the philosophical aspects of palaeogeography. It also highlights new technological innovations and applications for research. Presenting a unique discussion of both palaeogeography and palaeobiogeography in one volume, this book focuses both historically and philosophically on the interface between geology, climate, and organismal distribution.
Dr. Paul Upchurch is Reader in Palaeobiology at the Department of Earth Sciences, UCL. Having obtained a Ph.D. in vertebrate palaeontology from Cambridge in 1994, he used a series of fellowships from Sidney Sussex College (Cambridge), The Leverhulme Trust, and the NERC to develop his interest in historical biogeography. In particular, he has focused on the role that fossils can play in providing information on the timing and nature of biogeographic events such as vicariance and dispersal. Dr. Upchurch joined UCL in 2003 and has subsequently carried out research on dinosaur evolution, particularly with regard to their phylogenetic relationships and diversity patterns. At present he is working on a different, but related, aspect of deep time spatial distributions: latitudinal biodiversity gradients amongst terrestrial animals during the Cretaceous Period.