Foundations of Paleoecology
Classic Papers with Commentaries
- Contents
- Review Quotes
Table of Contents

Contents
Introduction: Paleoecology as the Quintessence of Earth Studies
Peter J. Wagner, S. Kathleen Lyons, and Anna K. Behrensmeyer
Part One
Community and Ecosystem Dynamics
Edited by S. Kathleen Lyons, Cindy V. Looy, and Surangi Punyasena
1
K. R. Walker and L. F. Laporte (1970)
Congruent Fossil Communities from Ordovician and Devonian Carbonates of New York
Journal of Paleontology 44:928–44
Commentary by Mark E. Patzkowsky
2
L. G. Marshall, S. D. Webb, J. J. Sepkoski Jr., and D. M. Raup (1982)
Mammalian Evolution and the Great American Interchange
Science 215:1351–57
Commentary by Larisa R. G. DeSantis
3
J. W. Valentine (1971)
Resource Supply and Species Diversity Patterns
Lethaia 4:51–61
Commentary by Seth Finnegan
4
J. A. Wolfe and G. R. Upchurch Jr. (1987)
Leaf Assemblages across the Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary in the Raton Basin, New Mexico and Colorado
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 84:5096–5100
Commentary by Dena M. Smith
5
M. B. Davis (1969)
Climatic Changes in Southern Connecticut Recorded by Pollen Deposition at Rogers Lake
Ecology 50:409–22
Commentary by Eric C. Grimm and Shinya Sugita
6
M. A. Buzas and T. G. Gibson (1969)
Species Diversity: Benthonic Foraminifera in Western North Atlantic
Science 163:72–75
Commentary by Ellen Thomas
7
B. Van Valkenburgh (1988)
Trophic Diversity in Past and Present Guilds of Large Predatory Mammals
Paleobiology 14:155–73
Commentary by Nicholas D. Pyenson
8
A. C. Scott and T. P. Jones (1991)
Fossil Charcoal: A Plant-Fossil Record Preserved by Fire
Geology Today 7:214–16
Commentary by Claire M. Belcher
Part Two
Community Reconstruction
Edited Scott L. Wing and Marty Buzas
9
J. L. Cisne and B. D. Rabe (1978)
Coenocorrelation: Gradient Analysis of Fossil Communities and Its Applications Stratigraphy
Lethaia 11:341–64
Commentary by Mark E. Patzkowsky
10
A. M. Ziegler (1965)
Silurian Marine Communities and Their Environmental Significance
Nature 207:270–72
Commentary by Thomas D. Olszewski
11
L. J. Hickey and J. A. Doyle (1977)
Early Cretaceous Fossil Evidence for Angiosperm Evolution
Botanical Review 43:2–104
Commentary by Scott L. Wing and Nathan Jud
12
R. G. Johnson (1964)
The Community Approach to Paleoecology
In Approaches to Paleoecology, 107–34, ed. J. Imbrie and N. D. Newell (Wiley, New York)
Commentary by Marty Buzas
13
T. L. Phillips, A. B. Kunz, and D. J. Mickish (1977)
Paleobotany of Permineralized Peat (Coal Balls) from the Herrin (No. 6) Coal Member of the Illinois Basin
In Interdisciplinary Studies of Peat and Coal Origins, 18–49, ed. P. H. Given and A. D. Cohen. Geological Society of America Microform Publications, vol. 7 (Boulder, CO: Geological Society of America)
Commentary by Ian Glasspool
14
N. D. Newell (1957)
Paleoecology of Permian Reefs in the Guadalupe Mountains Area
Geological Society of America Memoir 67:407–36
Commentary by Richard K. Bambach
Part Three
Diversity Dynamics
Edited by Peter J. Wagner and Gene Hunt
15
D. M. Raup (1972)
Taxonomic Diversity during the Phanerozoic
Science 177:1065–71
Commentary by Shanan E. Peters
16
D. Jablonski, D. J. Bottjer, J. J. Sepkoski Jr., and P. M. Sheehan (1983)
Onshore-Offshore Patterns in the Evolution of Phanerozoic Shelf Communities
Science 222:1123–25
Commentary by Richard B. Aronson
17
J. W. Valentine (1969)
Patterns of Taxonomic and Ecological Structure of the Shelf Benthos during Phanerozoic Time
Palaeontology 12:684–709
Commentary by Michael Foote
18
J. J. Sepkoski Jr. (1978)
A Kinetic Model of Phanerozoic Taxonomic Diversity. I. Analysis of Marine Orders
Paleobiology 4:223–51
Commentary by Arnold I. Miller
19
J. W. Valentine and E. M. Moores (1970)
