The Adequacy of the Fossil Record - Couverture rigide

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0471969885 ISBN 13 : 9780471969884

Editeur : John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 1998

Synopsis

This is an up-to-date review of the adequacy of the fossil record and its utility, providing an examination of the role and use of evidence in palaeontology. Leading authorities contribute review chapters on specific topics, assess the strengths and weaknesses of fossil evidence and provide essays on the research methodologies of research palaeontologists and their scientific results. The first eight chapters are concerned largely with broader issues of theory and interpretation. The next five chapters discuss particular fossil groups which are chosen to illustrate how the concepts of completeness and adequacy are influenced by variations in skeletal form. This is a volume on the fundamental structure of a major research discipline, offering systematic discussions of the fundamental basis of paleontology. The topic should be of interest not only in palaeontology, but also in evolutionary studies, biology, and comparative anatomy.

A propos du livre

Quatrième de couverture

The Adequacy of the Fossil Record The ‘incompleteness of the fossil record’ is an excuse used by some scientists to reject any fossil evidence that runs counter to current preconceptions. In The Origin of Species, Darwin argued that the record must be very incomplete (and, by inference, very inadequate) as it did not appear to provide appropriate evidence to test his theory. Adequacy and completeness are difficult concepts that should not be confused. The fossil record may be incomplete, but it is entirely adequate for many and most requirements of palaeontology, as well as answering wider questions in geology and biology. The fossil record obviously does not preserve every organism of every species, perhaps not even a member of every major group. It only retains a sample that is biased in many ways, although we can often identify the nature of these influences. The Adequacy of the Fossil Record is intended to be an up–to–date review that seeks to debunk these and other objections. Thus, the first eight chapters are concerned largely with the broader issues of theory and interpretation. These are followed by four Contributions that discuss particular fossil groups that have been specifically chosen to illustrate how the concepts of completeness and adequacy are influenced by intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Earth Sciences

Présentation de l'éditeur

This book assesses the strengths and weaknesses of fossil evidence and offers a critical look at the research methodologies of paleontologists and their scientific results. It is an up–to–date review of the adequacy of the fossil record and its utility and examines the rate and use of evidence in paleontology.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: John Wiley & Sons Ltd
• Date d'édition: 1998
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0471969885
• ISBN 13: 9780471969884
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 322
• Éditeur: Donovan Stephen K., Paul C.R.C.
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible