Paleoecology

Question 1

Ecology

Answer 1

Study of the distribution and abundance of organisms.
– Describes patterns of abundance and distribution and
– Explains them in terms of interactions with other organisms and the physical environment.

Question 2

Study of the distribution and abundance of organisms in

the geologic past

Answer 2

Paleoecology
Includes description and explanation of patterns in terms of
interactions among organisms and with the physical
environment

Question 3

Paleobiological aspects of Paleoecology

Answer 3

▸ Life histories of fossil species
▸ History of interactions among organisms; competition, predation, etc.
▸ Nature and history of ancient communities and
ecosystems
▸ Evolution of ecological systems, up to the entire biosphere
▸ Impact of ecology on macroevolution and vice versa
▸ Most of these have been termed evolutionary
paleoecology

Question 4

Time scales of paleoecology

Answer 4

Up to billions of years. Much longer than ecology

Question 5

Time scales of ecology

Answer 5

season-centuries. Much shorter than paleoecology.

Question 6

Biological process in paleoecology…

Answer 6

much be inferred from secondary evidence. Cannot be observed as is the case in ecology

Question 7

Taphonomy in paleoecology

Answer 7

Loss of many individuals and species in populations. (where are the babies and soft bodied organisms?)

Question 8

Paleoecology as a geological science

Answer 8

Earth scientists concentrate on the physical side of
the controls - what do fossils tell us about ancient
environments?

Question 9

What parts of an environment can we reconstruct using paleoecology?

Answer 9

depth, ocean currents, temp, etc.

Question 10

definition of paleoecology

Answer 10

“studies of past environments that
contribute to applied problems and theory in the
geological sciences, particularly facies analysis and the
reconstruction of past environments” - J. Kitchell, 1985

Question 11

assume ecology, environmental distribution fossil organisms same as living relatives

Answer 11

taxonomic uniformitarianism.

ex- temperature tolerance of ancient tree species is the same as modern ones

Question 12

Biogeochemical methods to reconstruct ancient environments

Answer 12

Using oxygen, carbon and other isotopes in fossil shells

to determine temperature, salinity, etc.

Question 13

preserved molecules that have an environmental signal

Answer 13

Biomarkers

Question 14

Sedimentology

Answer 14

Nature of containing sedimentary rocks, such as composition, texture and sorting, physical features (ex-mudcracks or cross bedding)

Question 15

ecology of a single individual or species

Answer 15

Autecology

Question 16

ecology of the interactions of individuals
or taxons with each other and with the physical
environment

Answer 16

Synecology

incorporates studies of communities, ecosystems, and biotic interactions.

Question 17

group of organisms with similar life modes and feeding habits

Answer 17

Guilds

Question 18

individuals of a species that live together

Answer 18

Population

Question 19

Properties of populations include

Answer 19

▸ Size (number of individuals) and its changes through time
▸ Rates of reproduction
▸ Rates of mortality
▸ Ratios of male-female; juveniles- adults
▸ Distribution in space and environment
▸ Morphologic variation

Question 20

Interactions among organisms found in the fossil record

include

Answer 20

▸ Competition: best evidence from fossil record comes from studies of bryozoan overgrowth
▸ Predation: numerous studies of predation in the fossil
record.

Question 21

Evidence of predation in the fossil record comes from

Answer 21

– Trace fossils: Naticid borings on bivalves
– Bite marks on leaves, trilobites
– Coprolites (fossil feces): plant remains in ground sloth
dung

Question 22

an organism that lives on the surface of another living organism

Answer 22

Epibionts

Question 23

community

Answer 23

a group of organisms living together in the same place at the same time

Question 24

paleocommunities

Answer 24

fossil assemblage of coexisting organisms preserved within a given area - often referred to simply as an assemblage

Question 25

Species present

Answer 25

species composition

Question 26

what niches/guilds are present

Answer 26

trophic structure

Question 27

the community plus the physical environment

Answer 27

ecosystem

Question 28

Studying ecosystems in the fossil record heavily

dependent on

Answer 28

isotopic methods

Question 29

tiering

Answer 29

Different organisms live at different levels

Question 30

Using the fossil record to understand the evolutionary
and ecological responses of present-day species to
changes in their environment

Answer 30

Conservation paleobiology