Plate-Tectonic Regulation of Faunal Diversity and Sea Level: A Model
Nature 228:657–59
Commentary by Matthew G. Powell
20
R. K. Bambach (1977)
Species Richness in Marine Benthic Habitats through the Phanerozoic
Paleobiology 3:152–67
Commentary by Andrew M. Bush
21
B. H. Tiffney (1984)
Seed Size, Dispersal Syndromes, and the Rise of the Angiosperms: Evidence and Hypothesis
Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 71:551–76
Commentary by Hallie J. Sims
22
P. Andrews, J. M. Lord, and E. M. Nesbit Evans (1979)
Patterns of Ecological Diversity in Fossil and Modern Mammalian Faunas
Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 11:177–205
Commentary by Catherine Badgley
Part Four
Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction
Edited by Anna K. Behrensmeyer and Caroline A. E. Strömberg
23
M. L. Natland (1933)
The Temperature- and Depth-Distribution for Some Recent and Fossil Foraminifera in the Southern California Region
Bulletin of the Scripps Institution for Oceanography, Technical Series 3:225–30
Commentary by Marty Buzas
24
J. C. Vogel and N. J. Van der Merwe (1977)
Isotopic Evidence for Early Maize Cultivation in New York State
American Antiquity 42:238–42
Commentary by Noreen Tuross
25
M. K. Elias (1937)
Depth of Deposition of the Big Blue (Late Paleozoic) Sediments of Kansas
Geological Society of American Bulletin 48:403–32
Commentary by Thomas D. Olszewski
26
J. C. Zachos, M. A. Arthur, and W. E. Dean (1989)
Geochemical Evidence for Suppression of Pelagic Marine Productivity at the Cretaceous/Tertiary Boundary
Nature 337:61–64
Commentary by Steven D’Hondt
27
T. E. Cerling, Y. Wang, and J. Quade (1993)
Expansion of C4 Ecosystems as an Indicator of Global Ecological Change in the Late Miocene
Nature 361:344–45
Commentary by David L. Fox
28
J. A. Wolfe (1978)
Paleobotanical Interpretation of Tertiary Climates in Northern Hemisphere
American Scientist 66:694–703
Commentary by Peter Wilf
Part Five
Species Interaction
Edited by Conrad C. Labandeira and Hans-Dieter Sues
29
D. H. Janzen and P. S. Martin (1982)
Neotropical Anachronisms: The Fruits the Gomphotheres Ate
Science 215:19–27
Commentary by Jessica Theodor
30
C. W. Thayer (1979)
Biological Bulldozers and the Evolution of Marine Benthic Communities
Science 203:458–61
Commentary by Mary Droser
31
G. J. Vermeij (1977)
The Mesozoic Marine Revolution: Evidence from Snails, Predators, and Grazers
Paleobiology 3:245–58
Commentary by Patricia H. Kelley
32
P. Wilf and C. C. Labandeira (1999)
Response of Plant-Insect Associations to Paleocene-Eocene Warming
Science 284:2153–56
Commentary by Ellen D. Currano
33
E. C. Olson (1966)
Community Evolution and the Origin of Mammals
Ecology 47:291–302
Commentary by Kenneth D. Angielczyk
34
P. S. Martin (1973)
The Discovery of America
Science 179:969–74
Commentary by Anthony D. Barnosky
35
L. Van Valen (1973)
A New Evolutionary Law
Evolutionary Theory 1:1–30
Commentary by Andy Pruvis
Part Six
Taphonomy
Edited by Nicholas D. Pyenson
36
J. A. Shotwell (1955)
An Approach to the Paleoecology of Mammals
Ecology 36:327–37
Commentary by Patricia A. Holroyd and Susumu Tomiya
37
J. E. Warme (1969)
Live and Dead Molluscs in a Coastal Lagoon
Journal of Paleontology 43:141–50
Commentary by Susan Kidwell
38
I. A. Efremov (1940)
Taphonomy: New Branch of Paleontology
Pan-American Geologist 74:81–93
Commentary by Anna K. Behrensmeyer
39
A. K. Behrensmeyer (1978)
Taphonomic and Ecological Information from Bone Weathering
Paleobiology 4:150–62
Commentary by Raymond R. Rogers
40
S. M. Kidwell, F. T. Fursich, and T. Aigner (1986)
Conceptual Framework for the Analysis and Classification of Fossil Concentrations
Palaios 1:228–38
Commentary by Adam Tomašových
41
R. W. Chaney (1924)
Quantitative Studies of the Bridge Creek Flora
