The dominant faunal elements in shallow Paleozoic oceans, echinoderms are important to understanding these marine ecosystems. Echinoderms (which include such animals as sea stars, crinoids or sea lilies, sea urchins, sand dollars, and sea cucumbers) have left a rich and, for science, extremely useful fossil record. For various reasons, they provide the ideal source for answers to the questions that will help us develop a more complete understanding of global environmental and biodiversity changes. This volume highlights the modern study of fossil echinoderms and is organized into five parts: echinoderm paleoecology, functional morphology, and paleoecology; evolutionary paleoecology; morphology for refined phylogenetic studies; innovative applications of data encoded in echinoderms; and information on new crinoid data sets.

Treats various paleobiological approaches to the phylum's remarkable evolutionary history

About the Author

William I. Ausich is Professor of Earth Sciences and Director of the Orton Geological Museum at The Ohio State University. He is an expert in the study of Paleozoic crinoids with an emphasis on paleobiology and evolutionary paleoecology.

Gary D. Webster is Adjunct Faculty of Geology at Washington State University.

Reviews

[An] excellent book . . . . The advances being made in understanding echinoderm paleobiology are impressive in their diversity and extent, and are well showcased in this book.Vol. 84 Sept. 2009

-- Andrew B. Smith * Natural History Museum, London *



Book Information
ISBN 9780253351289
Author William I. Ausich
Format Hardback
Page Count 472
Imprint Indiana University Press
Publisher Indiana University Press
Weight(grams) 1125g