Early Vertebrates

by Philippe Janvier

Overview

This book presents current knowledge of the early vertebrates—mainly fish, but including some terrestrial creatures—which lived about 250 to 470 million years ago. The work focuses on anatomical and phylogenetic questions, but includes information on fossil discovery and preparation, as well as the analysis of the characteristics from which their relationships may be reconstructed. The author addresses both new and old problems in the evolution of certain anatomical details and deals briefly with the animals' way of life, extinction, and former distribution. The book is the first in its field to use a cladistic approach. For each major vertebrate group, the reader will find a diagram of relationships, or cladogram, with a selection of characters at each node, and a succinct phylogenetic classification.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198526469
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	10/02/2003
Series:	Oxford Monographs on Geology and Geophysics , #33
Edition description:	REPRINT
Pages:	408
Product dimensions:	0.10(w) x 0.10(h) x 0.10(d)

About the Author

National Museum of Natural History, Paris

Table of Contents

1. What, Where and When? Early Vertebrates as We Imagine Them2. From Rocks to Theories: Techniques of Preparation and Methods of Analysis3. A Look at Extant Vertebrates4. Early Vertebrates and Their Extant Relatives5. Interrelationships of the Major Craniate Taxa: Current Phylogenetic Theories and Controversies6. Anatomical Philosophy: Homologies, Transformations and Character Phylogenies7. Evolution and Life History8. Women, Men, and Early Vertebrates

Editorial Reviews

"The writing is lucid and Janvier eases the reader's way. . . . an excellent book that should become a classic in the field."—The Quarterly Review of Biology

"Philipe Janvier has excelled himself with this landmark publication, which surely ranks as a modern classic. No other textbook has dealt so clearly with the origins and early evolution of vertebrates. Each chapter is lucidly written and important anatomical features are clearly illustrated, providing just the right level of technical information without getting bogged down with details. Competing evolutionary relationships are cleverly depicted on opposite sides of certain illustrations, driving home the message that many current issues are unresolved. This is an essential source book for teachers and students of vertebrate anatomy and evolution." —John G. Masley, American Museum of Natural History, Nature

"There are few book that we can confidently note upon publication will be "classics," but this is one. Janvier provides a thoroughly modern analysis of the relationships and evolution of early vertebrates (primarily fishes), with clear text, recent anatomical and paleontological evidence, and superb line drawings. . . .The first systematic and comprehensible book-length application of cladistic methodology to these complex and fascinating organisms."—Choice

"Janvier's well-written overview of the pattern of early vertebrate evolution is. . .a welcome synthesis, presenting a complete survey of early vertebrate fossils, their anatomy, and their phylogenetic relationships as currently understood. A potentially confusing array of early vertebrate taxa is presented clearly and logically with a great deal of phylogenetic and anatomical information. After a general introduction to the rise of vertebrate diversity and the origin of major extant clades, Janvier presents his survey of early vertebrates, which constitutes the bulk of the book. . . .The reconstructions of individual taxa and of the collections of species found in individual fossil localities are outstanding and provide a clear visual representation of early vertebrate diversity."—Science

". . . a bench mark in the subject. It is full of information, well-written and presented, but above all wise. You come away with the feeling that this book has been written by someone who not only knows a great deal about his subject, but also cares about it with some passion. It is actually inspiring to my mind in a way that few books in the subject area of vertebrate paleontology have managed since those of Al Romer and E.C. Olson." —David B. Norman, Geological Magazine

From the Publisher