This timely book documents marvelous brachiopod fossils from the Palaeozoic-Mesozoic transition of South China. Numerous beautiful pictures and detailed descriptions (specifically the measurements of body size) of brachiopod species are presented. Systematic discussion on the evolution of brachiopod biodiversity and morphological features across the critical interval is not only extremely important for paleontologists to understand the marine ecosystem evolution from the Palaeozoic to the Mesozoic, but also attractive for students who need to know about the end-Permian mass extinction.
The book distinguishes itself from other studies by its detailed study of the taxonomy, biodiversity and paleoecology of Permian-Triassic brachiopods from different palaeogeographic facies, especially from the deep-water environment in South China. The book also offers a unique study of the response of morphological features of brachiopods to palaeoenvironmental changes, providing insights for the process of Permian-Triassic crisis.
Author Biography:
Prof. Weihong He works at the State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology and School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China. Her research interests include Permian-Triassic brachiopods, radiolarians, bivalves, cephalopods, paleoecology and paleoenvironment. She is the winner of the Endeavour Research Fellowship awarded by Australia Government in 2009, the Winner of Education Ministry's New Century Excellent Talents Supporting Plan in 2010 and has the title of Provincial Young and Middle-aged Expert with Outstanding Contributions. She has published more than 90 papers in many peer-reviewed journals as the main author or co-author, covering Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, Journal of Paleontology, as well as Geobiology.
Prof. GR SHI works at Deakin University, Australia, where he was Personal Chair in Palaeontology and Head of School of Life and Environmental Sciences for years. He has been bestowed the title of Alfred Deakin Professor by the University Council recently. His research interests includes Permian Brachiopod, Stratigraphy and Palaeobiogeography. He has served as President of Association of Australasian Palaeontologists and also served as the lead chief investigator of 5 Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project grants and a number of other national and international competitive research grants. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed scientific papers, including in Journal of Paleontology, Geobiology, as well as Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.
Prof. Kexin Zhang is now Professor at China University of Geosciences, Wuhan. His research interests involve Micropaleontology (conodont), Stratigraphy, Sedimentary, Cenozoic uplift of the Tibet Plateau. He has won National Science and Technology Award in 2002 and Special Award of the National Science and Technology Progress Award in 2011. As one of major authors, He firstly proposed the conodont Hindeodus parvus as the index fossil for the Permian-Triassic boundary at the GSSP section, Meishan Section D of South China. He has published more than 250 papers in many peer-reviewed journals as the main author or co-author and also authored a number of books and book chapters.
Dr. Tinglu Yang obtained his bachelor degree in Geology and Ph.D. in Paleontology and Stratigraphy from China University of Geosciences (Wuhan). He now works at the Faculty of Earth Sciences, East China University of Technology. His research interests focus on the Permian-Triassic bivalve taxonomy, invertebrate phylogeny and paleoecology. He has published over 10 papers in peer-reviewed journals as the main author or co-author, covering Alcheringa, Journal of Paleontology, Geobiology, Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, as well as Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.
Prof. Shuzhong Shen is an academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences and the leading scientist of the Late Paleozoic Research Group of the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Since 2003, he has led a few key projects as the principal scientist including a national basic research program supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, a major program project and an outstanding Research Group supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China on the biological events and associated environmental changes during the Phanerozoic. He has been the chair of the International Subcommission on Permian Stratigraphy since 2012 and served as the director of the State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy from 2006 to 2016. He was also awarded a National Natural Science Prize (second class) and a provincial prize (first class). Prof. Shen’s major fields include systematics of the Permian and Triassic brachiopods and conodonts, biostratigraphy, global palaeobiogeography, mass extinctions and environmental changes. He has published more than 230 papers in more than 50 international journals and also authored or edited 16 monographs and special issues.
Dr. Yang Zhang works at the School of Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, China. His research interests involve the Permian-Triassic brachiopods, conodonts, palaeoecology and palaeobiogeography. He obtained his PhD degrees at China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) and Deakin University (Australia). He has published more than 23 papers in many peer-reviewed journals as the main author or co-author, including palaeontology, Journal of Asian Earth Sciences and Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.
