Title: 3 Rustling in the Undergrowth: Animals in Early Terrestrial Ecosystems
Abstract:The study of animals in early terrestrial ecosystems as represented in the fossil record, long a neglected field, has undergone a striking renaissance in the past decade and a half. Spurred on at firs...The study of animals in early terrestrial ecosystems as represented in the fossil record, long a neglected field, has undergone a striking renaissance in the past decade and a half. Spurred on at first by the recognition of unconventional kinds of fossil remains (Shear et al. 1984), we have now seen the exploration of informative new sites ( Jeram et al. 1990; Shear et al. 1996), the development of new trace fossil evidence (e.g., Retallack and Feakes 1987; Banks and Colthart 1993; Trewin and McNamara 1995; Wright et al. 1995), attempts to integrate the animal evidence with that of plants (Scott 1991, 1992; Chaloner et al. 1991; Stephenson and Scott 1992; Edwards, Selden, et al. 1995), and frequent reviews of progress (Selden and Jeram 1989; Shear and Kukalova-Peck 1990; Shear 1990, 1992; Scott et al. 1992; Edwards and Selden 1993; Gray and Boucot 1994). Booklength treatments of the subject have also appeared [Little 1990; Behrensmeyer et al. 1992 (in part); Gordon and Olson 1995]. In this chapter, we propose to examine the presently available fossil evidence from two viewpoints: that of faunistics and that of trophic relationships, limiting our discussion to the Devonian and earlier. It is our hope that yet another review of this rapidly expanding field may usefully synthesize information old and new. THE ECOLOGICAL SETTINGRead More
Publication Year: 2001
Publication Date: 2001-12-31
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 96
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