Paleoecology
Paleoecology
Paleoecology (pronounced: /ˌpeɪlioʊ.iːˈkɒlədʒi/), from the Greek words "palaios" (meaning "old"), "oikos" (meaning "house"), and "logia" (meaning "study of"), is the study of the interactions between organisms and/or interactions between organisms and their environments across geologic timescales.
Paleoecology incorporates data from fossils, subfossil organisms, and abiotic sediments to reconstruct past environments and communities. It provides a deep-time perspective on ecosystem function and climate change, which can help predict future changes.
Etymology
The term "paleoecology" is derived from three Greek words: "palaios" meaning old, "oikos" meaning house, and "logia" meaning the study of. Thus, it translates to the study of ancient homes or environments.
Related Terms
- Paleontology: The scientific study of the history of life on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils.
- Ecology: The branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.
- Biostratigraphy: The branch of stratigraphy which focuses on correlating and assigning relative ages of rock strata by using the fossil assemblages contained within them.
- Taphonomy: The study of how organisms decay and become fossilized.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Paleoecology
- Wikipedia's article - Paleoecology
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