Departmental Papers (EES)
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of this Version
June 2001
Abstract
Paleoecological indicators are examined as to their accuracy in reconstructing past biotic communities and environmental conditions, their utility in answering important questions about such communities and conditions, and the temporal and spatial scales over which they are effective. Next, environmental problems susceptible of paleoecological analysis are considered, as are the ecosystem and landscape properties that can be inferred from such an analysis. The usefulness of paleoecology in anticipating ecological "surprises" is then discussed. Finally, a set of conclusions and recommendations is presented.
Keywords
ecosystem properties, environmental problems, surprise factor
Recommended Citation
Gorham, E., Brush, G. S., Graumlich, L. J., Rosenzweig, M. L., & Johnson, A. H. (2001). The value of paleoecology as an aid to monitoring ecosystems and landscapes, chiefly with reference to North America. Retrieved from https://repository.upenn.edu/ees_papers/14
Date Posted: 29 July 2005
This document has been peer reviewed.
Comments
Copyright NRC Research Press. Published in Environmental Reviews, Volume 9, Number 2, June 2001, pages 99-126.
Publisher URL: http://pubs.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca