Planktonic foraminifera first evolved in the middle Jurassic but did not experience a major radiation until the mid-Cretaceous. The mid-Barremian to late Aptian was characterized by a steady increase in species richness and by the appearance of new morphological forms including planispiral coiling, clavate and radially elongate chambers, and culminating in the first appearance of taxa with complex apertural structures and the keeled morphotype in late Aptian time. This broad interval of radiation was abruptly ended by evolutionary turnover and low diversification rates in the latest Aptian and early Albian prior to a second explosive episode of radiation in the middle and late Albian. The evolutionary history of mid-Cretaceous calcareous nannofossils generally parallels the trends observed in planktonic foraminifera, although the latest Aptian-early Albian turnover event is not as pronounced. Reef communities in the Caribbean/Gulf of Mexico and Mediterranean provinces show a change in dominance from coral-algal-rudist reefs in the Barremian-early Albian to rudist domiance by the late Albian time. These changes in calcareous plankton and reef communities are related to complex oceanographic changes of the mid-Cretaceous including structure of the upper water column, productivity, sea level, atmospheric and oceanographic circulation, and changes in the chemistry of the ocean.

Changes in eustatic sea level influenced many of these factors including nutrient delivery to the oceans, climate, sites and rates of deep water formation, and ocean chemistry. What is the relationship between changes in sea level, as expressed by major seismic sequence boundaries, and the changes observed in marine biota? We have compared major changes of eustatic sea level within this interval of generally rising global sea level (Scott et al., 1988), with equivalent sequence boundaries (Haq et al., 1988) and the records of calcareous plankton (Roth, 1987; Leckie, 1989) and reef communities (Scott, 1988). What is most striking about these relationships is the apparent lack of direct correlation between sequence boundaries and turnover events in the marine biota. The calcareous plankton alternate in phase between relatively high rates of diversification and low rates of diversification, with the major sequence boundaries falling within intervals of change rather than at intervals of change. However, we acknowledge the potential of missing or condensed intervals in deep sea settings which may influence the record of evolutionary rates (e.g., Loutit, et al., 1988). Only the basal Albian sequence boundary appears to correlate with a major turnover event in the planktonic foraminifera, and the rapid change in Gulf Coast reef communites between the middle and upper Albian may correlate with a eustatic sea level change and a major sequence boundary. Based on high-resolution calcareous nannofossil, planktonic foraminiferal, sedimentologic, and geochemical data of Bralower et al. (submitted), the lower Aptian, basal Albian, and lower upper Albian sequence boundaries appear to correlate more closely with widespread oceanic dysoxic/anoxic events OAE1a, OAE1b, and OAE1c, respectively. The correlations between evolutionary events, anoxic events, and sequence boundaries must be considered tentative at this time because major disparities exist between the correlation of calcareous plankton zones and mid-Cretaceous chronostratigraphic units used by Haq et al. (1988) and Bralower et al. (submitted).

The Paleocene to early Eocene sequence of Wyoming-Montana and the Miocene to Pleistocene Siwalik record of Pakistan are exceptionally long, continental sequences, each containing a rich and well documented fossil record, especially of mammals. The two sequences are broadly similar in tectonic setting and sedimentary environment, in duration and facies changes, and in diversity of fossils. Each contains a paleoclimatic record in stable isotopes and, in the Paleogene, floras. Comparison of these two sequences has focused our attention on the interaction of tectonic, climatic, sedimentologic, and taphonomic factors that produce a particular fossil record and on the co-occurring ecological and evolutionary changes that result in a historical series of biotas, each the product of local and global events.

In the Paleogene record, the geographic scope of the record encompasses much of the floodbasin, and the spatial distribution of paleoenvironments formed fairly straightforward gradients from channel to distal floodplain. The Siwalik record has a smaller window onto a larger, heterogeneous fluvial system often with multiple, contemporaneous river systems that differ in magnitude. The spatial distribution of paleoenvironments was a mosaic without long proximal to distal gradients. In both records, major facies changes are correlated with striking changes in fossil productivity.

