Mammalian Evolutionary Morphology: A Tribute to Frederick S. Szalay

ISBN-13: 9781402069963 / Angielski / Twarda / 2008 / 439 str.

Eric J. Sargis; Marian Dagosto

Opis

Frederick S. Szalay is a commanding figure - one of those Frederick Sigmund Szalay was born in Hungary on peerless inimitable people that leave a lasting impression November 15, 1938. In many ways he was the product of however briefly they are encountered. Passionate and fear- the war-torn years of World War II where as a child he spent less, he approaches his work, as he does everything else in months forced to live in the cellars of Budapest while bombs his life, with great gusto and verve and expects everyone were falling. Towards the end of the war this was followed by around him to do the same. To have worked with him was street combat between the German and Soviet forces, which alternately a terror and a blessing, but was in any case truly he witnessed firsthand when he and other small rascals m- inspirational. Students and colleagues alike were apprehen- aged to sneak upstairs from the cellar. As a 6-year-old at the sive of his much renowned (but in reality rarely displayed and end of 1944, he helped his uncle and some friends coax an usually deserved) critiques, but therefore all the more appre- unexploded 500 lb bomb down the stairs from the third floor ciative of his generously given honest praise and unwavering of the house where they lived. Having to scavenge for food confidence and support.

Recenzje

From the reviews:

"This festschrift is a wonderful tribute to the legacy Szalay, it should certainly find a place on the bookshelf of every student of mammalian evolution". Erik R. Seiffert, Journal of Human Evolution 59; 704-709, 2010 

"This volume will have a place on my bookshelf because the chapters are all solid contributions. Many of them could have been stand-alone papers in other venues. Dagosto and Sargis categorized the topics where Szalay made his biggest contributions, then sought out papers from researchers currently working on those topics. In this regard, the festschrift for Szalay has become a book that does more than celebrate his accomplishments; it compiles research that would certainly stimulate his interest. The volume is made stronger by its idiosyncrasies, arguably a reflection of the live and the career to whom it is dedicated. This makes this volume, in my mind, an exceptional tribute to the contribution of true giants in their respective fields. The impact of Szalay is undeniable. The impact and longevity of this volume will follow suit." Christopher P. Heesy, Department of Anatomy, Midwestern University, Evolutionary Anthropology 18: 157-158, 2009

 "This volume ... is an extremely professional and well-produced book presenting up-to-date and cutting-edge research. ... The book is divided into two sections. ... Mammalian Evolutionary Morphology is a highly recommended advanced volume that will prove to be a relevant resource for professionals and postgraduate students in many evolutionary and palaeontological disciplines." Kris Kovarovic, PaleoAnthropology Society, 2009

"In their preface, editors Sargis and Dagosto provide a fascinating overview of Fred's life and career, as well as a systematic analysis of his contributions to our science. This topical organization provides a kind of scaffold for the entire volume, as the editors tell us how each of the individual chapters fits into or contributes to these different themes. But the real accomplishment of the editors and the authors is that together, they have created a book that celebrates the scientific work of Fred Szalay by re-engaging with questions, issues, and problematic taxa that he himself worked on years or decades ago." R.L. Anemone, Journal of Mammalian Evolution, March 2010

"The book itself contains 18 chapters ... and spans the mammalian taxonomic and temporal spectrum from Early Cretaceous metatherians to extant primates. ... the book chapters are ... crisp, clear drawings, and photographic images. ... there is an enormous amount of new data within its pages that will be essential for professionals and students in those fields. ... this book stands as a great testament to both the man and his influential work." Gregg F. Gunnel, American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2009

"This book is a fine tribute to the work of Frederick Szalay, whose many seminal contributions to the field of mammalian evolutionary morphology span a wide range of issues. ... Individual articles are well referenced and suitably illustrated with pertinent photographs, line drawings, tables, charts, and graphs. In addition to a general subject index, a taxonomic index is provided for ease in finding material on select taxa. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level graduate students, researchers, and professionals in evolutionary morphology, paleontology, and comparative anatomy." D. A. Brass, CHOICEce, Vol. 46 (4), December, 2008

