Paleontology and Paleoecology

1
Paleontology and Paleoecology

• Principles of Paleoecology

2
Fossils

• Remains or traces of ancient life
• Bones, Teeth, Shells, Tracks, Trails
• Soft tissues rare

3
Utility of Fossils

• History of Life on Earth
• Evolution appearances of new species
• Extinction disappearances of species
• Framework for other events in Earths History
• Guide in exploring for fossil fuels
• Important clues to ancient environmental
  conditions

4
Principles of Paleoecology

• Organisms adapt to their environments
• Fossils provide clues to organism lifestyle
• Analogy to living relatives
• Functional Morphology
• Association with other fossils similar
  preferences
• Type of substrate

5
Environmental Factors that Influence Distribution
of Organisms

• Salinity
• Oxygenation
• Temperature
• Light
• Nutrients
• Type
• Abundance
• Distribution
• Agitation/Currents
• Clarity/Cloudiness of Water
• Substrate preferences
• Grain Size firm/soft
• Composition
• Mobility/stability

6
Preferences/Lifestyles of Organisms Tell Us About
Environmental Conditions

• Sessile organisms rely on currents to bring food
• Motile organisms can search for food in water or
  in/on sediment
• Distribution of food related to
  agitation/currents
• Therefore, related to oxygenation also

7
Ways to Feed

• Producer Plants
• Primary Consumer Herbivore
• Secondary Consumer Carnivore
• Passive/semi-active
• Filter feeding
• Active Feeding
• Swimming, crawling, scavenging, preying