The overall pattern of fossil preservation by depositional environment differs substantially in the two areas. The Siwalik sequence has a greater variety of depositional environments that produce fossils throughout the section. The primary productive environment in the older part of the Paleocene record declined in productivity upsection, while a previously unproductive facies became the major source of fossils. Much of the record represents attritional accumulation in each area, but a significant portion is transported. The taphonomic processes that created fossil concentrations led to better taxonomic resolution for most Paleogene localities than in most Siwalik localities.

In each record, both aquatic and terrestrial components of the vertebrate faunas are correlated with facies. Since facies varied in productivity over time, some changes in faunal composition may have resulted from change in the prevalence or productivity of particular facies. At least one faunal turnover coincided with major facies changes in each sequence.

For mammals in each record, immigration rather than speciation in situ was the primary means of appearance of new species. Episodes of immigration were not closely followed by extinctions of resident species. Mean species longevity appears to have been more than twice as great in the Neogene than in the Paleogene record. Changes in faunal composition and species richness occurred during times of global climatic change; causal connections are still being explored. Changes in species richness did not track changes in relative abundance of taxa or changes in size within lineages or faunas. In terms of guild structure, the herbivore guild had high relative generic diversity through most of both sequences. The Paleogene record had a more even distribution of taxa in the five principal guilds, while the Siwalik record was heavily dominated by the herbivore guild. Size distributions differed substantially, reflecting the early and late windows into the mammalian radiation, rather than sampling bias.

When sponges were well-behaved, a calcareous skeleton was sufficient for assignment to the Class Calcarea. Since the discovery that some sponges secrete both siliceous spicules and a massive calcareous skeleton (Class Sclerospongia Hartman and Goreau, 1970) and more recently, the discovery of an apparent living Sphinctozoan with an aspicular calcareous skeleton and soft parts like those of a demosponge (Vacelet, 1977b) the picture has become more clouded. The groups to be discussed here originally included all the known sponges with massive calcareous material in the skeleton. They were named Pharetrones by Zittel (1878) who emphasized the skeleton of anastomosing fibers, containing, so he thought, spicules packed side-by-side like arrows in a quiver (pharetra is Greek for “quiver”). Steinmann (1882) noted that in some of the genera included by Zittel as well as in new forms which he described, the skeleton was sheet-like and outlined a series of hollow chambers. Steinmann set apart the chambered types as a subgroup Sphinctozoa(=“constricted animals”) and the fibrous types as the subgroup Inozoa(=“fiber animals”). Steinmann also pointed out that the skeleton of the Sphinctozoa was aspicular and spherulitic. Zittel had illustrated the spherulites but considered them diagenetic. Steinmann, however, observed that the spherulites were bored by endolithic algae or fungi, and were therefore probably original. He also noted that the spicules in some Inozoa were sinuous and unlike typical sponge spicules, and indeed considered the pharetronids not to be sponges at all. Hinde (1884) and others soon demonstrated that the fibers of many pharetronids, as well as the external cortical layer (including that of the sphinctozoan Tremacystia) contained typical triradiates of the Class Calcarea. The discovery of the first living pharetronids (Doederlein, 1892, Kirkpatrick, 1900, 1908) with soft-parts and flesh-spicules typical of the Calcarea, seemed to settle the matter. Rauff (1913) introduced the useful term sclerosome for the non-spicular material of the skeleton, which might range from simple cement between spicules to the entire skeleton. It is this material that recent studies by Wendt (1979, 1980), Cuif and others (1979), and Jones (1979) have shown to be quite heterogeneous and variable. We will now look at the morphology and fossil history of the Inozoa and Sphinctozoa without any commitment as to the biological unity of each group.

Mammalia constitute one of the five major classes of vertebrates (the others being Pisces, Amphibia, Reptilia, and Aves). There are, at latest count, some 4,170 species of mammals living today, classified in about 1010 genera, 130–140 families, and 18 orders (Corbet and Hill, 1980; Honacki et al., 1982). In addition, sixteen orders and uncounted genera and species of mammals are known to be extinct (see synoptic classification in Table 1). While most living mammals are terrestrial like their Mesozoic ancestors, one large progressive group has invaded the air (bats, represented by about 150 living genera and 920 species). Two other smaller groups are fully aquatic (whales, including some 40 genera and 80 species; and sirenians, 3 genera and 5 species). Mammals occupy all of the continents, and all of the larger oceanic islands. Faunal diversity is greatest in lowland tropical forests, woodlands, and savannas, decreasing rapidly at high elevations and latitudes.

