Nature through Time: Virtual field trips through the Nature of the past

Foreword
Book Summary
Preface
	Organization of the Book
	Climate
	Extinction and Extirpation
Contents
1: The Last Three Millions of Unequal Spring Thaws
	1.1	 Introduction
	1.2	 Antarctica and Greenland, Ice Cores
	1.3	 Permafrost Deposits in the Arctic Region of Northern Siberia
	1.4	 Rancho La Brea
	1.5	 Vegetation Change in South American Tropics
		1.5.1	 Western Amazonian Lowlands
		1.5.2	 Southeastern Amazonia
		1.5.3	 Andes
	1.6	 Sahul (Oceania) and Its Extinct Megafauna
		1.6.1	 Nombe Rock-Shelter
		1.6.2	 Cuddie Springs
	1.7	 A Window on the Extinct Interglacial Megafauna of Europe
	1.8	 The Tale of Mid-Latitude End Moraine and Lake Systems
		1.8.1	 The Puzzle of Glacial-Forced Diversity of Terrestrial Ecosystems in the Alpine Late Cenozoic
		1.8.2	 Lacustrine Interglacial Archives of the European Alps
	1.9	 Himalaya Foothills, Nepal
	1.10	 Olduvai Gorge
	1.11	 Southern Caucasus
		1.11.1	 Vorotan Basin, Armenia
		1.11.2	 Dmanisi (Georgia)
	1.12	 Central Japan
		1.12.1	 Last Glacial Maximum
		1.12.2	 Middle Pleistocene to Pliocene
	1.13	 The Intermontane Basins of Northern Apennines (Italy)
		1.13.1	 Interval 1.5–2.6 Ma
		1.13.2	 Interval 2.7–3.2 Ma
		1.13.3	 Environmental Changes from 3.3 to 1.5 Ma in the Central Mediterranean Area
	1.14	 Synthesis of Three Million Years of Changes in Natural Systems
	1.15	 Conclusions
	References
2: Triumph and Fall of the Wet, Warm, and Never-More-Diverse Temperate Forests (Oligocene-Pliocene)
	2.1	 Introduction—A Visit to Temperate Forests Back in Time
		2.1.1	 Past Diversity of Temperate Forests
		2.1.2	 Past Distribution of Temperate Forests
	2.2	 Western Eurasia
		2.2.1	 Western Alps
		2.2.2	 German Brown Coals
		2.2.3	 Bílina
		2.2.4	 Paratethys
		2.2.5	 Mediterranean
	2.3	 Eastern Eurasia
	2.4	 Iceland
	2.5	 North America
	2.6	 South America
	2.7	 Oceania
	2.8	 Cradles and Routes for Plant Diversity
	2.9	 The Late Cenozoic Extirpation/Extinction of Plants
	2.10	 The East Asian Refuge of Eurasian Plant Diversity
	2.11	 Conclusions
	References
3: Aridity, Cooling, Open Vegetation, and the Evolution of Plants and Animals During the Cenozoic
	3.1	 Introduction
	3.2	 Cretaceous: The Origin of Grasses (Poaceae)
	3.3	 Paleogene: The Early Evolution of Open Environments and Open-Habitat Grasses
		3.3.1	 Paleocene–Eocene (66–34 Ma): The Warm, Humid, and Forest-Dominated World
		3.3.2	 Oligocene (34–23 Ma): The Time of Global Cooling, Initial Spread of Open Habitats, and the Origin of C4-Photosynthesizing Grasses
			3.3.2.1	 Iberia and the Balkans
			3.3.2.2	 Pakistan, Mongolia, and Eastern Asia
			3.3.2.3	 North America
			3.3.2.4	 Africa
			3.3.2.5	 Patagonia
			3.3.2.6	 Australia
	3.4	 Early Neogene (23–11 Ma): Early Expansion of C3-Photosynthesizing Grasses, Grasslands, and the Evolution of the Earliest Specialized Mammal Communities
		3.4.1	 Iberia and the Near East
		3.4.2	 Eurasia
		3.4.3	 North America
		3.4.4	 Africa
		3.4.5	 South America
		3.4.6	 Australia
	3.5	 The Late Neogene and Quaternary (11–0 Ma) Spread of Grasslands and the Rise of C4-Photosynthesizing Grasses to Ecological Dominance in Low and Midlatitudes
		3.5.1	 Eurasia
		3.5.2	 China
		3.5.3	 North America
		3.5.4	 Africa
		3.5.5	 South America and Australia
	3.6	 Conclusions
	References
4: The Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum: Plants as Paleothermometers, Rain Gauges, and Monitors