"This volume ... is an extremely professional and well-produced book presenting up-to-date and cutting-edge research. ... The book is divided into two sections. ... Mammalian Evolutionary Morphology is a highly recommended advanced volume that will prove to be a relevant resource for professionals and postgraduate students in many evolutionary and palaeontological disciplines." Kris Kovarovic, PaleoAnthropology Society, 2009

"In their preface, editors Sargis and Dagosto provide a fascinating overview of Fred's life and career, as well as a systematic analysis of his contributions to our science. This topical organization provides a kind of scaffold for the entire volume, as the editors tell us how each of the individual chapters fits into or contributes to these different themes. But the real accomplishment of the editors and the authors is that together, they have created a book that celebrates the scientific work of Fred Szalay by re-engaging with questions, issues, and problematic taxa that he himself worked on years or decades ago." R.L. Anemone, Journal of Mammalian Evolution, March 2010

"The book itself contains 18 chapters ... and spans the mammalian taxonomic and temporal spectrum from Early Cretaceous metatherians to extant primates. ... the book chapters are ... crisp, clear drawings, and photographic images. ... there is an enormous amount of new data within its pages that will be essential for professionals and students in those fields. ... this book stands as a great testament to both the man and his influential work." Gregg F. Gunnel, American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2009

"This book is a fine tribute to the work of Frederick Szalay, whose many seminal contributions to the field of mammalian evolutionary morphology span a wide range of issues. ... Individual articles are well referenced and suitably illustrated with pertinent photographs, line drawings, tables, charts, and graphs. In addition to a general subject index, a taxonomic index is provided for ease in finding material on select taxa. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level graduate students, researchers, and professionals in evolutionary morphology, paleontology, and comparative anatomy." D. A. Brass, CHOICEce, Vol. 46 (4), December, 2008

"A detailed preface and bibliography provides an interesting review of Szalay's contributions to the field, and of his philosophical approaches to the subject. The many papers on early primates make this volume essential reading for students of this group. ... the work will also be of interest to those involved in the broader issues of mammalian functional morphology, descriptive anatomy, and phylogeny. It is an impressive volume, and a fitting tribute." (Darren Naish, Geological Magazine, Vol. 147 (5), 2010)       

Spis treści

Section 1: Non-primate Mammals 1. Earliest evidence of Deltatheroida (Mammalia: Metatheria) from the Early Cretaceous of North America Brian M. Davis, Richard L. Cifelli, and Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska 2. Evolution of hind limb proportions in kangaroos (Marsupialia: Macropodoidea) Benjamin P. Kear, Michael S. Y. Lee, Wayne R. Gerdtz, and Tim F. Flannery 3. Changing views in paleontology: the story of a giant (Megatherium, Xenarthra) Christine Argot 4. Evolutionary morphology of the Tenrecoidea (Mammalia) forelimb skeleton Justine A. Salton and Eric J. Sargis 5. Postcranial morphology of Apheliscus and Haplomylus (Condylarthra, Apheliscidae): evidence for a Paleocene Holarctic origin of Macroscelidea Tonya A. Penkrot, Shawn P. Zack, Kenneth D. Rose, and Jonathan I. Bloch 6. Postcranial skeleton of the Upper Paleocene (Itaboraian) 'Condylarthra' (Mammalia) of the Itaboraí Basin, Brazil Lilian P. Berqvist 7. Postcranial osteology of mammals from Salla, Bolivia (late Oligocene): form, function, and phylogenetic implications Bruce J. Shockey and Frederico Anaya 8. Evolution of the proximal third phalanx in Oligocene-Miocene equids, and the utility of phalangeal indices in phylogeny reconstruction Jay A. O'Sullivan 9. Adaptive zones and the pinniped ankle: a three-dimensional quantitative analysis of carnivoran tarsal evolution P. David Polly Section 2: Primates 10. The biogeographic origins of Primates and Euprimates: East, West, North, or South of Eden? Mary T. Silcox 11. Evaluating the mitten-gliding hypothesis for Paromomyidae and Micromomyidae (Mammalia, 'Plesiadapiformes') using comparative functional morphology of new Paleogene skeletons Douglas M. Boyer and Jonathan I. Bloch 12. Morphological diversity in the skulls of large adapines (Primates, Adapiformes) and its systematic implications Marc Godinot and Sébastien Couette 13. Primate tibiae from the middle Eocene Shanghuang fissure-fillings of eastern China Marian Dagosto, Daniel L. Gebo, Xijun Ni, Tao Qi, and K. Christopher Beard 14. Rooneyia, postorbital closure, and the beginnings of the Age of Anthropoidea Alfred L. Rosenberger, Russell Hogg, and Sai Man Wong 15. Epitensoric position of the chorda tympani in Anthropoidea: a new synapomorphic character, with remarks on the fissura Glaseri in Primates Wolfgang Maier 16. Evolutionary morphology of the guenon postcranium and its taxonomic implications Eric J. Sargis, Carl J. Terranova, and Daniel L. Gebo 17. Analysis of selected hominoid joint surfaces using laser scanning and geometric morphometrics: a preliminary report William E. H. Harcourt-Smith, Melissa Tallman, Stephen R. Frost, David F. Wiley, F. James Rohlf, and Eric Delson 18. Comparative primate bone microstructure: records of life history, function, and phylogeny Johanna Warshaw   

