Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic History of Latin American Vegetation and Terrestrial Environments

Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic History of Latin American Vegetation and Terrestrial Environments
Author: Alan Graham
Publisher:
Total Pages: 664
Release: 2010
Genre: Science
ISBN:

Download Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic History of Latin American Vegetation and Terrestrial Environments Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This volume summarizes the history of Latin American vegetation from just prior to the asteroid impact at Chicxulub, Mexico, at the end of the Cretaceous period through the rapid-paced events of Holocene and Recent times, tracing highlights in the origin of lineages and plant communities that constitute a fundamental part of the tropical ecosystems of the New World. Emphasis is placed on the array of available methods and approaches, as well as on the need for incorporating ancillary information from the many relevant disciplines and for assessing the paleobiological results within the context of independent lines of inquiry--particularly important for understanding the vast and complex communities of Latin America.

Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic History of North American Vegetation

Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic History of North American Vegetation
Author: Alan Graham
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 372
Release: 1999-03-25
Genre: Science
ISBN: 019511342X

Download Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic History of North American Vegetation Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This book is a unique and integrated account of the history of North American vegetation and paleoenvironments over the past 70 million years. It includes discussions of the modern plant communities, causal factors for environmental change, biotic response, and methodologies. The history reveals a North American vegetation that is vast, immensely complex, and dynamic.

A Natural History of the New World

A Natural History of the New World
Author: Alan Graham
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 404
Release: 2011
Genre: History
ISBN: 0226306801

Download A Natural History of the New World Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

A Natural History of the New World traces the evolution of plant ecosystems, beginning in the Late Cretaceous period and ending in the present, charting their responses to changes in geology and climate.

Land Bridges

Land Bridges
Author: Alan Graham
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 335
Release: 2018-03-30
Genre: Science
ISBN: 022654432X

Download Land Bridges Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Land bridges are the causeways of biodiversity. When they form, organisms are introduced into a new patchwork of species and habitats, forever altering the ecosystems into which they flow; and when land bridges disappear or fracture, organisms are separated into reproductively isolated populations that can evolve independently. More than this, land bridges play a role in determining global climates through changes to moisture and heat transport and are also essential factors in the development of biogeographic patterns across geographically remote regions. In this book, paleobotanist Alan Graham traces the formation and disruption of key New World land bridges and describes the biotic, climatic, and biogeographic ramifications of these land masses’ changing formations over time. Looking at five land bridges, he explores their present geographic setting and climate, modern vegetation, indigenous peoples (with special attention to their impact on past and present vegetation), and geologic history. From the great Panamanian isthmus to the boreal connections across the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans that allowed exchange of organisms between North America, Europe, and Asia, Graham’s sweeping, one-hundred-million-year history offers new insight into the forces that shaped the life and land of the New World.

Mountains, Climate and Biodiversity

Mountains, Climate and Biodiversity
Author: Carina Hoorn
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 592
Release: 2018-04-30
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1119159873

Download Mountains, Climate and Biodiversity Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Mountains, Climate and Biodiversity: A comprehensive and up-to-date synthesis for students and researchers Mountains are topographically complex formations that play a fundamental role in regional and continental-scale climates. They are also cradles to all major river systems and home to unique, and often highly biodiverse and threatened, ecosystems. But how do all these processes tie together to form the patterns of diversity we see today? Written by leading researchers in the fields of geology, biology, climate, and geography, this book explores the relationship between mountain building and climate change, and how these processes shape biodiversity through time and space. In the first two sections, you will learn about the processes, theory, and methods connecting mountain building and biodiversity In the third section, you will read compelling examples from around the world exploring the links between mountains, climate and biodiversity Throughout the 31 peer-reviewed chapters, a non-technical style and synthetic illustrations make this book accessible to a wide audience A comprehensive glossary summarises the main concepts and terminology Readership: Mountains, Climate and Biodiversity is intended for students and researchers in geosciences, biology and geography. It is specifically compiled for those who are interested in historical biogeography, biodiversity and conservation.

Plant Diversity and Ecology in the Chihuahuan Desert

Plant Diversity and Ecology in the Chihuahuan Desert
Author: Maria C. Mandujano
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 332
Release: 2020-07-18
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3030449637

Download Plant Diversity and Ecology in the Chihuahuan Desert Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Environmental and specific diversity in the Chihuahuan desert in general, and in the Cuatro Ciénegas Basin in particular, has long been recognized as outstanding. This book provides a global ecological overview, together with in-depth studies of specific processes. The Chihuahuan desert is the warmest in North America, and has a complex geologic, climatic and biogeographical history, which affects today’s distribution of vegetation and plants and generates complex phylogeographic patterns. The high number of endemic species reflects this complex set of traits. The modern distribution of environments, including aquatic and subaquatic systems, riparian environments, gypsum dunes and gypsum-rich soils, low levels of phosphorous and organic matter, and high salinity combined with an extreme climate call for a range of adaptations. Plants are distributed in a patchy pattern based on punctual variations, and many of them respond to different resources and conditions with considerable morphological plasticity. In terms of physiological, morphological and ecological variability, cacti were identified as the most important group in specific environments like bajadas, characterized by high diversity values, while gypsophytes and gypsovagues of different phylogenies, including species with restricted distribution and endemics.

