The fossil history of plant life in Antarctica is central to our understanding of the evolution of vegetation through geological time and also plays a key role in reconstructing past configurations of the continents and associated climatic conditions. This book provides the only detailed overview of the development of Antarctic vegetation from the Devonian period to the present day, presenting Earth scientists with valuable insights into the break up of the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana. Details of specific floras and ecosystems are provided within the context of changing geological, geographical and environmental conditions, alongside comparisons with contemporaneous and modern ecosystems. The authors demonstrate how palaeobotany contributes to our understanding of the paleoenvironmental changes in the southern hemisphere during this period of Earth history. The book is a complete and up-to-date reference for researchers and students in Antarctic paleobotany and terrestrial paleoecology.

This book provides a complete Phanerozoic story of palaeogeography, using new and detailed full-colour maps, to link surface and deep-Earth processes.

Contents: Universe, Precambrian Period, Proterozoic Era, Early Paleozoic Era, Late Paleozoic Era, Mesozoic Era, Mesozoic biosphere, Cenozoic Era (The Paleogene World), Cenozoic Era (The Neogene World).

Presents a comprehensive overview of the fossil record of Antarctica framed within its changing environmental settings. Jeffrey Stilwell, Monash University; John Long, Australian palaentologist, currently at Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, USA.