Fossils in the Making

by Behrensmeyer, Anna K.; Hill, Andrew

• ISBN13: 9780226041537
• ISBN10: 0226041530
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1988-02-15
• Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr

Summary

One of the first interdisciplinary discussions of taphonomy (the study of how fossil assemblages are formed) and paleoecology (the reconstruction of ancient ecosystems), this volume helped establish these relatively new disciplines. It was originally published as part of the influential Prehistoric Archeology and Ecology series. "Taphonomy is plainly here to stay, and this book makes a first class introduction to its range and appeal."--Anthony Smith, Interdisciplinary Science Reviews

Table of Contents

Series Editors'

Foreword

Preface

Introduction

History and Background

Taphonomy: Its History and Role in Community Evolution

Paleogeomorphology and Continental Taphonomy

Modern Ecology and Models for the Past

Linking the Ecology of Past and Present Mammal Communities

The Role of Modern Ecological Studies in Reconstruction of Paleoenvironments in Sub-Saharan Africa

Taphonomy in Modern Environments

The Recent Bones of Amboseli National Park, Kenya, in Relation to East African Paleoecology

Ethnoarcheological Contributions to the Taphonomy of Human Sites

Some Criteria for the Recognition of Bone-Collecting Agencies in African

Early Postmortem Damage to the Remains of Some Contemporary East African Mammals

Taphonomy in the Laboratory

Fluvial Taphonomic Processes: Models and Experiments

Functional Anatomy and Taphonomy

Trace Elements in Bones as Paleobiological Indicators

Organic Geochemistry of Bone and Its Relation to the Survival of Bone in the Natural Environment

Paleoecology

The Interpretation of Mammalian Faunas from Stone-Age Archeological Sites, with Special Reference to Sites in the Southern Cape Province, South Africa

The Significance of Bovid Remains as Indicators of Environment and Predation Patterns

Community Evolution in East Africa during the Late Cenozoic

Conclusion

References

List of Contributors

Index

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