Nature through Time

Nature through Time
Author: Edoardo Martinetto
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 468
Release: 2020-07-27
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3030350584

Download Nature through Time Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This book simulates a historical walk through nature, teaching readers about the biodiversity on Earth in various eras with a focus on past terrestrial environments. Geared towards a student audience, using simple terms and avoiding long complex explanations, the book discusses the plants and animals that lived on land, the evolution of natural systems, and how these biological systems changed over time in geological and paleontological contexts. With easy-to-understand and scientifically accurate and up-to-date information, readers will be guided through major biological events from the Earth's past. The topics in the book represent a broad paleoenvironmental spectrum of interests and educational modules, allowing for virtual visits to rich geological times. Eras and events that are discussed include, but are not limited to, the much varied Quaternary environments, the evolution of plants and animals during the Cenozoic, the rise of angiosperms, vertebrate evolution and ecosystems in the Mesozoic, the Permian mass extinction, the late Paleozoic glaciation, and the origin of the first trees and land plants in the Devonian-Ordovician. With state-of-the art expert scientific instruction on these topics and up-to-date and scientifically accurate illustrations, this book can serve as an international course for students, teachers, and other interested individuals.

The Great American Biotic Interchange

The Great American Biotic Interchange
Author: Francis G. Stehli
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 611
Release: 2013-03-09
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1468491814

Download The Great American Biotic Interchange Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Two rather different elements combine to explain the origin of this volume: one scientific and one personal. The broader of the two is the scientific basis-the time for such a volume had arrived. Geology had made remarkable progress toward an understanding of the phys ical history of the Caribbean Basin for the last 100 million years or so. On the biological side, many new discoveries had elucidated the distributional history of terrestrial orga nisms in and between the two Americas. Geological and biological data had been combined to yield the timing of important events with unprecedented resolution. Clearly, when each of two broad disciplines is making notable advances and when each provides new insights for the other, the rewards of cross-disciplinary contacts increase exponentially. The present volume represents an attempt to bring together a group of geologists, paleontologists and biologists capable of exploiting this opportunity through presentation of an interdisciplinary synthesis of evidence and hypothesis concerning interamerican connections during the Cretaceous and Cenozoic. Advances in plate tectonics form the basis for a modern synthesis and, in the broadest terms, dictate the framework within which the past and present distributions of organisms must be interpreted. Any scientific dis cipline must seek tests of its conclusions from data outside of its own confines.

Methods in Paleoecology

Methods in Paleoecology
Author: Darin A. Croft
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 410
Release: 2018-10-27
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3319942654

Download Methods in Paleoecology Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This volume focuses on the reconstruction of past ecosystems and provides a comprehensive review of current techniques and their application in exemplar studies. The 18 chapters address a wide variety of topics that span vertebrate paleobiology and paleoecology (body mass, postcranial functional morphology, evolutionary dental morphology, microwear and mesowear, ecomorphology, mammal community structure analysis), contextual paleoenvironmental studies (paleosols and sedimentology, ichnofossils, pollen, phytoliths, plant macrofossils), and special techniques (bone microstructure, biomineral isotopes, inorganic isotopes, 3-D morphometrics, and ecometric modeling). A final chapter discusses how to integrate results of these studies with taphonomic data in order to more accurately characterize an ancient ecosystem. Current investigators, advanced undergraduates, and graduate students interested in the field of paleoecology will find this book immensely useful. The length and structure of the volume also makes it suitable for teaching a college-level course on reconstructing Cenozoic ecosystems.

Caatinga

Caatinga
Author: José Maria Cardoso da Silva
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 487
Release: 2018-01-09
Genre: Science
ISBN: 331968339X

Download Caatinga Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This book provides in-depth information on Caatinga’s geographical boundaries and ecological systems, including plants, insects, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. It also discusses the major threats to the region’s socio-ecological systems and includes chapters on climate change and fast and large-scale land-use changes, as well as slow and small-scale changes, also known as chronic human disturbances. Subsequent chapters address sustainable agriculture, conservation systems, and sustainable development. Lastly, the book proposes 10 major actions that could enable the transformation of Caatinga into a place where people and nature can thrive together. “I consider this book an excellent example of how scientists worldwide can mobilize their efforts to propose sound solutions for one of the biggest challenges of modern times, i.e., how to protect the world’s natural ecosystems while improving human well-being. I am sure this book will inspire more research and conservation action in the region and perhaps encourage other groups of scientists to produce similar syntheses about their regions.” Russell Mittermeier, Ph.D. Executive Vice-Chair, Conservation International