	4.1	 Introduction
	4.2	 What Is the PETM?
		4.2.1	 How to Use Leaves as Thermometers, Rain Gauges, and CO2 Monitors
			4.2.1.1	 Using the Entire Plant as Proxy
			4.2.1.2	 Jack Wolfe and the Climate Leaf Analysis Multivariate Program (CLAMP)
			4.2.1.3	 Leaf Margin Analysis and Calculation of Mean Annual Temperature and Precipitation
		4.2.2	 Using Wood as a Means of Estimating Temperature and Precipitation
		4.2.3	 Stomatal Indices and CO2
	4.3	 Tracking Floras Across the PETM
		4.3.1	 Floras that Traverse the Paleocene–Eocene Boundary
	4.4	 Energy Flow and Its Impact on Herbivores
	4.5	 Connecting the Past, Present, and Future
	4.6	 Conclusions
	References
5: When and Why Nature Gained Angiosperms
	5.1	 Introduction
		5.1.1	 Which Plant Groups May Be the Ancestors of Flowering Plants?
		5.1.2	 What Are the Key Characters of Flowering Plants?
	5.2	 Angiosperms in the Cretaceous of Europe
	5.3	 Cretaceous Flora of North Polar Regions
	5.4	 When Did the First Flower Bloom in Japan?
	5.5	 Cretaceous Angiosperms in Asia
	5.6	 Cretaceous Angiosperms in Midlatitudes of North America
	5.7	 Cretaceous Angiosperms of Latin America
	5.8	 Cretaceous of Africa and Arabia
	5.9	 Cretaceous Angiosperms in Australia and Antarctica
	5.10	 Conclusions
	References
6: Postcards from the Mesozoic: Forest Landscapes with Giant Flowering Trees, Enigmatic Seed Ferns, and Other Naked-Seed Plants
	6.1	 Introduction
	6.2	 Disaster and Recovery: Dramatic Vegetation Changes at the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K/Pg) Boundary
	6.3	 Where Have All the Flowers Gone? The Global Changeover in Vegetation During the Cretaceous, from Variations of Greens and Browns to Bright Flowery Colors
