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 Biologypunyasena@life.illinois.edu

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