
Biology of the Sauropod Dinosaurs : Understanding the Life of Giants.
Title:
Biology of the Sauropod Dinosaurs : Understanding the Life of Giants.
Author:
Klein, Nicole.
ISBN:
9780253013552
Personal Author:
Physical Description:
1 online resource (368 pages)
Series:
Life of the Past
Contents:
Cover -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- List of Contributors -- Preface -- List of Institutional Abbreviations -- INTRODUCTION -- 1 Sauropod Biology and the Evolution of Gigantism: What Do We Know? -- PART 1: NUTRITION -- 2 Sauropod Feeding and Digestive Physiology -- 3 Dietary Options for the Sauropod Dinosaurs from an Integrated Botanical and Paleobotanical Perspective -- 4 The Diet of Sauropod Dinosaurs: Implications of Carbon Isotope Analysis on Teeth, Bones, and Plants -- PART 2: PHYSIOLOGY -- 5 Structure and Function of the Sauropod Respiratory System -- 6 Reconstructing Body Volume and Surface Area of Dinosaurs Using Laser Scanning and Photogrammetry -- 7 Body Mass Estimation, Thermoregulation, and Cardiovascular Physiology of Large Sauropods -- PART 3: CONSTRUCTION -- 8 How to Get Big in the Mesozoic: The Evolution of the Sauropodomorph Body Plan -- 9 Characterization of Sauropod Bone Structure -- 10 Finite Element Analyses and Virtual Syntheses of Biological Structures and Their Application to Sauropod Skulls -- 11 Walking with the Shoulder of Giants: Biomechanical Conditions in the Tetrapod Shoulder Girdle as a Basis for Sauropod Shoulder Reconstruction -- 12 Why So Huge? Biomechanical Reasons for the Acquisition of Large Size in Sauropod and Theropod Dinosaurs -- 13 Plateosaurus in 3D: How CAD Models and Kinetic-Dynamic Modeling Bring an Extinct Animal to Life -- 14 Rearing Giants: Kinetic-Dynamic Modeling of Sauropod Bipedal and Tripodal Poses -- 15 Neck Posture in Sauropods -- PART 4: GROWTH -- 16 The Life Cycle of Sauropod Dinosaurs -- 17 Sauropod Bone Histology and Its Implications for Sauropod Biology -- PART 5: EPILOGUE -- 18 Skeletal Reconstruction of Brachiosaurus brancai in the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin: Summarizing 70 Years of Sauropod Research.
Appendix: Compilation of Published Body Mass Data for a Variety of Basal Sauropodomorphs and Sauropods -- Index.
Abstract:
Sauropods, those huge plant-eating dinosaurs, possessed bodies that seem to defy every natural law. What were these creatures like as living animals and how could they reach such uniquely gigantic sizes? A dedicated group of researchers in Germany in disciplines ranging from engineering and materials science to animal nutrition and paleontology went in search of the answers to these questions. Biology of the Sauropod Dinosaurs reports on the latest results from this seemingly disparate group of research fields and integrates them into a coherent theory regarding sauropod gigantism. Covering nutrition, physiology, growth, and skeletal structure and body plans, this volume presents the most up-to-date knowledge about the biology of these enormous dinosaurs.
Local Note:
Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2017. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.
Genre:
Electronic Access:
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