Advances In Quaternary Entomology

Advances in Quaternary Entomology addresses the science of fossil insects by demonstrating their immense contribution to our knowledge of the paleoenvironmental and climatological record of the past 2.6 million years. In this comprehensive survey of the field, Scott A. Elias recounts development of scholarship, reviews the fossil insect record from Quaternary deposits throughout the world, and points to rewarding areas for future research. The study of Quaternary entomology is becoming an important tool in understanding past environmental changes. Most insects are quite specific as to habitat requirements, and those in non-island environments have undergone almost no evolutionary change in the Quaternary period. We therefore can use their modern ecological requirements as a basis for interpreting what past environments must have been like. Describes and identifies principal characteristics of fossil insect groups of the Quaternary period Ties Quaternary insect studies to the larger field of paleoecology Offers global coverage of the subject with specific regional examples Illustrates specific methods and procedures for conducting research in Quaternary Entomology Offers unique insight into overlying trends and broader implications of Quaternary climate change based on insect life of the period

This volume, assembled in honour of the pioneering work of Professor Russell Coope within the field of palaeoentomology, consists of 30 contributions, almost all of which are by former students of Russell, or by scientists greatly influenced by him. It is a mark of the important role that palaeoentomology has had to play in recent palaeoenvironmental research, as well as of the very wide influence that Russell has had in this field, that the contributions are so diverse in scope and application. They range in focus from, for example, the origins of the present and fossil faunas of Greenland, the theory of ?island biogeography?, and late Quaternary palaeoclimatology based on quantified temperature estimates, to the interpretation of synanthropic insect faunas preserved on archaeological sites. The geographical scope of the contents of this volume radiates to Antarctica, North America, several small Atlantic islands, Greenland, Africa and Europe. Most of the contributions consider coleopteran assemblages, but there are also articles on Acari, Muscidae, Chironomidae and Hymenoptera. Supplied with the volume, at no additional charge, is a disk containing a comprehensive bibliography of scientific publications concerning Quaternary insect assemblages. One of the articles also introduces a versatile, computerised data-base named ?Bugs?, which provides comprehensive information on numerous insect fossil records, as well as on the distributions and ecological preferences of much of the North European beetle fauna.

This issue of ZooKeys celebrates the 75th birthday of Alexandr P. Rasnitsyn, a pioneer in the palaeontology and phylogeny of Hymenoptera, as well as a leader generally in insect systematics and evolution. Born in Moscow, Russia, on 24 September 1936, he developed his passion for Hymenoptera at an early age. After completing his degrees in 1960 he joined the Arthropoda Laboratory in the Paleontological Institute of the USSR (now Russian) Academy of Sciences, Moscow, and worked his way from Technician to the Head of the laboratory, in this capacityÿ leading the most productive group of paleoentomologists for 28 years. He has co-authored and edited several keystone books on insect paleontology and evolution, including History of Insects (2002), the first large-scale work of its kind in English. Rasnitsyn served as the first President of the International Palaeoentomological Society, and was bestowed Honorary Membership by the Russian Entomological Society and in 2008 with the Distinguished Research Medal of the International Society of Hymenopterists. Herein colleagues from around the world have presented original contributions to the systematics of diverse insect orders, living and fossil, as a tribute to this pioneer of Hymenoptera and paleoentomological research. Numerous new taxa are described and their phylogenetic implications explored. A biographical sketch and a list of Rasnitsyn?s more than 360 scientific publications (spanning 52 years) are provided.

A 24 page review based on a bibliography of over a thousand items illustrates the ever increasing research into fossil insects, their environments and their significance.

