Monday, 4 October 2010

[W271.Ebook] PDF Ebook How Vertebrates Left the Water, by Michel Laurin

PDF Ebook How Vertebrates Left the Water, by Michel Laurin

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How Vertebrates Left the Water, by Michel Laurin

How Vertebrates Left the Water, by Michel Laurin



How Vertebrates Left the Water, by Michel Laurin

PDF Ebook How Vertebrates Left the Water, by Michel Laurin

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How Vertebrates Left the Water, by Michel Laurin

More than three hundred million years ago—a relatively recent date in the two billion years since life first appeared—vertebrate animals first ventured onto land. This usefully illustrated book describes how some finned vertebrates acquired limbs, giving rise to more than 25,000 extant tetrapod species. Michel Laurin uses paleontological, geological, physiological, and comparative anatomical data to describe this monumental event. He summarizes key concepts of modern paleontological research, including biological nomenclature, paleontological and molecular dating, and the methods used to infer phylogeny and character evolution. Along with a discussion of the evolutionary pressures that may have led vertebrates onto dry land, the book also shows how extant vertebrates yield clues about the conquest of land and how scientists uncover evolutionary history.

  • Sales Rank: #1812131 in Books
  • Published on: 2010-11-02
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Dimensions: 9.00" h x .50" w x 6.00" l, 1.15 pounds
  • Binding: Hardcover
  • 216 pages

Review
"The text is detailed, well referenced, and. . . readable."--"Choice"

"Summarizes key concepts of modern paleontological research."--"The Guardian"

"I recommend the book to students especially, although the book certainly would be a welcome addition into any natural historian's library."--"Systematic Biology"

"It is a fantastic summary of the fossil record of our vertebrate ancestors and brethren as well as a general introduction to the science of paleontology."--"Systematic Biology"

"Well-written and -illustrated synthesis of an interesting evolutionary topic, crafted from the perspective of a talented and qualified paleontologist."--"Bioscience"

"How Vertebrates Left the Water provides a generally well-written and -illustrated synthesis of an interesting evolutionary topic."--Harvey B. Lillywhite"Bioscience" (05/01/2012)

How Vertebrates Left the Water provides a generally well-written and -illustrated synthesis of an interesting evolutionary topic. --Harvey B. Lillywhite"Bioscience" (05/01/2012)"

From the Inside Flap
"How Vertebrates Left the Water integrates new and diverse lines of evidence to show what it took to make the transition to land. Although some aspects of Laurin's view are controversial, his presentation succeeds because he considers the received views as well. This topic is too important to leave to textbook orthodoxy."—Kevin Padian, University of California, Berkeley

"The invasion of land by vertebrates, like the task of putting a human on the moon, was not easy. In recent years, the complex and intriguing evolutionary story of 'How Vertebrates left the Water' has benefited from many important new discoveries and has been a matter of considerable debate. Michel Laurin's international reputation for research makes him as well equipped as anyone to take on the formidable task of recounting this complex and intriguing evolutionary story. This considerable achievement brings us right up to date in understanding this critical transition in our deep ancestry, which is largely unfamiliar to all but a small group of palaeontologists. I think that Darwin would have been both surprised and pleased to read Michel Laurin's How Vertebrates left the Water and discover just how much has been achieved over the last 150 years since his theory of evolution was published."—Douglas Palmer, author of Evolution: The Story of Life

About the Author
Michel Laurin is a vertebrate paleontologist and a CNRS research scientist working in the Mus�um National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris.

Most helpful customer reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
Outstanding, comprehensive, up-to-date, clearly written for novice and expert alike!
By Paleo cellist
Michel Laurin addresses a topic fascinating to us all: how did our ancient ancestors accomplish the momentous transition from water to land? A working vertebrate paleontologist at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) in Paris, he utilizes both his own research and some formidable scholarship in producing a volume both totally accessible to a layperson with no prior knowledge of the field and of great value to a professional. The first chapter, "How can we reconstruct evolutionary history?" presents clearly, with a wealth of illustrative diagrams, all the background information necessary to understand the remainder of this short, yet comprehensive, volume.

The following chapters lead the reader plainly and logically through every stage of the evolutionary history of the conquest of dry land. Certain aspects of the book are especially valuable because they are sometimes scanted in other treatments. He discusses how plants and invertebrates moved to land first and why this was significant for the later movement of vertebrates. He shows how limbs evolved from fish. He goes into considerable detail on the diversity of early tetrapods (many now extinct with only distant relatives extant) and their adaptations to their new environment. He depicts, with a generous use of cladograms (phylogenetic evolutionary trees), the various current scientific scenarios for the relationships among tetrapods, both living and extinct. Throughout, Laurin's writing (in an English translation from the original French) exemplifies the traditional French literary virtues of clarity, lucidity and style.

In short, the reader cannot do better than this book for an introduction to the title topic.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
For PhDs and Above
By Zato Ici
I was hoping for something at the level of a Scientific American article. This is more for specialists. The vocabulary and sentence structure are classic scientific journalese. “... an optimization of appendage type on a consensual sarcopterygean phylogeny shows that these taxa may not have had digits, except ...”. It is an honorable summary of the topic, but suitable only for serious researchers.

In the end, I did get a few ideas: vertebrates needed legs to get around, a skin to keep moisture in, and a way of getting oxygen from the air. Gills did not morph into lungs; lungs were added, then gills went away. For this, I'm grateful. However, I cannot recommend this book to the average reader.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
Let's have more.
By Olga Day
Can't wait for the sequel: How Vertebrates Returned to the Water: Whales, Penguins, and Seals Oh My!

See all 3 customer reviews...

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