An Introduction to PaleoecologyAn Introduction to Paleoecology Surangi W. Punyasena University of...
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An Introduction to Paleoecology Surangi W. Punyasena University of Illinois, Urbana - Champaign Department of Plant Biology punyasena@life.illinois.edu Laguna Azul, Bolivia
Transcript of An Introduction to PaleoecologyAn Introduction to Paleoecology Surangi W. Punyasena University of...
An Introduction to Paleoecology
Surangi W. PunyasenaUniversity of Illinois, Urbana - Champaign
Department of Plant [email protected]
Laguna Azul, Bolivia
“paleoecology”
=
paleontology
+
ecology
“paleoecology”
=
response of
living organisms
over time
Wikimedia Commons - Wouldlouper
Wikimedia Commons - Wouldlouper
~250 kyr
Quaternary = 2.6 Ma
Paleoecology in the recent past
• Ecological change within the last
~100,000 -100 years
• Community dynamics of extant species
• Analog to modern ecosystem response to
climatic and environmental change
(CO2, temperature, precipitation,
invasive species, humans)
Paleoecology in the deep past
• Ecological change >2.5 Ma
• Community dynamics of extinct species, of
sometimes unknown phylogenetic
relationships
• Analog to modern ecosystem response to
climatic and environmental change
(high CO2, high temperature)
Flickr - clstal
Rowan Lockwood (William & Mary)
Susan Kidwell (U. Chicago)
Neotr
opic
alP
olle
n D
ata
ba
se
, B
ush
et al. 2
00
8
Steemans et al (2009)
460-410 Ma
Scott and Glasspool (2006)
350-300 Ma
Quaternary Methods
10 μ
Radiometric dating: Carbon
Radiometric dating: Half-life
Radiometric dating: Isotopes
60 Ma Titanoboa
17’ modern Boa
33° C = 91° F
Final thoughts on paleoecology
• The remains of all living organisms and their
depositional environments can potentially
provide paleoecological information
• Interpretation depends on understanding the
unique biases of each paleoecological data
source
• Paleoecology provides a dynamic view of the
past – comparable to modern community
dynamics
