Ammonoid Paleobiology: From Anatomy to Ecology

About this book

This book is the first part of a two-volume work, and is a testament to the abiding interest and human fascination with ammonites. We offer a new model to explain the morphogenesis of septa and the shell, we explore their habitats by the content of stable isotopes in their shells, we discuss the origin and later evolution of this important clade, and we deliver hypotheses on its demise. The Ammonoidea produced a great number of species that can be used in biostratigraphy and possibly, this is the macrofossil group, which has been used the most for that purpose. Nevertheless, many aspects of their anatomy, mode of life, development or paleobiogeographic distribution are still poorly known. Themes treated are biostratigraphy, paleoecology, paleoenvironment, paleobiogeography, evolution, phylogeny, and ontogeny. Advances such as an explosion of new information about ammonites, new technologies such as isotopic analysis, tomography and virtual paleontology in general, as well as continuous discovery of new fossil finds have given us the opportunity to present a comprehensive and timely "state of the art" compilation. Moreover, it also points the way for future studies to further enhance our understanding of this endlessly fascinating group of organisms.

Contents

PART I - Conch
1 Describing ammonoid conchs Christian Klug, Dieter Korn, Neil H. Landman, Kazushige Tanabe, Kenneth De Baets and Carole Naglik
2 Colour patterns Royal H. Mapes and Neal L. Larson
3 Ammonoid septa and sutures Christian Klug and Rene Hoffmann
4 Cameral membranes, pseudosutures, and other soft tissue imprints in ammonoid shells Kristin Polizzotto, Neil H. Landman and Christian Klug

PART II - Ontogeny
5 Ammonoid embryonic development Kenneth De Baets, Neil H. Landman and Kazushige Tanabe
6 Theoretical modelling of the molluscan shell: what has been learned from the comparison among molluscan taxa? Severine Urdy
7 Mature modifications and sexual dimorphism Christian Klug, Michal Zaton, Horacio Parent, Bernard Hostettler and Amane Tajika
8 Ammonoid shell microstructure Cyprian Kulicki, Kazushige Tanabe, Neil H. Landman and Andrzej Kaim
9 Ammonoid intraspecific variability Kenneth De Baets, Didier Bert, Rene Hofmann, Claude Monnet, Margaret M. Yacobucci and Christian Klug

PART III - Anatomy
10 Ammonoid buccal mass and jaw apparatus Kazushige Tanabe, Isabelle Kruta and Neil H. Landman
11 Ammonoid radulae Isabelle Kruta, Neil H. Landman, and Kazushige Tanabe
12 Soft-part anatomy of ammonoids: reconstructing the animal based on exceptionally preserved specimens and actualistic comparisons Christian Klug and Jens Lehmann
13 Soft-part anatomy of the siphuncle in ammonoids Kazushige Tanabe, Takenori Sasaki and Royal H. Mapes
14 Muscle scars in ammonoid shells Larisa A. Doguzhaeva and Royal H. Mapes
15 The additional external shell layers indicative of "endocochleate experiments" in some ammonoids Larisa A. Doguzhaeva and Harry Mutvei

PART IV - Habit and habitats
16 Ammonoid buoyancy Rene Hoffmann, Robert Lemanis, Carole Naglik and Christian Klug
17 Ammonoid locomotion Carole Naglik, Amane Tajika, John A. Chamberlain and Christian Klug
18 Ammonoid habitats and life history Alexander Lukeneder
19 Isotope signature of ammonoid shells Kazuyoshi Moriya
20 Parasites of ammonoids Kenneth De Baets, Helmut Keupp and Christian Klug
21 Ammonoid paleopathology Helmut Keupp and Rene Hoffmann

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