Thomas Stainforth Kemp's Books

Reptiles

A Very Short Introduction

By: Thomas Stainforth Kemp

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Reptiles

A Very Short Introduction

By: Thomas Stainforth Kemp

From dinosaurs to lizards, snakes, and turtles, Tom Kemp considers the range of reptiles which have walked our Earth. Exploring how evolutionary adaptions have fitted them to their individual niches, he discusses their biology, such as cold bloodedness and feeding habits, and analyses why reptiles have been so successful throughout history.

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161

Published Date

ISBN 10

0198806418

ISBN 13

9780198806417

Mammals

A Very Short Introduction

By: Thomas Stainforth Kemp

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Mammals

A Very Short Introduction

By: Thomas Stainforth Kemp

Relative newcomers within the story of evolution, mammals are hugely successful and have colonized land, water, and air. Tom Kemp discusses the great diversity of mammalian species, and looks at how their very disparate characteristics, physiologies, and behaviours are all largely driven by one uniting factor: endothermy, or warm-bloodedness.

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Page Count

169

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0198766947

ISBN 13

9780198766940

Mammals

A Very Short Introduction

By: Thomas Stainforth Kemp

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Mammals

A Very Short Introduction

By: Thomas Stainforth Kemp

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169

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Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0198766947

ISBN 13

9780198766940

The Origin and Evolution of Mammals

By: Thomas Stainforth Kemp

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The Origin and Evolution of Mammals

By: Thomas Stainforth Kemp

The Synapsida are the 'mammal-like' reptiles and mammals, a group that diverged from a common ancestor shared with reptiles and birds about 340 million years. The fossil record of the synapsids is extraordinarily good, and documents the three phases of the history of the group, each one of which points to important evolutionary generalisations as well as relating an intrinsically fascinating story. The first stage leads from the origin of the group to the earliest mammals. The non-mammalian synapsids constituted the first radiation of fully terrestrial vertebrates, dominating the land long before the dinosaurs displaced them and took over that role. The fossil record illustrates the relationship between this radiation and the environmental conditions of the Permo-Triassic when it occurred. It also illustrates to a far greater degree than any other fossil record the origin of a major new taxon. The sequence of acquisition of mammalian structures and functions inferred from the fossils leads to an interpretation about the processes involved in the evolution of mammalian biological organisation. The second stage is the Mesozoic history of mammals. Throughout the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods, mammals remained small, insectivorous or omnivorous animals living a nocturnal existence. They were abundant and diverse, but failed completely to evolve into any of the middle-sized and large-sized forms familiar amongst today's mammals. This is usually, though not completely satisfactorily, explained by competitive exclusion by dinosaurs. The third stage is the great Cenozoic radiation of mammals. From the moment the dinosaurs disappeared 65 million years ago, new kinds of mammals proceeded to evolve. Medium and large bodied herbivore and carnivore groups appeared early, and from then onwards a kaleidoscope of origins, flourishings, and extinctions of lineages of mammals took place. This great story interweaves changing climates, shifting continents, ecological opportunities, and the fulfilment of the adaptive potential of Mammalia. The latest molecular evidence that is having a huge impact on ideas about the timing and origins of the modern mammalian taxa is discussed along with the fossil evidence. The book reviews these three stages in turn, bringing up to date the palaeontological evidence and incorporating the molecular taxonomic data that has been rapidly accumulating over the last few years, and which is responsible for a series of exciting, radicalnew ideas about relationships amongst mammals and their inferred palaeo-biogeographic history.

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Page Count

331

Publisher

Oxford University Press, USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0198507607

ISBN 13

9780198507604

Reptiles

A Very Short Introduction

By: Thomas Stainforth Kemp

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Reptiles

A Very Short Introduction

By: Thomas Stainforth Kemp

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161

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ISBN 10

0198806418

ISBN 13

9780198806417

Fossils and Evolution

By: Thomas Stainforth Kemp

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Fossils and Evolution

By: Thomas Stainforth Kemp

The book is about the ideas, methodology and scope of contemporary palaeobiology, rather than a comprehensive, detailed survey of the factual basis of the subject. It addresses the issue of how on the one hand evolutionary theory is necessary for interpretation of the fossil record, and yet on the other the fossils themselves can contribute to evolutionary theory. This is shown not to be the circular argument between pattern and process sometimes alleged, but a matter of understanding carefully the interrelationship between palaeontological and neontological evidence. The book is organised into two sections. Part 1 consists of four chapters outlining the principles, namely: the nature of the pattern/process relationship, taxonomic methods and the analysis of pattern, evolutionary theory and the analysis of process and the nature of incompleteness of the fossil record and what to do about it. Armed with these principles and methods, Part 2 is devoted to the five centralareas of contemporary research in evolutionary palaeobiology. These are: fossils and phylogenetic inference; the mechanism of speciation; taxonomic turnover on the geological time-scale; mass-extinctions; the origin of new higher taxa. In each case the nature of the questions and the relevant kinds of evidence, including such new sources as molecular sequence data and stable isotope ratios where appropriate, are reviewed. The extent to which palaeobiology has, and has not yet, contributedto providing the sought after answers is made clear.

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Page Count

284

Publisher

Oxford University Press, USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0198504241

ISBN 13

9780198504245

Book's by Thomas Stainforth Kemp

Reptiles

Reptiles

Mammals

Mammals

Mammals

Mammals

The Origin and Evolution of Mammals

The Origin and Evolution of Mammals

Reptiles

Reptiles

Fossils and Evolution

Fossils and Evolution

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