THE JEHOL BIOTA

Author: Zhang Mi-man, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-01-01
Features: The Jehol Biota is a unique Mesozoic fossil assemblage in China, renowned worldwide for its abundant, exquisitely preserved, and uniquely diverse fossils. This book is the first illustrated English work on the Jehol Biota since its research began. Nearly 300 stunning fossil images and grand-scale ecological reconstructions not only depict the biodiversity of the time but also breathe life into the cold fossils.
In recent years, the late Mesozoic Jehol Biota of northern China has shown the world some of the most astonishing fossil discoveries since the first complete skeleton of Archaeopteryx was discovered in 1861, making it the focus of many important paleontological researches globally. On the Biota's illustrious roster are four-winged dinosaurs, many feathered ones, the first beaked bird and its allies, the first flowering and fruiting plants, fishes with the potential to unlock the mystery of their origins, mammals of special interest to their early evolution, pterosaurs that ruled the Mesozoic skies, and thousands of species of invertebrates (e.g., mollusks, conchostracans, ostracods, shrimps, insects, and spiders) that constitute a community of truly "wonderful life." These exquisitely preserved fossils not only give us a vivid picture of once-thriving biodiversity but also shed new light on several interesting theoretical issues in evolutionary biology today, such as the origin and early evolution of some major taxonomic groups (e.g., amphibians, birds, and angiosperms), the origin of feathers and avian flight, and the co-evolution of pollinating insects and flowering plants. The Jehol Biota also bears significantly on paleobiogeography, paleoecology, paleoclimate, and paleoenvironments during the Mesozoic.
This book has pieced together the most up-to-date information on the Jehol Biota, which is otherwise scattered in vast technical literature and unavailable to general readers. The first two chapters provide an inviting introduction to the Jehol Biota in terms of its history of studies, its main components, its scientific importance, its geographical, geological, and biostratigraphic framework, and its renowned fossil discoveries. Each of the remaining chapters deals with a particular organismal group of the Biota by its leading expert(s). In addition, the book is lavished with nearly 280 illustrations, including 200 photographs that show the diversity of the taxa and the beauty of their preservation. The colored life restorations, elegantly done by some of China's most celebrated artists, are also included. Primarily aimed at an educated public, the book is also an invaluable source of information for students and professionals in paleontology, geology, evolutionary biology, and science education in general.