Paleobiology 5658554 225226415 2008-07-12T15:49:49Z Abyssal leviathin 611413 /* Bibliography */ {{otheruses4|the discipline of Palæobiology|the journal|Paleobiology (journal)}} [[Image:OrdFossilsMN.JPG|thumb|right|[[Brachiopods]] and [[bryozoans]] in an [[Ordovician]] limestone, southern Minnesota.]] '''Paleobiology''' (sometimes spelled '''palaeobiology''') is a growing and comparatively new discipline which combines the methods and findings of the [[natural science]] [[biology]] with the methods and findings of the [[earth science]] [[paleontology]]. It is occasionally referred to as "[[geobiology]]." Paleobiological [[research]] uses [[biological]] [[field research]] of ''current'' [[biota]] and of [[fossil]]s ''millions of years'' old to answer questions about the [[molecular evolution]] and the [[evolutionary history of life]]. In this [[scientific]] quest, [[macrofossil]]s, [[microfossil]]s and [[trace fossil]]s are typically analyzed. However, the 21st-century [[biochemical]] analysis of [[DNA|D.N.A.]] and [[RNA|R.N.A.]] samples offers much promise, as does the [[biometric]] construction of [[phylogenetic tree]]s. An investigator in this field is known as a ''paleobiologist''. ==Important research areas == *[[Paleobotany]] applies the principles and methods of paleobiology to [[flora]], especially [[Embryophyta|green land plants]], but also including the [[Fungus|fungi]] and [[seaweed]]s ([[algae]]). See also [[mycology]], [[phycology]] and [[dendrochronology]]. *[[Paleozoology]] uses the methods and principles of paleobiology to understand [[fauna]], both [[Vertebrata|vertebrate]]s and [[invertebrate]]s. See also [[vertebrate paleontology|vertebrate]] and [[invertebrate paleontology]], as well as [[paleoanthropology]]. *[[Micropaleontology]] applies paleobiologic principles and methods to [[archaea]], [[bacteria]], [[Protista|protists]] and [[microscopy|microscopic]] [[pollen]]/[[spore]]s. See also [[microfossil]]s and [[palynology]]. *[[Biochemistry|Paleobiochemistry]] uses the methods and principles of [[organic chemistry]] to detect and analyze [[molecular biology|molecular-level evidence]] of ancient life, both [[microscopic]] and [[macroscopic]]. *[[Paleoecology]] examines past [[ecosystem]]s, [[paleoclimatology|climate]]s, and [[Paleogeography|geographies]] so as to better comprehend [[Evolutionary history of life|prehistoric life]]. *[[Taphonomy|Paleotaphonomy]] analyzes the [[post-mortem]] history (for example, [[decay]] and [[decomposition]]) of an individual organism in order to gain insight on the [[Ethology|behavior]], [[death]] and [[Natural environment|environment]] of the [[fossilization|fossilized]] organism. *[[Ichnology|Paleoichnology]] analyzes the [[animal tracks|tracks]], [[bioerosion|borings]], trails, [[burrow]]s, impressions, and other [[trace fossil]]s left by ancient organisms in order to gain insight into their behavior and [[ecology]]. *[[Biostratigraphy|Stratigraphic paleobiology]] studies [[geologic time scale|long-term secular]] changes, as well as the (short-term) [[stratigraphy|bed-by-bed sequence]] of changes, in [[Cladistics|organismal characteristics]] and behaviors. See also [[stratification]], [[sedimentary rock]]s and the [[geologic time scale]]. *[[Evo-devo|Evolutionary developmental paleobiology]] examines the [[evolution]]ary aspects of the modes and trajectories of growth and development in the [[timeline of evolution|evolution of life]] -- [[clade]]s both [[extinct]] and [[Extant taxon|extant]]. See also [[adaptive radiation]], [[cladistics]], [[evolutionary biology]], [[developmental biology]] and [[phylogenetic tree]]. == Paleobiologists == The founder or "father" of modern paleobiology is said to be Baron [[Franz Nopcsa von Felsö-Szilvás|Franz Nopcsa]] (1877 to 1933), a turn-of-the-century [[Balkan]] scientist. He is also known as ''Baron Nopcsa'', ''Ferenc Nopcsa'', and ''Franz Nopcsa von Felsö-Szilvás''. He initially termed the discipline "paleophysiology." However, credit for coining the word ''paleobiology'' itself should go to Professor [[Charles Schuchert]]. He proposed the term in 1904 so as to initiate "a broad new science" joining "traditional paleontology with the evidence and insights of geology and isotopic chemistry."