Crossword clues for paleoecology
paleoecology
Wiktionary
n. Reconstructing the ecosystems of the past.
WordNet
n. the branch of ecology that studies ancient ecology [syn: palaeoecology]
Wikipedia
Paleoecology (also spelt palaeoecology) uses data from fossils and subfossils to reconstruct the ecosystems of the past. It involves the study of fossil organisms and their associated remains (e.g. shells, teeth, pollen, and seeds), which can be used to interpret their life cycle, living interactions, natural environment, communities, and manner of death and burial. Such interpretations aid the reconstruction of past environments (i.e. paleoenvironment).
The fossil record has been studied to try to clarify the relationship animals have to their environment, in part to help understand the current state of biodiversity. A close link has been found between vertebrate taxonomic and ecological diversity, that is, the diversity of animals and the niches they occupy.
Usage examples of "paleoecology".
This has led not only to a clearer understanding of the paleoecology of eastern Beringia during the Pleistocene but also to a new phase in the quest for the origins of the first Americans.
The geology and paleoecology of this region indicates that it was not until circa 11,500 B.
The good news from paleoecology is that the contemporary Earth may be more like this hypothetical planet than the relatively stable Earth that preceded the K-T and Permian extinctions.
His current research interests include the paleoecology of mass extinction events.