Introduction: Evolution, environments and ecology of Palaeozoic biota: essays in honour of Dr Timothy R. Smithson

Ruta, Marcello; Walsh, Stig A; Challands, Thomas J

Introduction: Evolution, environments and ecology of Palaeozoic biota: essays in honour of Dr Timothy R. Smithson

Resource type

Journal article

Creator (person)

Ruta, Marcello

Walsh, Stig A

Challands, Thomas J

Date published

October 2024

Abstract

It is with great honour that we dedicate this special issue of Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (EESTRSE) to Dr Timothy (Tim) R. Smithson. Tim’s pioneering contributions to palaeontology and geology, in particular his groundbreaking studies on Palaeozoic tetrapods and fish, along with his extensive explorations of fossil sites across Scotland and northern England, have greatly advanced our knowledge of vertebrate evolution and environmental changes during the Palaeozoic Era. In line with previous thematic issues in this journal (e.g., Rolfe et al. Reference Rolfe, Clarkson and Panchen1994; Fraser et al. Reference Fraser, Smithson, Clack, Fraser, Smithson and Clack2018; Ruta et al. Reference Ruta, Ahlberg and Smithson2019), we consider EESTRSE to be an ideal platform for a Festschrift celebrating Tim, and a fitting means to uphold the UK’s rich history of early vertebrate research. The present volume has been under development for an extended period. Informal exchanges and preliminary discussions among contributors and guest editors in late 2019 fostered a sense of great optimism, and we were thrilled to receive enthusiastic support from the journal’s editorial board and the then editor-in-chief, Andrew Ross (Principal Curator of Palaeobiology, National Museums Scotland). Although our plans were temporarily halted by the Covid-19 pandemic, our resolve remained unwavering. We have had the privilege of working with esteemed scientists at various career stages, including many of Tim’s long-term colleagues, collaborators and friends – a testament to the lasting impact and legacy of Tim’s work. We are deeply grateful to them for their staunch endorsement and enduring patience throughout the editorial process. We extend our heartfelt thanks to our referees for their insightful and constructive feedback, as well as to several contributors on this volume who generously assisted in reviewing some of the original submissions. Lastly, we express our gratitude to the following individuals at the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) and Cambridge University Press (CUP) for addressing our countless queries, and for providing invaluable guidance and advice during various stages of volume production: Rob Ellam FRSE, Editor-in-Chief, School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, China; Samira Ceccarelli, Publisher, STM Journals, CUP; Susie Cox, Assistant Editor, CUP; Katie McDonald, Archivist and Records Officer, RSE; Andrew Organ, Content Manager, Journals Production, CUP.