Advances in Quaternary Entomology

by Scott A. Elias PhD

Overview

Advances in Quaternary Entomology addresses the science of fossil insects by demonstrating their immense contribution to our knowledge of the paleoenvironmental and climatological record of the past 2.6 million years. In this comprehensive survey of the field, Scott A. Elias recounts development of scholarship, reviews the fossil insect record from Quaternary deposits throughout the world, and points to rewarding areas for future research. The study of Quaternary entomology is becoming an important tool in understanding past environmental changes. Most insects are quite specific as to habitat requirements, and those in non-island environments have undergone almost no evolutionary change in the Quaternary period. We therefore can use their modern ecological requirements as a basis for interpreting what past environments must have been like.

• Describes and identifies principal characteristics of fossil insect groups of the Quaternary period
• Ties Quaternary insect studies to the larger field of paleoecology
• Offers global coverage of the subject with specific regional examples
• Illustrates specific methods and procedures for conducting research in Quaternary Entomology
• Offers unique insight into overlying trends and broader implications of Quaternary climate change based on insect life of the period

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780080958491
Publisher:	Elsevier Science
Publication date:	08/18/2009
Series:	ISSN , #12
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	17 MB
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About the Author

Prof. Scott A. Elias is a retired Professor of Quaternary Science at Royal Holloway, University of London, from 2000 to 2017. Before this, he was a Fellow of the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado from 1983 to 2000, where he earned his PhD in Environmental Biology. Elias has authored 226 publications. Since 2006, he has been Editor-in-Chief of three Elsevier encyclopaedias and co-editor-in-chief of four encyclopaedias and one comprehensive reference work. He was the founding editor-in-chief of the Elsevier Reference Collection in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences.

Table of Contents

1. The History of Quaternary Insect Studies 2. Methods 3. Important fossil insect groups and their identification 4. The Value of Insects in Paleoecology5. Paleoclimatic Studies Using Insects6. Insect Zoogeography in the Quaternary7. The Use of Insect Fossils in Archeology8. European Studies 9. Siberian Studies10. Eastern Beringian Studies11. Other Studies in the New World12. Japanese Studies13. Studies in Australia and New Zealand 14. Beetle Chitin Isotope Studies 15. Ancient DNA Studies16. Conclusions and Prospectus

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From the Publisher

This comprehensive survey of the field reviews the fossil insect record from Quaternary deposits throughout the world