This book on the science of molecular paleontology features experiments of the morphology, ultrastructure and chemical composition of plant and animal fossils. It examines how organisms transform in earth history and their survivability in the fossil record.

This book provides an overview, research compendium and an introduction to the science of molecular paleontology, including literature overview for non-geochemists. Analytical methods employed are included as a part of each chapter that underpin this branch of paleontology and indeed geochemistry. The primary usefulness of this volume is for organic geochemists, molecular palaeontologists, and molecular archeologists. Researchers, graduate students and academics interested in astrobiology from a paleontological perspective may also find this to be valuable.

Biopolymer transformation in organisms during fossilization are used in an organismic approach to evaluate their contribution to sedimentary organic matter Features investigations including experiments of the morphology, ultrastructure and chemical composition of diverse terrestrial plant and animal fossils Presents how various biomolecules that constitute organisms transform in earth history and shed light on their occurrence in modern taxa and survivability in the fossil record Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Autorentext
Neal S, Gupta received a PhD in Organic Geochemistry and Paleontology from the University of Bristol (UK) in 2005. He was a postdoc at Yale University 2005-2009. From 2007-2010 he was a joint postdoc at MIT, and also a NASA Astrobiology Fellow (MIT and Geophysical Lab, Carnegie Institution of Washington). He has worked with Derek Briggs, Roger Summons, Rich Pancost and George Cody for his doctoral and postdoctoral work. He was an Assistant Professor in India for a year before returning to the Lab for Terrestrial Environments at Bryant University in 2011. He has edited Chitin: Formation and Diagenesis (also published by Springer in 2011).

Inhalt

1. Molecular decay of plant biopolymers.- 2. Distribution of cutan in modern leaves.- 3. Organic preservation in fossil leaves.- 4. Migration of organic molecules from sediments to fossil.- 5. Molecular plant transformation of biopolymers in high P-T conditions.- 6. Molecular decay of arthropod biopolymers.- 7. Molecular preservation in Eurypterids.- 8. Transformation of arthropod biopolymers in high P-T conditions.- 9. Molecular preservation in graptolites.- 10. Molecular transformation of bacteria in high P-T conditions.- 11. Preservation of organic fossils in Las Hoyas formation, Spain.