'Paleobiology' (sometimes spelled 'palaeobiology') is a growing and comparatively new discipline which combines the methods and findings of the
natural science biology with the methods and findings of the
earth science paleontology. It is occasionally referred to as "
geobiology."
'Paleobiological' or 'paleobiologic'
research uses
biological field research of ''current''
biota and of
fossils ''millions of years'' old to answer questions about the
molecular evolution and the
evolutionary history of life. In this
scientific quest,
macrofossils,
microfossils and
trace fossils are typically analyzed. However, the 21st-century
biochemical analysis of
D.N.A. and
R.N.A. samples offers much promise, as does the
biometric construction of
phylogenetic trees.
An investigator in this field is known as a 'paleobiologist'. Some of the more important
research areas of
paleobiologists are listed below:
==
Paleobotany ==
★ applying the principles and methods of paleobiology to
flora, especially
green land plants, but also including the
fungi and
seaweeds (
algae). See also
plant fossil,
mycology,
phycology and
dendrochronology.
==
Paleozoology ==
★ using the methods and principles of paleobiology to understand
fauna, both
vertebrates and
invertebrates. See also
vertebrate and
invertebrate paleozoology, as well as
paleoanthropology.
==
Micropaleobiology ==
★ applying paleobiologic principles and methods to
archaea,
bacteria,
protists,
microscopic pollen/
spores, and perhaps someday
viruses. See also
microfossils,
palynology, and
microorganisms.
==
Paleobiochemistry ==
★ using the methods and principles of
organic chemistry to detect and analyze
molecular-level evidence of ancient life, both
microscopic and
macroscopic.
==
Paleoecology ==
★ examining past
ecosystems,
climates, and
geographies so as to better comprehend
prehistoric life.
==
Paleotaphonomy ==
★ analyzing the
post-mortem history (for example,
decay and
decomposition) of an individual organism in order to gain insight on the
behavior,
death and
environment of the
fossilized organism.
==
Paleoichnology ==
★ analyzing the
tracks,
borings, trails,
burrows, impressions, and other
trace fossils left by ancient organisms in order to gain insight into their behavior and
ecology.
==
Stratigraphic paleobiology ==
★ studying
long-term secular changes, as well as the (short-term)
bed-by-bed sequence of changes, in
organismal characteristics and behaviors. See also
stratification,
sedimentary rocks and the
geologic time scale.
==
Evolutionary developmental paleobiology ==
★ examining the
evolutionary aspects of the modes and trajectories of growth and development in the
evolution of life --
clades both
extinct and
extant. See also
adaptive radiation,
cladistics,
evolutionary biology,
developmental biology and
phylogenetic tree.
Paleobiologists
The founder or "father" of modern paleobiology is said to be Baron
Franz Nopcsa (1877 to 1933), a turn-of-the-century
Balkan scientist. He is also known as
Baron Nopcsa,
Ferenc Nopcsa, and
Franz Nopcsa von Felsö-Szilvás. He initially termed the discipline "paleophysiology."
See also
{|align left
Bibliography
★
Derek E.G. Briggs and Peter R. Crowther, eds. (2003). ''Palaeobiology II''. Malden, Massachusetts:
Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 0-632-05147-7 and ISBN 0-632-05149-3. The second edition of an acclaimed British textbook.
★
Robert L. Carroll (1998). ''Patterns and Processes of Vertebrate Evolution''. Cambridge Paleobiology Series. Cambridge, England:
Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9788521478090 and ISBN 052147809X. Applies paleobiology to the adaptive radiation of
fishes and
quadrapeds.
★ Matthew T. Carrano, Timothy Gaudin, Richard Blob, and John Wible, eds. (2006). ''Amniote Paleobiology: Perspectives on the Evolution of Mammals, Birds and Reptiles''. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0226094782 and ISBN 978-0226094786. This new book describes paleobiological research into
land vertebrates of the
Mesozoic and
Cenozoic eras.
★ Robert B. Eckhardt (2000). ''Human Paleobiology''. Cambridge Studies in Biology and Evolutionary Anthropology. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521451604 and ISBN 9780521451604. This book connects paleoanthropology and
archeology to the field of paleobiology.
★ Brian Keith Hall and Wendy M. Olson, eds. (2003). ''Keywords and Concepts in Evolutionary Biology''. Cambridge, Massachusetts:
Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674009045 and ISBN 9780674009042.
★
David Jablonski, Douglas H. Erwin, and
Jere H. Lipps (1996). ''Evolutionary Paleobiology''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 492 pages. ISBN 0226389111 and ISBN 0226389138. A fine American textbook.
★
Masatoshi Nei and Sudhir Kumar (2000). ''Molecular Evolution and Phylogenetics''. Oxford, England:
Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195135857 and ISBN 978-0195-135855. This text links
DNA/RNA analysis to the evolutionary "
tree of life" in paleobiology.
★ Donald R. Prothero (2004). ''Bringing Fossils to Life: An Introduction to Paleobiology''. New York:
McGraw Hill. ISBN 0073661708 and ISBN 978-007366-1704. An acclaimed book for the novice fossil-hunter and young adults.
★
Mark Ridley, ed. (2004). ''Evolution.'' Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0199267944 and ISBN 9781-405-103459. An anthology of analytical studies in paleobiology.
★
Raymond Rogers, David Eberth, and Tony Fiorillo (2007). ''Bonebeds: Genesis, Analysis and Paleobiological Significance''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0226723704 and ISBN 9780226723709. A new book regarding the
fossils of vertebrates, especially
tetrapods on land during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras.
★
Thomas J. M. Schopf, ed. (1972). ''Models in Paleobiology''. San Francisco: Freeman, Cooper. ISBN 0877353256 and ISBN 978-0877353256. A much-cited, seminal classic in the field discussing
methodology and
quantitative analysis.
★ Thomas J.M. Schopf (1980). ''Paleoceanography''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674652150 and ISBN 9780674652156. A later book by the noted
paleobiologist. This text discusses
ancient marine ecology.
★ J. William Schopf (2001). ''Cradle of Life: The Discovery of Earth's Earliest Fossils''. Princeton:
Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691088640. The use of
biochemical and
ultramicroscopic analysis to analyze microfossils of bacteria and archaea.
★ Paul Selden and John Nudds (2005). ''Evolution of Fossil Ecosystems''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-02267-46418 and ISBN 022-6746410. A recent analysis and discussion of
paleoecology.
★ Paul Tasch (1980). ''Paleobiology of the Invertebrates''. New York:
Wiley. ISBN 0471-052728 and ISBN 9780471-052722. Applies
statistics to the evolution of
sponges,
cnidarians,
worms,
brachiopods,
bryozoa,
mollusks, and
arthropods.
★ Shuhai Xiao and Alan J. Kaufman, eds. (2006). ''Neoproterozoic Geobiology and Paleobiology''. New York:
Springer Science+Business Media. ISBN 978-1-4020-5201-9. This new book describes research into the
fossils of the
earliest multicellular animals and
plants, especially the
Ediacaran period invertebrates and algae.
★ Bernard Ziegler and R. O. Muir (1983). ''Introduction to Palaeobiology''. Chichester, England: E. Horwood. ISBN 0470275529 and ISBN 9780470275528. A classic, British introductory textbook.
External links
★
Paleobiology website of the National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian) in Washington, D.C.
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