Rereading the fossil record
Subtitle: the growth of paleobiology as an evolutionary discipline
By: David Sepkoski
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press; University Of Chicago Press
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Chicago; London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 432
ISBN-13: 9780226748559
Copyright date: 2012
Subjects: Paleobiology; History; Paleontology
Description: The title provides a historical account of the origin, rise, and importance of paleobiology. Drawing on a wealth of archival material, Sepkoski shows how the movement was promoted by an influential group of paleontologists and examines the intellectual, disciplinary, and political dynamics involved in the ascendancy of paleobiology.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction: rereading the fossil record; title: Darwin's dilemma: paleontology, the fossil record, and evolutionary theory; title: The growth of theoretical paleontology; title: The rise of quantitative paleobiology; title: From paleoecology to paleobiology; title: Punctuated equilibria and the rise of the new paleobiology; title: The founding of a research journal; title: 'Towards a nomothetic paleontology': the MBL model and stochastic paleontology; title: A 'natural history of data': the rise of taxic paleobiology; title: The dynamics of mass extinctions; title: Toward a new macroevolutionary synthesis; title: Conclusion: paleontology at the high table?.