Page 9 - Introduction to Paleobiology and The Fossil Record

viii FULL CONTENTS

The tree of life 128
Review questions 135
Further reading 136
References 136

6 Fossil form and function 137
Growth and form 138
Evolution and development 144
Interpreting the function of fossils 150
Review questions 159
Further reading 160
References 160

7 Mass extinctions and biodiversity loss 162
Mass extinctions 163
The “big five” mass extinction events 169

Extinction then and now 178
Review questions 181
Further reading 181
References 181

8 The origin of life 183
The origin of life 184
Evidence for the origin of life 188
Life diversifi es: eukaryotes 195
Review questions 202
Further reading 202
References 202

9 Protists 204
Protista: introduction 206
Eukaryotes arrive center stage 207
Protozoa 208
Chromista 226
Review questions 232
Further reading 233
References 233

10 Origin of the metazoans 234
Origins and classifi cation 235
Four key faunas 241
Soft-bodied invertebrates 256
Review questions 257
Further reading 257
References 257

11 The basal metazoans: sponges and corals 260
Porifera 261
Cnidaria 271
Review questions 296
Further reading 296
References 296