The Emergence of Whales

Evolutionary Patterns in the Origin of Cetacea
1998
ISBN: 978-1-4899-0161-3
Verlag: Springer US

Buch, Englisch, Band 1, 477 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 739 g

Reihe: Advances in Vertebrate Paleobiology

Research in whale origins is now in an explosive phase, with a cascade of discoveries adding to our understanding of the evolutionary pattern and a suite of new techniques being applied to address new questions. The objective of this volume is to provide a snapshot of this explosion. The volume paints the scene with a broad brush. Taken together the chapters clearly indicate that cetacean origins is a field that is dynamic, multidisciplinary, and that the end of the explosive phase is not in sight.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Thewissen, J.G.M.

Fachgebiete

• Geowissenschaften Geologie Paläontologie, Taphonomie
• Naturwissenschaften Biowissenschaften Biowissenschaften Ökologie
• Naturwissenschaften Biowissenschaften Biowissenschaften Evolutionsbiologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1 • Synopsis of the Earliest Cetaceans: Pakicetidae, Ambulocetidae, Remingtonocetidae, and Protocetidae.- 2 · Middle to Late Eocene Basilosaurines and Dorudontines.- 3 · Molecular Evidence for the Phylogenetic Affinities of Cetacea.- 4 · Cetaceans Are Highly Derived Artiodactyls.- 5 · Phylogenetic and Morphometric Reassessment of the Dental Evidence for a Mesonychian and Cetacean Clade.- 6 · Relationships of Cetacea to Terrestrial Ungulates and the Evolution of Cranial Vasculature in Cete.- 7 · Middle Eocene Cetaceans from the Harudi and Subathu Formations of India.- 8 · Postcranial Osteology of the North American Middle Eocene Protocetid Georgiacetus.- 9 · Homology and Transformation of Cetacean Ectotympanic Structures.- 10 · Biomechanical Perspective on the Origin of Cetacean Flukes.- 11 · Implications of Vertebral Morphology for Locomotor Evolution in Early Cetacea.- 12 · Structural Adaptations of Early Archaeocete Long Bones.- 13 · Evolution of Thermoregulatory Function in Cetacean Reproductive Systems.- 14 · Isotopic Approaches to Understanding the Terrestrial-to-Marine Transition of the Earliest Cetaceans.- 15 · Paleobiological Perspectives on Mesonychia, Archaeoceti, and the Origin of Whales.- 16 · Cetacean Origins: Evolutionary Turmoil during the Invasion of the Oceans.