Product Description

This book presents our current knowledge of the early vertebrates, which were mainly fish, but included some land vertebrates, and lived 470 to 250 million years ago. It centres on anatomical and phylogenetic questions, but includes information about fossil discovery and preparation, as well as the analysis of the characteristics from which their relationships may be reconstructed. It addresses critically both old and new problems in the evolution of certain anatomical structures and deals briefly with the animals' way of life, extinction, and former distribution. In addition, the author gives a potted history of the field of vertebrate palaentology and the rise of cladistics, a cmajor methodological revolution in comparative biology. The book is the first in this field to use a cladistic approach. For each major vertebrate group, the reader will find a diagram or relationships, or cladogram, with a selection of characters at each node, and a succinct phlyogenetic classification.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1114503 in Books
• Published on: 2003-03-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 408 pages

Review
"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 ofphylogenetic 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