Volume Two of the new guide to the study of biodiversity in insects Volume Two of Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society presents an entirely new, companion volume of a comprehensive resource for the most current research on the influence insects have on humankind and on our endangered environment. With contributions from leading researchers and scholars on the topic, the text explores relevant topics including biodiversity in different habitats and regions, taxonomic groups, and perspectives. Volume Two offers coverage of insect biodiversity in regional settings, such as the Arctic and Asia, and in particular habitats including crops, caves, and islands. The authors also include information on historical, cultural, technical, and climatic perspectives of insect biodiversity. This book explores the wide variety of insect species and their evolutionary relationships. Case studies offer assessments on how insect biodiversity can help meet the needs of a rapidly expanding human population, and examine the consequences that an increased loss of insect species will have on the world. This important text: Offers the most up-to-date information on the important topic of insect biodiversity Explores vital topics such as the impact on insect biodiversity through habitat loss and degradation and climate change With its companion Volume I, presents current information on the biodiversity of all insect orders Contains reviews of insect biodiversity in culture and art, in the fossil record, and in agricultural systems Includes scientific approaches and methods for the study of insect biodiversity The book offers scientists, academics, professionals, and students a guide for a better understanding of the biology and ecology of insects, highlighting the need to sustainably manage ecosystems in an ever-changing global environment.

This third edition of Reconstructing Quaternary Environments has been completely revised and updated to provide a new account of the history and scale of environmental changes during the Quaternary. The evidence is extremely diverse ranging from landforms and sediments to fossil assemblages and geochemical data, and includes new data from terrestrial, marine and ice-core records. Dating methods are described and evaluated, while the principles and practices of Quaternary stratigraphy are also discussed. The volume concludes with a new chapter which considers some of the key questions about the nature, causes and consequences of global climatic and environmental change over a range of temporal scales. This synthesis builds on the methods and approaches described earlier in the book to show how a number of exciting ideas that have emerged over the last two decades are providing new insights into the operation of the global earth-ocean-atmosphere system, and are now central to many areas of contemporary Quaternary research. This comprehensive and dynamic textbook is richly illustrated throughout with full-colour figures and photographs. The book will be of interest to undergraduates, postgraduates and professionals in Earth Science, Environmental Science, Physical Geography, Geology, Botany, Zoology, Ecology, Archaeology and Anthropology

The book presents an up-to-date, detailed overview of the Quaternary glaciations all over the world, not only with regard to stratigraphy but also with regard to major glacial landforms and the extent of the respective ice sheets. The locations of key sites are included. The information is presented in digital, uniformly prepared maps which can be used in a Geographical Information System (GIS) such as ArcView or ArcGIS. The accompanying text supplies the information on how the data were obtained (geomorphology, geological mapping, air photograph evaluation, satellite imagery), how the features were dated (14C, TL, relative stratigraphy) and how reliable they are supposed to be. All references to the underlying basic publications are included. Where controversial interpretations are possible e.g. in Siberia or Tibet, this is pointed out. As a result, the information on Quaternary glaciations worldwide will be much improved and supplied in a uniform digital format. The information on the glacial limits is compiled in digital form by the coordinators of the project, and is available for download at: http://booksite.elsevier.com/9780444534477/ Completely updated detailed coverage of worldwide Quaternary glaciations Information in digital, uniformly prepared maps which can be used in a GIS such as ArcView or ArcGis Step-by-step guideline how to open and use ArcGis files Possibility to convert the shapefiles into GoogleEarth kmz-files Availability of chronological controls

Ostracod crustaceans, common microfossils in marine and freshwater sedimentary records, supply evidence of past climatic conditions via indicator species, transfer function and mutual climatic range approaches as well as the trace element and stable isotope geochemistry of their shells. As methods of using ostracods as Quaternary palaeoclimate proxies have developed, so too has a critical awareness of their complexities, potential and limitations. This book combines up-to-date reviews (covering previous work and summarising the state of the art) with presentations of new, cutting-edge science (data and interpretations as well as methodological developments) to form a major reference work that will constitute a durable bench-mark in the science of Ostracoda and Quaternary climate change. In-depth and focused treatment of palaeoclimate applications Provides durable benchmark and guide for all future work on ostracods Presents new, cutting-edge science