Terrestrial Ecosystems Through Time Evolutionary Paleoecology of Terrestrial Plants and Animals

A complete survey of the ecological history of terrestrial life, from 400 million years ago to the beginnings of human agriculture. The initial chapters lay out the theoretical background and methodology of the science of evolutionary palaeoecology, including a review of taphonomy and palaeoenvironmental settings of fossil deposits, and guidelines for developing ecological characterisations of extinct organisms and their communities. The main three chapters cover the history of terrestrial ecosystems through geological time, with an emphasis on ecological change and its effects on evolution.