Biogeography is a scientific discipline with a rich intellectual heritage extending back at least to the 18th century, and the discipline figured prominently in the development of ideas on evolution (see review in Lieberman, 2000). During the development of ideas on evolution, an important analogy was recognized between patterns of change in organisms across geographic space and patterns of change in organisms through geological time. For instance, Alfred Russel Wallace argued that, “If we now consider the geographical distribution of animals and plants upon the Earth, we shall find all the facts beautifully in accordance with, and readily explained by, the present hypothesis (Evolution). A country having species, genera, and whole families peculiar to it, will be the necessary result of its having been isolated for a long period…The phenomena of geological distribution are exactly analogous to those of geography. Closely related species are found associated in the same beds, and the change from species to species appears to have been as gradual in time as in space.” (Wallace, 1855 in Brooks, 1984, p. 75). Charles Darwin felt it was important enough to remark in the very introduction to his On the Origin of Species that, “…when on board H.M.S. ‘Beagle,’ as naturalist, I was much struck with certain facts in the distribution of the organic beings inhabiting South America, and in the geological relations of the present to the past inhabitants of that continent. These facts, as will be seen in the latter chapters of this volume, seemed to throw some light on the origin of species-that mystery of mysteries” (Darwin, 1859, p. 1).

One of the basic tenets of geology is the present is the key to the past. In the present context, this simply means that if we document the distribution of organisms today and have some degree of understanding of what combination of environmental variables controls those distributions, then we can use this information to reconstruct past environments by using the fossilized representatives of the modern organisms as paleoenvironmental indicators. This classic use of microfossils, along with biostratigraphy, is of great significance in the search for oil and gas.

A large variety of techniques and chemicals are available to aid the study of fractured and otherwise friable material. Many of the techniques are quite complex, well beyond what someone might wish to do for a once-in-a-while project. This paper will review a series of methods that range from simple to the very forceful and complex techniques needed for specimens with very low permeability. However, it will empasize both the simpler methods and those that have been published since the classic works of Bouma (1969, especially p.1–139, 260–290, & 377–378), Stanley (1971), and Allman and Lawrence (1972, p.73–92).

The high-enrollment introductory paleontology course, “Prehistoric Life,” taught at the University of North Carolina Wilmington fulfills general-education life-science credit. Most students enter the course with little knowledge of evolution (90% are non-science majors). Some assume evolution and religion are incompatible, and as non-science students, they have little incentive to learn about topics perceived to threaten their faith. Nevertheless, such students need to be prepared to make informed decisions on public-policy issues related to teaching evolution. Five principal strategies have been effective in teaching evolution to such students: 1) creating a student-centered classroom in which active/ collaborative learning engages student interest and prevents them from tuning out a threatening topic; 2) building a foundation for evolution by fostering understanding of the fossil record and geologic time; 3) in discussing evolution, focusing not only on the evidence for and mechanisms of evolution, but also clarifying the nature of science and differentiating it from religion, reinforcing that science and religion need not conflict; 4) giving students the opportunity to respond in writing to one of the position statements on evolution available from professional societies; this approach helps students formulate their own views, reassures them that their religious beliefs are respected, and fends off potential hostility during class; and 5) cultivating evolutionary thinking throughout the course (e.g., discuss evidence for evolutionary transitions and role of natural selection in evolution of various groups). These strategies have been successful in fostering student learning about evolution as indicated by teaching evaluations, student attendance, and comments in student reflection papers on evolution.

