University of Chicago Press Foundations of Paleoecology – Classic Papers with Commentaries

Approximately 99% of all life that has ever existed is extinct. Fortunately, these long dead species have left traces of their lives and interactions with other species in the rock record that paleoecologists use to understand how species and ecosystems have changed over time. This record of past life allows us to study the dynamic nature of the Earth and gives context to current and future ecological challenges. This book brings together forty-four classic papers published between 1924 and 1999 that trace the origins and development of paleoecology. The articles cross taxonomic groups, habitat types, geographic areas, and time and have made substantial contributions to our knowledge of the evolution of life. Encompassing the full breadth of paleoecology, the book is divided into six parts: community and ecosystem dynamics, community reconstruction, diversity dynamics, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, species interaction, and taphonomy. Each paper is also introduced by a contemporary expert who gives context and explains its importance to ongoing paleoecological research. A comprehensive introduction to the field, Foundations of Paleoecology will be an essential reference for new students and established paleoecologists alike. Review "[ Foundations of Paleoecology] is both a stimulating read and a welcome book at a time of great change in the field of paleoecology. A product of the synergy of the Smithsonian's Evolution of Terrestrial Ecosystems Program, this publication presents an overview of evolutionary ecology and of the evolution of paleoecology itself. The volume includes a series of 44 papers accompanied by commentaries from prominent contemporary paleoecologists. . . Together, these works present a thorough review of the many facets of paleoecological studies, including ecosystem and community analyses, biodiversity dynamics, paleoenvironmental reconstructions, species interactions, and taphonomy." --Jonathan J. Calede "The Quarterly Review of Biology" "[ Foundations of Paleoecology will] be great for palaeobiology students to dip into to broaden their insights into the foundations of knowledge that they might otherwise just take for granted."-- "Biodiversity and Conservation" "Students rarely get to explore the early literature on which much of contemporary research has been built, but this volume offers such an opportunity. Each paper is preceded by a short critical commentary by noteworthy invited experts who highlight the historical context and originality of the contribution. Some are more informative than others, but students will find the references accompanying these commentaries a useful guide to contextualizing each topic."-- "Choice" "This book is a fascinating insight into the world of paleoecology."-- "The Biologist" "A broad overview of classic (and more recent) papers that introduced key concepts to the field, Foundations of Paleoecology is a timely book. It will be useful for upper-level undergraduate or graduate seminars and to anyone new to the field who is hoping to gain a better understanding of the historic perspectives."--Brooke E. Crowley, University of Cincinnati "The main thesis of this book is that paleoecology is central to the biological and geological sciences because of how it has modernized our understanding of the history of life on Earth and how modern biological systems came to be the way that they are. Broad in scope, including biotas from terrestrial and marine settings with vertebrate, invertebrate, and plant fossils, the compiled papers and their introductory commentaries support this thesis by providing evidence for the fundamental ways paleoecology has impacted these fields. An ambitious compendium of the critical founding scholarly publications of paleoecology."--Stephen Q. Dornbos, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee About the Author S. Kathleen Lyons is assistant professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Li