American Journal of Science, 5th ser., 8:124–44
Commentary by Leo J. Hickey
42
D. R. Lawrence (1968)
Taphonomy and Information Losses in Fossil Communities
Geological Society of America Bulletin 79:1315–30
Commentary by Carlton E. Brett
43
R. G. Johnson (1960)
Models and Methods for Analysis of the Mode of Formation of Fossil Assemblages
Bulletin of the Geological Society of American 71:1075–86
Commentary by Richard K. Bambach
44
A. Seilacher, W.-E. Reif, and F. Westphal (1985)
Sedimentological, Ecological, and Temporal Patterns of Fossil Lagerstätten
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B 311:5–24
Commentary by Derek E. G. Briggs
List of Contributors
Index
Peter J. Wagner, S. Kathleen Lyons, and Anna K. Behrensmeyer
Part One
Community and Ecosystem Dynamics
Edited by S. Kathleen Lyons, Cindy V. Looy, and Surangi Punyasena
1
K. R. Walker and L. F. Laporte (1970)
Congruent Fossil Communities from Ordovician and Devonian Carbonates of New York
Journal of Paleontology 44:928–44
Commentary by Mark E. Patzkowsky
2
L. G. Marshall, S. D. Webb, J. J. Sepkoski Jr., and D. M. Raup (1982)
Mammalian Evolution and the Great American Interchange
Science 215:1351–57
Commentary by Larisa R. G. DeSantis
3
J. W. Valentine (1971)
Resource Supply and Species Diversity Patterns
Lethaia 4:51–61
Commentary by Seth Finnegan
4
J. A. Wolfe and G. R. Upchurch Jr. (1987)
Leaf Assemblages across the Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary in the Raton Basin, New Mexico and Colorado
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 84:5096–5100
Commentary by Dena M. Smith
5
M. B. Davis (1969)
Climatic Changes in Southern Connecticut Recorded by Pollen Deposition at Rogers Lake
Ecology 50:409–22
Commentary by Eric C. Grimm and Shinya Sugita
6
M. A. Buzas and T. G. Gibson (1969)
Species Diversity: Benthonic Foraminifera in Western North Atlantic
Science 163:72–75
Commentary by Ellen Thomas
7
B. Van Valkenburgh (1988)
Trophic Diversity in Past and Present Guilds of Large Predatory Mammals
Paleobiology 14:155–73
Commentary by Nicholas D. Pyenson
8
A. C. Scott and T. P. Jones (1991)
Fossil Charcoal: A Plant-Fossil Record Preserved by Fire
Geology Today 7:214–16
Commentary by Claire M. Belcher
Part Two
Community Reconstruction
Edited Scott L. Wing and Marty Buzas
9
J. L. Cisne and B. D. Rabe (1978)
Coenocorrelation: Gradient Analysis of Fossil Communities and Its Applications Stratigraphy
Lethaia 11:341–64
Commentary by Mark E. Patzkowsky
10
A. M. Ziegler (1965)
Silurian Marine Communities and Their Environmental Significance
Nature 207:270–72
Commentary by Thomas D. Olszewski
11
L. J. Hickey and J. A. Doyle (1977)
Early Cretaceous Fossil Evidence for Angiosperm Evolution
Botanical Review 43:2–104
Commentary by Scott L. Wing and Nathan Jud
12
R. G. Johnson (1964)
The Community Approach to Paleoecology
In Approaches to Paleoecology, 107–34, ed. J. Imbrie and N. D. Newell (Wiley, New York)
Commentary by Marty Buzas
13
T. L. Phillips, A. B. Kunz, and D. J. Mickish (1977)
Paleobotany of Permineralized Peat (Coal Balls) from the Herrin (No. 6) Coal Member of the Illinois Basin
In Interdisciplinary Studies of Peat and Coal Origins, 18–49, ed. P. H. Given and A. D. Cohen. Geological Society of America Microform Publications, vol. 7 (Boulder, CO: Geological Society of America)
Commentary by Ian Glasspool
14
N. D. Newell (1957)
Paleoecology of Permian Reefs in the Guadalupe Mountains Area
Geological Society of America Memoir 67:407–36
Commentary by Richard K. Bambach
Part Three
Diversity Dynamics
Edited by Peter J. Wagner and Gene Hunt
15
D. M. Raup (1972)
Taxonomic Diversity during the Phanerozoic
Science 177:1065–71
Commentary by Shanan E. Peters
16
D. Jablonski, D. J. Bottjer, J. J. Sepkoski Jr., and P. M. Sheehan (1983)
