Forerunners of Mammals: Radiation • Histology • Biology

by Tom Kemp (Contributor), Roger Smith (Contributor), Bruce Rubidge (Contributor)

About 320 million years ago a group of reptiles known as the synapsids emerged and forever changed Earth's ecological landscapes. This book discusses the origin and radiation of the synapsids from their sail-backed pelycosaur ancestor to their diverse descendants, the therapsids or mammal-like reptiles, that eventually gave rise to mammals. It further showcases the remarkable evolutionary history of the synapsids in the Karoo Basin of South Africa and the environments that existed at the time. By highlighting studies of synapsid bone microstructure, it offers a unique perspective of how such studies are utilized to reconstruct various aspects of biology, such as growth dynamics, biomechanical function, and the attainment of sexual and skeletal maturity. A series of chapters outline the radiation and phylogenetic relationships of major synapsid lineages and provide direct insight into how bone histological analyses have led to an appreciation of these enigmatic animals as once-living creatures. The penultimate chapter examines the early radiation of mammals from their nonmammalian cynodont ancestors, and the book concludes by engaging the intriguing question of when and where endothermy evolved among the therapsids.

Genres: Biology, Science, Evolution, Palaeontology, Nonfiction

352 pages, Hardcover

First published November 18, 2011

About the author

Prominent Marxist economic historian and political theorist. He was influential in socialist and Trotskyist parties in the UK, and published several influential books on Marxist theory and economic development, in particular Theories of Imperialism which made an important contribution to assimilating globalisation into Marxist theory.

Reviews

[Lexi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this could have been a very interesting read but unfortunately I had the ebook version of it. It was a very technical book and relied heavily on the use of figures which, despite references, I couldn’t easily find and turn to on my e-reader. This made it hard to follow the text and I have to admit I didn’t get to end because I found myself getting lost so frequently.

It was a bit of a shame really, as like I said it had the potential to be very interesting. It’s a fascinating topic and perhaps in a different format I would have got more from it. I recommend that anyone who wants to read this book seeks out a physical copy.

[Tom Jackson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is not meant for the layman. It might be a decent textbook - I don’t have the knowledge to judge. I got this book to gain some knowledge but it’s so heavy with scientific jargon and style that I gave up after 4 chapters. I can’t recommend this book at all.

[Nancy McQueen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, but really dense and technical. Not for the beginner.