O autorze

Eric J. Sargis:

(Ph.D., City University of New York [CUNY], a part of the New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology [NYCEP]) is an Associate Professor of Anthropology. His dissertation research was on the functional postcranial morphology of treeshrews (Scandentia) and its significance for understanding primate supraordinal relationships and the phylogenetics of archontan mammals. Eric has also worked on the evolutionary morphology of Old World monkeys (Primates, Cercopithecidae) and marsupials. He has conducted fieldwork in Malaysia (1994), Indonesia (1994), Ethiopia (1996, 1997), Bolivia (2001), Peru (2001, 2002, 2003), Madagascar (2003), Brazil (2005), and Cambodia (2006). Eric is also an Assistant Curator of Mammalogy at the Peabody Museum of Natural History, the Treasurer of the Society for the Study of Mammalian Evolution (SSME), and the Book Review Editor of the Journal of Mammalian Evolution (JME).

Marian Dagosto:

The focus of her research efforts is the understanding of the functional, adaptive, and phylogenetic significance of the anatomy of the limb skeleton in extant and fossil prosimian primates. The fossil members of this group, the Adapidae and Omomyidae, are the earliest known primates, and all living primates are thought to have descended from these forms. This group of primates, then, can provide clues to the early adaptive history of the order, and help identify the probable selective forces which shaped the basic morphology of this group.

She has been concentrating on two primary areas of inquiry in this field. The first is the functional analysis of the limb anatomy of fossil primates, including description of newly discovered primate remains, an analysis of the probable locomotor behaviors of fossil species, and the phylogenetic implications of their morphological features. Current projects in this area include analysis of the postcranium of the omomyid primates and of the Eocene Chinese eosimiids.

The second area is the "ecomorphology" of primate locomotion: the documentation of locomotor behavior and its ecological context (relationship to food resources, forest type) and its relationship to interspecific differences in morphology in living primates. Her current project in this area is the positional behavior of the Philippine tarsier, Tarsius syrichta. She is also investigating geographic variation in skull size and shape in the genus Tarsius and its implications for the phylogeny and biogeographic history of these primates.       

Blurb

This volume acknowledges and celebrates the contributions of Dr. Frederick S. Szalay to the field of Mammalian Evolutionary Morphology. Professor Szalay has published about 200 articles, four monographs, and six books on this subject. Throughout his career Professor Szalay has been a strong advocate for biologically and evolutionarily meaningful character analysis. In his view, this can be accomplished only through an integrated strategy of functional, adaptational, and historical analysis. Dr. Szalay worked on several different mammalian groups during his career, and the contributions to this volume reflect his broad perspective. Chapters focus on Primates, a group to which Professor Szalay dedicated much of his career. However, other mammalian groups on which he conducted a significant amount of research, such as marsupials and xenarthrans, are also covered in the volume.

This book will be of interest to professionals and graduate students in a wide variety of related fields, including functional morphology, systematics, vertebrate paleontology, mammalogy, primatology, biological anthropology, and evolutionary biology.