An Introduction to Plant Fossils - Tapa dura

"Cleal and Thomas have created a book that could be used in the classroom, that fits easily in the undergraduate backpack, and whose chapters can be digested amid FaceBook, chemistry homework, the other things undergradute science students are called to do...It is a solid course, a comprehensive and completely consensus overview. Cleal and Thomas have taken a just-the-facts-ma'am approach that acknowledges some of our contemporary debates, but steers well clear of them. It is a book wisely designed for a long shelf life." Nan Crystal Arens, Hobart & William Smith Colleges, American Paleontologist

"...rich in morphological and anatomical descriptions, well illustrated, and up-to-date." ...Recommended." CHOICE

This book provides an excellent practical introduction to the study of plant fossils, and is written for those who have had little previous experience of this type of palaeontology. The text summarises the groups of plants occurring as fossils and describes how best to investigate them. It explains modern research techniques that reveal details of anatomical and reproductive characteristics, and the features for identifying commonly found plant fossils. The approaches for interpreting these fossils are assessed, and the book highlights how such methods are employed by palaeobotanists to increase our knowledge of plant evolution, palaeoecology, palaeogeography and stratigraphy. The book discusses how the science of palaeobotany has developed over the last 300 years, with examples and illustrations from a global range of plant groups. It is valuable for students on introductory or intermediate courses in palaeobotany, palaeontology and plant evolution, and for amateurs looking for help in studying plant fossils.