The microscopic examination of fossilized bone tissue is a sophisticated and increasingly important analytical tool for understanding the life history of ancient organisms. This book provides an essential primer and manual for using fossil bone histology to investigate the biology of extinct tetrapods. Twelve experts summarize advances in the field over the past three decades, reviewing fundamental basics of bone microanatomy and physiology. Research specimen selection, thin-section preparation, and data analysis are addressed in detail. The authors also outline methods and issues in bone growth rate calculation and chronological age determination, as well as how to examine broader questions of behavior, ecology, and evolution by studying the microstructure of bone.
Kevin Padian is Professor of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley and Curator at the UC Museum of Paleontology. Ellen-Thérèse Lamm is Histology Laboratory Manager at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana.
“In recent years, a veritable avalanche of studies has demonstrated the enormous value of the study of bone microstructure for assessing growth and other aspects of the biology of extinct vertebrates. This volume is not only an excellent, well-illustrated review of this subject, but also a how-to manual of methods for study and analysis. As such, it is an indispensable reference for researchers who use bone histology to test paleobiological hypotheses."--Hans-Dieter Sues, National Museum of Natural History
"This is a must-have book if you’re interested in the bone histology of dinosaurs and other archosaurs. From the acquisition of bone specimens, to what to do with them, to understanding their significance from metabolism to growth, this volume has it all."--David B. Weishampel, senior editor of The Dinosauria
298 pp.6 x 9Illus: 75 color illustrations, 6 b/w photographs, 13 line illustrations, 20 tables
9780520273528$85.00|£71.00Hardcover
Mar 2013