Despite what their names might suggest, ecology and palaeoecology have progressed historically as well separated disciplines. This unfortunate disjunction is analyzed here from a theoretical point of view. Among the factors that have facilitated the separation are: 1) the past-present dissociation characteristic of the human mind, 2) the diversity of fields of provenance of palaeoecologists, 3) the contrasting nature of the evidence and associated methodological differences, and 4) misunderstandings caused by the use of prefix palaeo-. The principle of uniformitarianism emphasizes that past, present and future are not discrete units but a time continuum through which species and communities flow, change and evolve; and that ecology and palaeoecology are only different approaches with a common objective, which is the ecological understanding of the biosphere. Therefore, a terminological clarification is needed. Ecology in a broad sense, includes inferences about the past (palaeoecology), present studies (neoecology or contemporary ecology) and future projections (predictive ecology). Palaeoecology is thus a means by which ecology studies the past using proxies. Other disciplines beginning with the prefix palaeo- (notably palaeoclimatology and palaeoenvironmental reconstruction) are not necessarily ecological. It is recommended that ecologists and palaeoecologists develop joint projects, and that palaeoecologists increase their participation in ecological journals, books and meetings. These collaborations will demonstrate that a palaeoecologist is not simply a palaeoscientist whose data may be of interest for ecology but is primarily an ecologist working on another time scale, with different methods.

/pdf/ecology-and-palaeoecology-two-approaches-one-objective-3ooxphl8q1.pdf

Ecology and Palaeoecology: Two Approaches, One Objective

Aim To document the occurrence of vertical displacements of vegetation in the high plateaus of the Venezuelan Guayana (tepuis) over the last c. 6000 years, and to discuss their significance for the origin of their flora, especially the endemism patterns observed in their flat summits. Two hypotheses have been proposed for the origin of the summit flora. One (the Lost World hypothesis) proposes a long history of evolution in isolation from the surrounding plains, while the other (the Vertical Displacement hypothesis) suggests that vertical movements of vegetation during the Pleistocene glacial-interglacial cycles would have resulted in floristic mixing within the lowlands, and genetic interchange among plateau summits.



Location This work has been conducted on the flat summit of the Churi-tepui, in the Chimanta massif, at 5°15′ Lat. N and 62°01′ Long. W, around 2250 m altitude.



Methods Pollen analysis and radiocarbon dating of two peat outcrops, using modern analogue technique and numerical methods for palaeoecological interpretation were used.



Results The replacement of a high-altitude plant community (a paramoid Chimantaea shrubland) by a lower elevation (< 2300 m) Stegolepis meadow, occurred about 2500 years before present (yr bp). This vegetation change is inferred to have resulted from a regional climatic shift to higher temperature and moisture. A subsequent decrease in temperature and moisture led to the establishment of present conditions after about 1450 yr bp.



Main conclusions The highland vegetation of the tepuis responded to climate shifts with vertical displacements, supporting the hypothesis of vertical mixing. However, a physiographical analysis shows that around half of the tepuis would never have been connected by lowlands. Therefore, both hypotheses are needed to explain the origins of the summit flora in the tepuis.

/pdf/an-evaluation-of-the-lost-world-and-vertical-displacement-4j9f8u40nz.pdf

An evaluation of the Lost World and Vertical Displacement hypotheses in the Chimantá Massif, Venezuelan Guayana

Historical data are a valuable resource for addressing present-day conservation issues, for example by informing the establishment of appropriate recovery targets. However, while the recovery of threatened species is the end goal of many conservation programmes, data made available through the efforts of palaeoecologists and historical ecologists are rarely consulted. The proposal of a 'Green List of Species' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) will soon change this. The Green List of Species measures recovery against historical baselines; in particular, the method requires estimates of species range and abundance in previous centuries. In this paper, we present the case for why setting species recovery against a historical baseline is necessary to produce ambitious conservation targets, and we highlight examples from palaeoecology and historical ecology where fossil and archival data have been used to establish historical species baselines. Finally, we introduce Conservation Archive (https://conservationarchive.shinyapps.io/ConservationArchive/), a database of resources that can be used to infer baseline species conditions, and invite contributions to this database. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'The past is a foreign country: how much can the fossil record actually inform conservation?'

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rstb.2019.0297

Using historical and palaeoecological data to inform ambitious species recovery targets.

Estudio sobre la distribucion y ecologia de macrófitos acuaticos en el embalse de guri

Palynocycles are recurrent palynological sequences reflecting vegetational changes determined by cyclic sea level oscillations and the associated climatic variations. This study presents the results of a study on Okan - 1 well from the Niger Delta. This study utilised new ecological indicators established according to their palaeocliamtic and sea level signal. The main aim is to identify the different species of sporomorphs (pollen and spores) present in the sample for the recognition of sea level and climate change during the Miocene as well as their biostratigraphic significance. The biostratigraphic age control of the study location was identified based on the first and last appearance datum of Verrutricolporites rotundiporus (BZ6), Racemonocolpites hians (BZ4), Operculodinium centrocarpum (BZ2), and Magnastriatites howardi (BZ1). The Nine climatic cycles were recognised and used to infer the depositional cycles that indicate recurrent palynogical sequences and vegetation changes based on the sea level change. The wet - dry cycles inferred indicates the fluctuation of the climate and sea level change during the Miocene, thus the use of the variation of vegetation at the different depth intervals as a proxy for the recognition of palaeoenvironmental change (palynocycles 1, 2, 3, 4). The wet cycle suggest highstand / transgressive systems tracts. While on the other hand, the dry cycle indicate lowstand systems tracts. We therefore present this model as a yardstick for the use of pollen and vegetation signals in the recognition of sequences stratigraphy, sea level and climate change.

/pdf/palynocycles-palaeoecology-and-systems-tracts-concepts-a-1h5uslzrte.pdf

Palynocycles, Palaeoecology and Systems Tracts Concepts: A Case Study from the Miocene Okan-1 Well, Niger Delta Basin, Nigeria

A review showing the potential contribution of Quaternary palaeoecology to the ecolo- gical theory, focused on the ecosystem evolutionary processes, is presented. By analyzing oceanic and continental Pleistocene and Holocene records, some reflections about ecological succession, diversity, rhythms, predictability, stability, and modelling are made, and compared with theoreti- cal statements derived from neoecology. As a general conclusion, the necessity of considering palaeoecological findings in ecological theory is emphasized. In addition, it seems essential to place palaeoecology in a more ecologi- cal framework. Resum. Paleoecologia del quaternari i teoria ecologica. Aquest article revisa la possible contribu- cio que la paleoecologia del quaternari pot tenir, envers la teoria ecolbgica, especialment en els processos que estan relacionats amb I'evol~lucio dels ecosistemes. L'anBlisi de sequencies pleisto- cenes i holocenes, tant continentals com oceAniques, permeten fer una skrie de reflexions sobre conceptes com: successio ecolbgica, diversitat, estabilitat, ritmes, predictibilitat i modelatge, tot contrastant-les amb aquelles sorgides de l'estudi neoecolbgic. S'arriba a la conclusio general que els resultats paleoecolbgics son necessaris en Teoria Ecolo- gica. Tambe es proposa la necessitat de situar la Paleoecologia en un marc mes ecologic.

/pdf/quaternary-palaeoecology-and-ecological-theory-6dw8mo8tzl.pdf

Quaternary palaeoecology and ecological theory

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Quaternary palaeoecology and ecological theory