Antarctic Paleobiology: Its Role in the Reconstruction of Gondwana

ISBN-13: 9781461279297 / Angielski / Miękka / 2011 / 261 str.

Thomas N. Taylor; Edith L. Taylor

Opis

Antarctic Paleobiology discusses the current status of paleobiology, principally paleobotany and palynology in Antarctica, and the interrelationship of Antarctic floras to those of other Gondwana continents. It provides a broad coverage of the major groups of plants on the one hand, while on the other seeking to evaluate the vegetational history and the physical and biological parameters that influence the distribution of floras through time and space. The biologic activity is discussed within a framework of the geologic history, including the tectonic and paleogeographic history of the region. Finally, the reader will find a comprehensive bibliography of Gondwana paleobotany and palynology.

Spis treści

1. Depositional Setting of Late Carboniferous to Triassic Biota in the Transantarctic Basin.- 2. Gondwanan Paleogeography and Paleoclimatology.- 3. Reconstructing High-Latitude Cretaceous Vegetation and Climate: Arctic and Antarctic Compared.- 4. The South Polar Forest Ecosystem.- 5. Triassic Terrestrial Vertebrate Faunas of Antarctica.- 6. Proterozoic and Paleozoic Palynology of Antarctica: A Review.- 7. Cretaceous and Tertiary Vegetation of Antarctica: A Palynological Perspective.- 8. Silurian—Devonian Paleobotany: Problems, Progress, and Potential.- 9. Plant Distribution in Gondwana During the Late Paleozoic.- 10. Gondwana Floras of India and Antarctica: A Survey and Appraisal.- 11. Structurally Preserved Permian and Triassic Floras from Antarctica.- 12. PermineralizedGlossopteris and Dicroidium from Antarctica.- 13. Comments on the Role of Cycadophytes in Antarctic Fossil Floras.- 14. Antarctic and Gondwana Conifers.- 15. Cretaceous Paleobotany and Its Bearing on the Biogeography of Austral Angiosperms.- Bibliography of Antarctic Paleobotany and Palynology.