Ecology Needs a Paleontological Perspective

Julien Louys, David M Wilkinson, Laura Bishop

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

    Abstract

    General ecological theories have paid scant attention to the information preserved in the fossil record. However, in order for an ecological theory to be truly general, it must hold in any ecosystem at any point in time. Here, we make the case that all modern ecological theories should be tested in geological time.We explore some of the limitations of the fossil record when examined in light of modern ecology. While there are fundamental differences between the way modern ecosystems and fossil ones are studied, we demonstrate that comparisons between the two are not impossible. We present three major research areas where fossil information has been successfully used to inform modern ecological thought; namely community ecology, biogeography and extinction studies. These examples also serve to highlight ecological issues that could not have been conceived purely on the basis of modern data. We advocate a much stronger interaction between modern ecologists and paleontologists in addressing present and future ecological questions.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationPaleontology in Ecology and Conservation
    Editors Julien Louys
    Place of PublicationBerlin
    PublisherSpringer-Verlag, Heidelberg
    Pages23-38
    Edition1st
    ISBN (Print)9783642250378
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2012

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Ecology Needs a Paleontological Perspective'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this