	6.4	 Southern High-Latitude Forests of the Early Cretaceous in Southeastern Australia
	6.5	 The Conifer Forests of the “Jurassic Park” in Western North America
	6.6	 The Classic Mesozoic Forest of Ferns and Gymnosperms from the Middle Jurassic of Yorkshire, England
	6.7	 The Colorful and Iconic Late Triassic Petrified Forest of Arizona, USA
	6.8	 The Mid-Triassic Molteno Flora of the Karoo Basin, South Africa: Witness to the Heyday of the Gymnosperms
	6.9	 Conclusions
	References
7: Dinosaurs, But Not Only: Vertebrate Evolution in the Mesozoic
	7.1	 Introduction
	7.2	 Thunder-Lizards: Gigantism in Sauropods
	7.3	 The Biggest Claws Do Not Hurt: Herbivorous Theropods
	7.4	 Getting Back on All Four: The Evolution of Quadrupedality in Ornithischians
	7.5	 Toothed, Feathered Dragons: Birds Are Dinosaurs
	7.6	 Not Just Mouse-Like: Mammalian Radiations among Dinosaurs
	7.7	 Growing Fins: Adaptation to Aquatic Lifestyles in Mesozoic Reptiles
		7.7.1	 Turtles
		7.7.2	 Crocodyliformes
		7.7.3	 Plesiosaurs
	7.8	 Starting a New Wave: Diversification Patterns among Mesozoic Fishes
	7.9	 Conclusions
	References
8: How to Live with Dinosaurs: Ecosystems Across the Mesozoic
	8.1	 Introduction
	8.2	 From Super-Rich to Nothing: The End-Cretaceous Extinction in Spain
	8.3	 Sea, Land, and Darkness: Australia Throughout the Cretaceous
	8.4	 Changing Climates and Faunas: The Case of Mongolia
		8.4.1	 The Late Campanian to Maastrichtian Nemegt and Baruungoyot Formations
		8.4.2	 The Campanian Djadokhta Formation
		8.4.3	 The Santonian to Campanian Javkhlant Formation
		8.4.4	 The Cenomanian to Santonian Baynshiree Formation
		8.4.5	 The Berriasian to Barremian Formations
		8.4.6	 The Gobi Region as a Model for Regional Changes During the Cretaceous?
	8.5	 A Jurassic Diversity Hotspot? The Morrison Formation of the USA
	8.6	 Underexplored Treasures: The Middle Jurassic of Argentina
	8.7	 An Early Dinosaur Community in a Triassic Ecosystem from Switzerland
	8.8	 Conclusions
	References
9: Early Mesozoic Nature In and Around Tethys
	9.1	 Introduction
	9.2	 Early Jurassic Environment in Central-Eastern Pangea
	9.3	 Vertebrate Life in the Triassic Tethys
	9.4	 The Early Mesozoic Biota of the Grès à Voltzia
	9.5	 Shallow Marine Life in the Triassic of the Dolomites
	9.6	 Amber, Dinosaurs, and the Carnian Pluvial Episode in Europe
	9.7	 Early–Middle Triassic Trackways on Tethys Shores
		9.7.1	 Early Triassic Trackways in the Alps
	9.8	 The Lost Permian Eden of the Tethys
	9.9	 Discussion
	9.10	 Conclusions
	References
10: The End-Permian Mass Extinction: Nature’s Revolution
	10.1	 Introduction
	10.2	 The Magnitude of Species Loss
	10.3	 Looking for the Smoking Gun
	10.4	 The Recovery
	10.5	 Conclusions
	References
11: Long-Lasting Morphologies Despite Evolution: Ferns (Monilophytes) Throughout the Phanerozoic
	11.1	 Introduction
	11.2	 The Holocene Svatý Jan pod Skalou Locality Barrandien, Czech Republic
	11.3	 The Miocene Bílina Locality of the Most Basin, Northern Czech Republic
	11.4	 Cretaceous Ferns from Grünbach, Austria
	11.5	 The Early Jurassic Ferns of Anina, Romania
	11.6	 The Permian Wuda Locality, Inner Mongolia, China
	11.7	 The Permian Chemnitz and Carboniferous Flöha Localities (Germany)
		11.7.1	 Permian Chemnitz Locality
		11.7.2	 Carboniferous Flöha Locality
	11.8	 The Carboniferous Ovčín Locality (Czech Republic), Whetstone Horizon
	11.9	 The Devonian Hostim Locality Near Srbsko (Barrandian, Czech Republic)
