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Plant Ecology - Chapter 20

Plant Ecology - Chapter 20. Paleoecology. Paleoecology. The study of historical ecology Changes in global patterns of vegetation, diversity Driven by ecological, evolutionary processes. Paleoecology. Plants invaded land during the Paleozoic era, during the later Ordovician and Silurian

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Plant Ecology - Chapter 20

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  1. Plant Ecology - Chapter 20 Paleoecology

  2. Paleoecology • The study of historical ecology • Changes in global patterns of vegetation, diversity • Driven by ecological, evolutionary processes

  3. Paleoecology • Plants invaded land during the Paleozoic era, during the later Ordovician and Silurian • Major time of evolution, diversification

  4. Paleoecology • Diversity of biotic interactions developed early • Mycorrhizae, herbivory, animal pollination, animal seed dispersal

  5. Paleoecology • Fossil carbon deposits formed from plants during Carboniferous period • Coal from remains of wetland plants (ferns, mosses, gymnosperms)

  6. Paleoecology • Oil, gas developed from mostly marine plankton (phyto-, zoo-), and maybe wetland plants • Dramatic climate change at end of Carboniferous - drier - seed plants began to dominate

  7. Paleoecology • Mesozoic era was time of major tectonic plate movement • Encompassed Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods

  8. Paleoecology • Moved from supercontinent Pangaea to breakup into current continents • Improved conditions for plant growth, diversification

  9. Paleoecology • Ferns, seed ferns, gymnosperms became the dominant flora • CO2 levels 3-4 X higher than today provided warm climate and plentiful CO2 for photosynthesis

  10. Paleoecology • Decline in CO2 (248-65 mya) changed conditions for plants • Cooler, more seasonality • Changing climate and continental breakup led to development, diversification of angiosperms

  11. Paleoecology • Asteroid impact at end of Mesozoic (65 mya, K-T boundary) • Impact debris and/or massive fires led to massive animal and plant extinctions • Dinosaurs, and 25-80% of N. Amer, plants (more in south, fewer in north)

  12. Paleoecology • Continued decline in CO2 concentrations (chemical reactions during new mountain weathering) resulted in slow, re-evolution of new species of angiosperms • Evolution of C4 grasses from C3 ancestors • Do better at low CO2

  13. Paleoecology • Recent trends? • Global changes in CO2? • Change in C3 and C4 plant abundance, distribution?

  14. Paleoecology • Microfossils - pollen grains • Macrofossils - leaves, stems, flowers • Used to understand changing plant communities, changing climates

  15. Paleoecology • Glacial and interglacial cycling • 100,000 years • Change in angle, degree of tilt of Earth’s axis

  16. Paleoecology • Change in species present in MN from 22,000 ya to present • Spruce, ash, birch • Pine, elm, oak • Grasses • Now pines,oaks,sedges

  17. Paleoecology • Can track shifts in species distribution through time

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