<ref> Schuchert is cited on page 170 of ''Cradle of Life: The Discovery of Earth's Earliest Fossils'' (Princeton: [[Princeton University Press]]) by [[J. William Schopf]] (1999). ISBN 0-691-00230-4. </ref> On the other hand, [[Charles Doolittle Walcott]], a [[Smithsonian]] adventurer, has been cited as the "founder of [[Precambrian]] paleobiology." Although best-known as the discoverer of the mid-[[Cambrian]] [[Burgess shale]] animal fossils, in 1883 this American curator found the "first Precambrian fossil cells known to science" -- a [[stromatolite]] reef then known as ''Cryptozoon'' [[algae]]. In 1899 he discovered the first [[acritarch]] fossil cells, a Precambrian [[alga]]l [[phytoplankton]] he named ''Chuaria''. Lastly, in 1914, Walcott reported "minute cells and chains of cell-like bodies" belonging to Precambrian [[purple bacteria]].<ref> Walcott's contributions are described by J. William Schopf (1999) on pages 23 to 31. Another good source is E. L. Yochelson (1997), ''Charles Doolittle Walcott: Paleontologist'' (Kent, Ohio: [[Kent State University Press]]). </ref> Later 20th-century paleobiologists have also figured prominently in finding [[Archaean]] and [[Proterozoic]] eon [[microfossil]]s: In 1954, [[Stanley A. Tyler]] and [[Elso Sterrenberg Barghoorn|Elso S. Barghoorn]] described 2.1 billion-year-old [[cyanobacteria]] and [[fungi]]-like [[microflora]] at their [[Gunflint Chert]] fossil site. Eleven years later, Barghoorn and [[J. William Schopf]] reported finely-preserved Precambrian microflora at their Bitter Springs site of the [[Amadeus Basin]], Central Australia.<ref> The paleobiologic discoveries of Tyler, Barghoorn and Schopf are related on pages 35 to 70 of Schopf (1999). </ref> Finally, in 1993, Schopf discovered O<sub>2</sub>-producing [[blue-green bacteria]] at his 3.5 billion-year-old [[Apex Chert]] site in [[Pilbara Craton]], [[Marble Bar]], in the northwestern part of [[Western Australia]]. So paleobiologists were at last homing in on the origins of the Precambrian "[[Oxygen catastrophe]]."<ref> The Apex chert microflora is related by Schopf (1999) himself on pages 71 to 100. </ref> ==Paleobiologic journals== * ''[[Biology and Geology]]'' * ''[[Historical Biology]]'' * ''[[Palaios]]'' * ''[[Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology]]'' * ''[[Paleobiology (journal)|Paleobiology]]'' * ''[[Paleooceanography]]'' ==Footnotes== <references /> == See also == * [[History of biology]] * [[History of paleontology]] * [[History of invertebrate paleozoology]] ==Bibliography== {{portalpar|Paleontology}} * [[Derek Briggs|Derek E.G. Briggs]] and Peter R. Crowther, eds. (2003). ''Palaeobiology II''. Malden, Massachusetts: [[Blackwell Publishing]]. ISBN 0-632-05147-7 and ISBN 0-632-05149-3. The second edition of an acclaimed British textbook. * [[Robert L. Carroll]] (1998). ''Patterns and Processes of Vertebrate Evolution''. Cambridge Paleobiology Series. Cambridge, England: [[Cambridge University Press]]. ISBN 9788521478090 and ISBN 052147809X. Applies paleobiology to the adaptive radiation of [[fish]]es and [[quadraped]]s. * Matthew T. Carrano, Timothy Gaudin, Richard Blob, and John Wible, eds. (2006). ''Amniote Paleobiology: Perspectives on the Evolution of Mammals, Birds and Reptiles''. Chicago: [[University of Chicago Press]]. ISBN 0226094782 and ISBN 978-0226094786. This new book describes paleobiological research into [[Tetrapoda|land vertebrate]]s of the [[Mesozoic]] and [[Cenozoic]] eras. * Robert B. Eckhardt (2000). ''Human Paleobiology''. Cambridge Studies in Biology and Evolutionary Anthropology. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521451604 and ISBN 9780521451604. This book connects paleoanthropology and [[archeology]] to the field of paleobiology. * Douglas H. Erwin (2006). ''Extinction: How Life on Earth Nearly Ended 250 Million Years Ago.'' Princeton: [[Princeton University Press]]. ISBN 978-0-691-00524-9. An investigation by a paleobiologist into the many theories as to what happened during the catastrophic Permian-Triassic transition. * Brian Keith Hall and Wendy M. Olson, eds. (2003). ''Keywords and Concepts in Evolutionary Biology''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: [[Harvard University Press]]. ISBN 0674009045 and ISBN 9780674009042. * [[David Jablonski]], Douglas H. Erwin, and [[Jere H. Lipps]] (1996). ''Evolutionary Paleobiology''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 492 pages. ISBN 0226389111 and ISBN 0226389138. A fine American textbook. * [[Masatoshi Nei]] and Sudhir Kumar (2000). ''Molecular Evolution and Phylogenetics''. Oxford, England: [[Oxford University Press]]. ISBN 0195135857 and ISBN 978-0195-135855. This text links [[Genetics|DNA/RNA analysis]] to the evolutionary "[[Phylogenetic tree|tree of life]]" in paleobiology. * Donald R. Prothero (2004). ''Bringing Fossils to Life: An Introduction to Paleobiology''. New York: [[McGraw Hill]]. ISBN 0073661708 and ISBN 978-007366-1704. An acclaimed book for the novice fossil-hunter and young adults. * [[Mark Ridley]], ed. (2004). ''Evolution.'' Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0199267944 and ISBN 9781-405-103459. An anthology of analytical studies in paleobiology. * [[Raymond Rogers]], David Eberth, and Tony Fiorillo (2007). ''Bonebeds: Genesis, Analysis and Paleobiological Significance''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0226723704 and ISBN 9780226723709. A new book regarding the [[Vertebrate paleontology|fossils of vertebrate]]s, especially [[tetrapod]]s on land during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras. * [[Thomas J. M. Schopf]], ed. (1972). ''Models in Paleobiology''. San Francisco: Freeman, Cooper. ISBN 0877353256 and ISBN 978-0877353256. A much-cited, seminal classic in the field discussing [[methodology]] and [[quantitative analysis]]. * Thomas J.M. Schopf (1980). ''Paleoceanography''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674652150 and ISBN 9780674652156. A later book by the noted [[paleontologist|paleobiologist]]. This text discusses [[Paleoecology|ancient marine ecology]]. * J. William Schopf (2001). ''Cradle of Life: The Discovery of Earth's Earliest Fossils''. Princeton: [[Princeton University Press]]. ISBN 0691088640. The use of [[Biochemistry|biochemical]] and [[Microscopy|ultramicroscopic analysis]] to analyze microfossils of bacteria and archaea. * Paul Selden and John Nudds (2005). ''Evolution of Fossil Ecosystems''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-02267-46418 and ISBN 022-6746410. A recent analysis and discussion of [[paleoecology]]. * Paul Tasch (1980). ''Paleobiology of the Invertebrates''. New York: [[Wiley]]. ISBN 0471-052728 and ISBN 9780471-052722. Applies [[statistics]] to the evolution of [[sponge]]s, [[cnidaria]]ns, [[worm]]s, [[brachiopod]]s, [[bryozoa]], [[mollusk]]s, and [[arthropod]]s. * Shuhai Xiao and Alan J. Kaufman, eds. (2006). ''Neoproterozoic Geobiology and Paleobiology''. New York: [[Springer Science+Business Media]]. ISBN 978-1-4020-5201-9. This new book describes research into the [[fossils]] of the [[Invertebrate paleontology|earliest multicellular animals]] and [[Paleobotany|plant]]s, especially the [[Ediacaran period]] invertebrates and algae. * Bernard Ziegler and R. O. Muir (1983). ''Introduction to Palaeobiology''. Chichester, England: E. Horwood. ISBN 0470275529 and ISBN 9780470275528. A classic, British introductory textbook. ==External links== * [http://www.nmnh.si.edu/paleo/geotime Paleobiology website of the National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian) in Washington, D.C.] [[Category:Botany]] [[Category:Biology]] [[Category:Evolutionary biology]] [[Category:Developmental biology]] [[Category:Fossils]] [[Category:Microbiology]] [[Category:Paleontologists]] [[Category:Subfields of paleontology]] [[Category:Prehistoric life| ]] [[Category:paleontology]] [[Category:Zoology]] [[ca:Paleobiologia]] [[pt:Paleobiologia]] [[simple:Paleobiology]]