Onshore-Offshore Patterns in the Evolution of Phanerozoic Shelf Communities
Science 222:1123–25
Commentary by Richard B. Aronson
17
J. W. Valentine (1969)
Patterns of Taxonomic and Ecological Structure of the Shelf Benthos during Phanerozoic Time
Palaeontology 12:684–709
Commentary by Michael Foote
18
J. J. Sepkoski Jr. (1978)
A Kinetic Model of Phanerozoic Taxonomic Diversity. I. Analysis of Marine Orders
Paleobiology 4:223–51
Commentary by Arnold I. Miller
19
J. W. Valentine and E. M. Moores (1970)
Plate-Tectonic Regulation of Faunal Diversity and Sea Level: A Model
Nature 228:657–59
Commentary by Matthew G. Powell
20
R. K. Bambach (1977)
Species Richness in Marine Benthic Habitats through the Phanerozoic
Paleobiology 3:152–67
Commentary by Andrew M. Bush
21
B. H. Tiffney (1984)
Seed Size, Dispersal Syndromes, and the Rise of the Angiosperms: Evidence and Hypothesis
Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 71:551–76
Commentary by Hallie J. Sims
22
P. Andrews, J. M. Lord, and E. M. Nesbit Evans (1979)
Patterns of Ecological Diversity in Fossil and Modern Mammalian Faunas
Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 11:177–205
Commentary by Catherine Badgley
Part Four
Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction
Edited by Anna K. Behrensmeyer and Caroline A. E. Strömberg
23
M. L. Natland (1933)
The Temperature- and Depth-Distribution for Some Recent and Fossil Foraminifera in the Southern California Region
Bulletin of the Scripps Institution for Oceanography, Technical Series 3:225–30
Commentary by Marty Buzas
24
J. C. Vogel and N. J. Van der Merwe (1977)
Isotopic Evidence for Early Maize Cultivation in New York State
American Antiquity 42:238–42
Commentary by Noreen Tuross
25
M. K. Elias (1937)
Depth of Deposition of the Big Blue (Late Paleozoic) Sediments of Kansas
Geological Society of American Bulletin 48:403–32
Commentary by Thomas D. Olszewski
26
J. C. Zachos, M. A. Arthur, and W. E. Dean (1989)
Geochemical Evidence for Suppression of Pelagic Marine Productivity at the Cretaceous/Tertiary Boundary
Nature 337:61–64
Commentary by Steven D’Hondt
27
T. E. Cerling, Y. Wang, and J. Quade (1993)
Expansion of C4 Ecosystems as an Indicator of Global Ecological Change in the Late Miocene
Nature 361:344–45
Commentary by David L. Fox
28
J. A. Wolfe (1978)
Paleobotanical Interpretation of Tertiary Climates in Northern Hemisphere
American Scientist 66:694–703
Commentary by Peter Wilf
Part Five
Species Interaction
Edited by Conrad C. Labandeira and Hans-Dieter Sues
29
D. H. Janzen and P. S. Martin (1982)
Neotropical Anachronisms: The Fruits the Gomphotheres Ate
Science 215:19–27
Commentary by Jessica Theodor
30
C. W. Thayer (1979)
Biological Bulldozers and the Evolution of Marine Benthic Communities
Science 203:458–61
Commentary by Mary Droser
31
G. J. Vermeij (1977)
The Mesozoic Marine Revolution: Evidence from Snails, Predators, and Grazers
Paleobiology 3:245–58
Commentary by Patricia H. Kelley
32
P. Wilf and C. C. Labandeira (1999)
Response of Plant-Insect Associations to Paleocene-Eocene Warming
Science 284:2153–56
Commentary by Ellen D. Currano
33
E. C. Olson (1966)
Community Evolution and the Origin of Mammals
Ecology 47:291–302
Commentary by Kenneth D. Angielczyk
34
P. S. Martin (1973)
The Discovery of America
Science 179:969–74
Commentary by Anthony D. Barnosky
35
L. Van Valen (1973)
A New Evolutionary Law
Evolutionary Theory 1:1–30
Commentary by Andy Pruvis
Part Six
Taphonomy
Edited by Nicholas D. Pyenson
36
J. A. Shotwell (1955)
An Approach to the Paleoecology of Mammals
Ecology 36:327–37
Commentary by Patricia A. Holroyd and Susumu Tomiya
37
J. E. Warme (1969)
Live and Dead Molluscs in a Coastal Lagoon
Journal of Paleontology 43:141–50
Commentary by Susan Kidwell
38
I. A. Efremov (1940)
Taphonomy: New Branch of Paleontology