In this discussion, I wish to outline the basic methods of analyzing the paleoenvironmental occurrence of palynomorphs and how this occurrence can be used in paleoecologic interpretation. (Unless otherwise stated, environment as used in this discussion means sedimentary environment.) Palynomorphs have advantages and disadvantages relative to using megafloral remains for the same purpose. Advantages of palynomorphs include their occurrence in large numbers extractable from small volumes of sediment; the usefulness of these large populations for statistical analysis; their occurrence in strata lacking megafossils; and the occurrence of palynomorphs of plants whose preservation potential as megafossils is poor (e.g., fungi, herbaceous plants, algae). Disadvantages of palynomorphs include potential for long-distance transport and reworking; uncertain affinities of many palynomorphs; and bias against zoophilous plants or plants whose pollen contains little sporopollenin (e.g., Populus). Palynomorphs do provide a complementary view of the vegetation which can be of great value if properly used, and whose potential should not be ignored. The best possible analysis would combine megafloral and palynological data at the same level of resolution. Variation of palynology with depositional environment, furthermore, can provide information on individual evolution, community evolution, biostratigraphy, and local variability within depositional environments as well as paleoecology.

“VALUE,” WROTE John Ruskin (1862), “is the life-giving power of anything; cost, the quantity of labor required to produce it; price, the quantity of labor which its possessor will take in exchange for it”. These distinctions see obvious enough. Yet in the bustle of everyday modern life in a highly materialistic society, it seems increasingly difficult to separate “value” from “cost” and “price”. How do we — as individuals, groups, or a society — assign a value to something? What, in fact, do we value? A glance at television or a popular magazine offers some clues. We value things economic, those associated with “making a living”, with solving the everyday problems of making one's way in the world. We value things that enhance our position or status in society, or that make our lives easier or give us pleasure or diversion. We value things that make our lives meaningful. We do not tend to necessarily value what's good for us, at least not simply because someone tells us it is.

INVERTEBRATE and micro-fossil collections vary in size, scope, degree of documentation, quality of curation, purpose, usage, and security. This chapter introduces the main categories of fossil collections and curatorial attention, and documents the sources and uses of invertebrate paleontological materials. The term ‘permanent collection’ is used to describe collections housed in professional collections-care institutions that provide long-term commitment to collection security and curation. Invertebrate fossils include the hardparts (spicules, shells, etc., other body fossils [e.g., impressions, casts, and molds]), tracks, trails, and burrows attributed to invertebrates, and organic molecules. Microfossils, included here for convenience only, include the same kinds of remains of prokaryotes, protists, and tiny invertebrates. This book is the product of an National Science Foundation funded workshop organized to address specific concerns about curatorial practices in invertebrate paleontology. For this reason the focus of this chapter is on invertebrate fossils. Nevertheless, the concepts and uses of collections described below apply directly to paleobotanic specimens, and to most vertebrate fossils.

The term “fossil record” is used in two ways: either the totality of fossils preserved in all rocks or the sum of human knowledge of those fossils. In either case, the term carries the connotation also of the geologic context of the fossils–their distribution in time and space and their relationship to the enclosing rock. One of the primary scientific interests in the fossil record is learning about the history of life and the processes of large-scale transformation, or evolution, in the forms, diversities, and biological interactions of life.

The Conceptual Change Model (CCM) is an instructional approach that helps students learn by deliberately targeting their misconceptions. The teaching of such paleontological topics as evolution, phylogenetics, and functional morphology—three concept-rich units that are components of any paleontology course—is confounded by ingrained misunderstandings. The inquiry-based CCM was developed to take into account current theories of brain function. It fully supports the National Research Council's standards for inquiry and follows their recommendations for teaching science. The CCM instructional process allows students to: identify their own preconceptions, recognize the wide variety of beliefs held by classmates, confront their misconceptions, revise and reconstruct their ideas, apply their knowledge, and, finally, ask new questions for further study and growth. Implementation of the model provides a socially safe and challenging environment that engages students in ways not possible in traditional lecture settings. The CCM is employed in the upper-division course in paleontology at Florida Gulf Coast University. The principles of the paleontology course supports our marine science, environmental studies, and biology undergraduate programs. At the introduction of each topical unit, a short inquiry-based exercise is implemented both to reveal preconceptions carried by the students and to demonstrate the inconsistencies and problems with those conceptions. This then provides an opportunity to cleanly present the correct rendition of the concept.