	11.10	 A Brief Evolution of Ferns
	References
12: The Non-analog Vegetation of the Late Paleozoic Icehouse–Hothouse and Their Coal-Forming Forested Environments
	12.1	 Introduction
	12.2	 LPIA Tropical Forests: The Players
		12.2.1	 Club Mosses (Lycopsids)
		12.2.2	 Horsetails (Sphenopsids)
		12.2.3	 Ferns (Pteridophytes)
		12.2.4	 Gymnosperms
			12.2.4.1	 Seed Ferns (Pteridosperms)
				12.2.4.1.1	 Lyginopteridales
				12.2.4.1.2	 Medullosales
				12.2.4.1.3	 Callistophytales
				12.2.4.1.4	 Gigantopteridales
				12.2.4.1.5	 Glossopteridales
				12.2.4.1.6	 Peltaspermales
				12.2.4.1.7	 Corystospermales
				12.2.4.1.8	 Cycadales
			12.2.4.2	 Ginkgophytes, Cordaites, and Conifers
				12.2.4.2.1	 Ginkgoales
				12.2.4.2.2	 Cordaitales
				12.2.4.2.3	 Coniferales
	12.3	 Extraterrestrial Control on the Late Paleozoic Ice Age
	12.4	 Features of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age
	12.5	 Tropical Peat- and Non-peat-Accumulating Forests: Present and Past
		12.5.1	 Tropical Forests in Deep Time
	12.6	 Conclusions
	References
13: The Coal Farms of the Late Paleozoic
	13.1	 Introduction
	13.2	 Late Mississippian Bolivian, Peruvian, and Brazilian Forests
	13.3	 Late Mississippian Coastal Vegetation in China
	13.4	 Early Pennsylvanian Forests of the Black Warrior Basin, United States
	13.5	 Early Pennsylvanian Forests: A UNESCO World Heritage Site at Joggins, Nova Scotia
	13.6	 Middle Pennsylvanian Forests of the Herrin No. 6 Coal, Illinois Basin
	13.7	 Middle Pennsylvanian Forests of Central Europe Buried in Volcanic Ash
	13.8	 Early Permian Forests of Inner Mongolia
	13.9	 The Early Permian Forest at Chemnitz
	13.10	 The Early-Mid Permian Brazilian Forest
	13.11	 Permian Forests of the Youngest Late Paleozoic Ice Age: Australia and South Africa
	13.12	 Synopsis
	References
14: Diving with Trilobites: Life in the Silurian–Devonian Seas
	14.1	 Introduction
	14.2	 Paleogeography
		14.2.1	 Gondwana
		14.2.2	 Laurentia
		14.2.3	 Baltica
		14.2.4	 Avalonia
		14.2.5	 Siberia
		14.2.6	 Other Silurian–Devonian Microcontinents
	14.3	 Facies Zones and Ecologies
		14.3.1	 Lagoonal/Tidal Flat Environment
		14.3.2	 Reefs
		14.3.3	 Open Shelf Area
			14.3.3.1	 Bryozoans
			14.3.3.2	 Brachiopods
			14.3.3.3	 Mollusks
			14.3.3.4	 Echinoderms
			14.3.3.5	 Arthropods
			14.3.3.6	 Chordates
		14.3.4	 Pelagic Zone
			14.3.4.1	 Acritarchs and radiolarians
			14.3.4.2	 Graptolites
			14.3.4.3	 Pelagic Arthropods
	14.4	 Extinctions
	14.5	 Conclusions
	References
15: Back to the Beginnings: The Silurian-Devonian as a Time of Major Innovation in Plants and Their Communities
	15.1	 Introduction
		15.1.1	 Relationships
	15.2	 The Oldest Woodlands
		15.2.1	 Archaeopteris Coastal Woodlands/Forests
		15.2.2	 Red Hill, Pennsylvania
		15.2.3	 Gilboa Quarry, New York, USA
	15.3	 Early Middle Devonian Coastal Marshes
	15.4	 Late Early Devonian Floras of Gaspé and New Brunswick: Coastal Margins and Intermontane Rivers and Lakes
		15.4.1	 Gaspé Battery Point Formation (Gaspé Sandstone Group), Emsian
		15.4.2	 Campbellton Formation, Emsian, New Brunswick: Enlarging our Postcard View of an Early Devonian Landscape
	15.5	 Rhynie, the Oldest Vegetated Hot Springs
	15.6	 Bathurst Island, Canada: A Counterview to the Hot Springs
	15.7	 The Diminutive World of the Clee Hills of Shropshire
	15.8	 Pre-Devonian Land Plants
	15.9	 The Oldest Evidence for the Colonization of Land
	15.10	 Discussion
	15.11	 Conclusions
	References
Glossary
Taxonomic Index
Index