Pan-American Geologist 74:81–93
Commentary by Anna K. Behrensmeyer
39
A. K. Behrensmeyer (1978)
Taphonomic and Ecological Information from Bone Weathering
Paleobiology 4:150–62
Commentary by Raymond R. Rogers
40
S. M. Kidwell, F. T. Fursich, and T. Aigner (1986)
Conceptual Framework for the Analysis and Classification of Fossil Concentrations
Palaios 1:228–38
Commentary by Adam Tomašových
41
R. W. Chaney (1924)
Quantitative Studies of the Bridge Creek Flora
American Journal of Science, 5th ser., 8:124–44
Commentary by Leo J. Hickey
42
D. R. Lawrence (1968)
Taphonomy and Information Losses in Fossil Communities
Geological Society of America Bulletin 79:1315–30
Commentary by Carlton E. Brett
43
R. G. Johnson (1960)
Models and Methods for Analysis of the Mode of Formation of Fossil Assemblages
Bulletin of the Geological Society of American 71:1075–86
Commentary by Richard K. Bambach
44
A. Seilacher, W.-E. Reif, and F. Westphal (1985)
Sedimentological, Ecological, and Temporal Patterns of Fossil Lagerstätten
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B 311:5–24
Commentary by Derek E. G. Briggs
List of Contributors
Index
Review Quotes
Stephen Q. Dornbos, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
“The main thesis of this book is that paleoecology is central to the biological and geological sciences because of how it has modernized our understanding of the history of life on Earth and how modern biological systems came to be the way that they are. Broad in scope, including biotas from terrestrial and marine settings with vertebrate, invertebrate, and plant fossils, the compiled papers and their introductory commentaries support this thesis by providing evidence for the fundamental ways paleoecology has impacted these fields. An ambitious compendium of the critical founding scholarly publications of paleoecology.”
Brooke E. Crowley, University of Cincinnati
“A broad overview of classic (and more recent) papers that introduced key concepts to the field, Foundations of Paleoecology is a timely book. It will be useful for upper-level undergraduate or graduate seminars and to anyone new to the field who is hoping to gain a better understanding of the historic perspectives.”
Choice
"Students rarely get to explore the early literature on which much of contemporary research has been built, but this volume offers such an opportunity. Each paper is preceded by a short critical commentary by noteworthy invited experts who highlight the historical context and originality of the contribution. Some are more informative than others, but students will find the references accompanying these commentaries a useful guide to contextualizing each topic."
The Biologist
"This book is a fascinating insight into the world of paleoecology."
Biodiversity and Conservation
"[Foundations of Paleoecology will] be great for palaeobiology students to dip into to broaden their insights into the foundations of knowledge that they might otherwise just take for granted."
Jonathan J. Calede | The Quarterly Review of Biology
"[Foundations of Paleoecology] is both a stimulating read and a welcome book at a time of great change in the field of paleoecology. A product of the synergy of the Smithsonian’s Evolution of Terrestrial Ecosystems Program, this publication presents an overview of evolutionary ecology and of the evolution of paleoecology itself. The volume includes a series of 44 papers accompanied by commentaries from prominent contemporary paleoecologists. . . Together, these works present a thorough review of the many facets of paleoecological studies, including ecosystem and community analyses, biodiversity dynamics, paleoenvironmental reconstructions, species interactions, and taphonomy."
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