The Triassic period is generally viewed as the beginning of the Age of Dinosaurs. For paleontologists, however, it also marks the rise of the world's first modern land ecosystems. Over the past three decades, extensive, worldwide fieldwork has led to the discovery of many new species of Triassic animals and plants, suggesting that faunal and floral changes already began in the Middle Triassic and were more protracted than previously thought. The Late Triassic is a pivotal time in the evolution of life on land, with many of the major groups of present-day vertebrates and insects first appearing in the fossil record. This book provides the first detailed overview of life on land during the Triassic period for advanced students and researchers. Noted vertebrate paleontologists Hans-Dieter Sues and Nicholas C. Fraser also review the biotic changes of this period and their possible causes.

Triassic Life on Land is an exemplary review of the Triassic period and will be a standard reference work for many years to come. -- Kevin Padian, University of California, Berkeley

About the Author
Hans-Dieter Sues is Senior Scientist and Curator in the Department of Paleobiology at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, and co-editor, with Nicholas C. Fraser, of In the Shadow of the Dinosaurs: Early Mesozoic Tetrapods.Nicholas C. Fraser is Keeper of Natural Sciences at National Museums Scotland and an adjunct faculty member of the Department of Geosciences at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Reviews
A very useful resource. Smithsonian Magazine Accomplished paleobiologists Sues and Fraser have compiled a well-organized, beautifully illustrated volume on the current state of paleobiological investigations into Triassic terrestrial life. Choice In summary, Triassic Life on Land is the best technical reference available on the Triassic period and brings us forward from the days of "thecodonts" and Coelophysis. -- William G. Parker BioScience ...a concise, global review of current knowledge of terrestrial Triassic biotas... Tetrapod Zoology Blog an excellent resource, compiling evidence from geology, vertebrate and invertebrate paleontology, and paleobotany, and builds a comprehensive image of the Triassic Period and its significance as a time of transformation in terrestrial ecosystems. -- Robert R. Reisz Quarterly Review of Biology


Awards
Winner of Choice Outstanding Academic Title 2010.



Book Information
ISBN 9780231135221
Author Hans-Dieter Sues
Format Hardback
Page Count 224
Imprint Columbia University Press
Publisher Columbia University Press