Fossils and Evolution

Fossils and Evolution by T S Kemp

The book is about the ideas, methodology and scope of contemporary palaeobiology, rather than a comprehensive, detailed survey of the factual basis of the subject. It addresses the issue of how on the one hand evolutionary theory is necessary for interpretation of the fossil record, and yet on the other the fossils themselves can contribute to evolutionary theory. This is shown not to be the circular argument between pattern and process sometimes alleged, but a matter of understanding carefully the interrelationship between palaeontological and neontological evidence. The book is organised into two sections. Part 1 consists of four chapters outlining the principles, namely: the nature of the pattern/process relationship, taxonomic methods and the analysis of pattern, evolutionary theory and the analysis of process and the nature of incompleteness of the fossil record and what to do about it. Armed with these principles and methods, Part 2 is devoted to the five central areas of contemporary research in evolutionary palaeobiology. These are: fossils and phylogenetic inference; the mechanism of speciation; taxonomic turnover on the geological time-scale; mass-extinctions; the origin of new higher taxa. In each case the nature of the questions and the relevant kinds of evidence, including such new sources as molecular sequence data and stable isotope ratios where appropriate, are reviewed. The extent to which palaeobiology has, and has not yet, contributed to providing the sought after answers is made clear.

This extended essay is expansive, well researched and broad in scopeMore importantly, it is intelligently written and assumes a certian familiarity with the ideas on board ... Readers of TREE should welcome it in to their personal and institutional libraries. * Kevin Padian, TREE *

Tom Kemp was Tutor in Zoology at St John's College, Oxford, and Senior Dean for several years before his retirement in 2009, when he was elected Emeritus Research Fellow, and appointed Honorary Research Associate of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. His research and field collecting
have taken him on expeditions to Zambia, South Africa, Australia, and India. Since 2013, Tom Kemp and his wife have traveled extensively in southern Africa, observing and photographing wildlife.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780198504245
ISBN 10	0198504241
Title	Fossils and Evolution
Author	T S Kemp
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Oxford University Press
Year published	1999-01-14
Number of pages	290
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable