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Related Concept Videos

The Fossil Record02:56

The Fossil Record

The fossil record documents only a small fraction of all organisms that have ever inhabited Earth. Fossilization is a rare process, and most organisms never become fossils. Moreover, the fossil record only exhibits fossils that have been discovered. Nevertheless, sedimentary rock fossils of long-lived, abundant, hard-bodied organisms dominate the fossil record. These fossils offer valuable information, such as an organism's physical form, behavior, and age. Studying the fossil record helps...
Carbon Skeletons01:12

Carbon Skeletons

Life on Earth is carbon-based, as all macromolecules that make up living organisms contain carbon atoms. All organic compounds have a carbon backbone. Each carbon atom is tetravalent and can bond with four other atoms, making it an extraordinarily flexible component of biological molecules. Because carbon’s valence electrons are stable, it rarely becomes an ion. As the carbon chain increases in length, structural modifications such as ring structures, double bonds, and branching side chains...
What is Evolutionary History?02:35

What is Evolutionary History?

Scientists record evolutionary history by analyzing fossil, morphological, and genetic data. The fossil record documents the history of life on Earth and provides evidence for evolution. However, both fossil and living organisms offer evidence that outlines Earth’s evolutionary history.Phylogenetic trees illustrate the evolutionary relationships among these organisms. Scientists infer organisms’ common ancestry by evaluating shared morphological and genetic characteristics. Together, the fossil...
Conservation of Declining Populations02:07

Conservation of Declining Populations

Conservation of declining population focuses on ways of detecting, diagnosing, and halting a population decline. The approach uses methods to prevent populations from going extinct.
What is Conservation Biology?01:57

What is Conservation Biology?

Conservation biology is a scientific field that focuses on the preservation of biodiversity in order to protect ecosystems while meeting the needs of the human population. Humans require properly functioning ecosystems to maintain our supply of natural resources, including food, medicines, and building materials.
Conservation of Small Populations02:04

Conservation of Small Populations

Small population sizes put a species at extreme risk of extinction due to a lack of variation, and a consequent decrease in adaptability. This weakens the chances of survival under pressures such as climate change, competition from other species, or new diseases. Large populations are more likely to survive pressures such as these, as such populations are more likely to harbor individuals that have genetic variants that are adaptive under new stresses. Small populations are much less likely to...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 7, 2026

Using Archival Japanese Paper and Thermoplastic Resins to Prepare Fossils for Storage, Display, Transport, and Radiography
07:30

Using Archival Japanese Paper and Thermoplastic Resins to Prepare Fossils for Storage, Display, Transport, and Radiography

Published on: November 14, 2025

Conservation paleobiology: putting the dead to work.

Gregory P Dietl1, Karl W Flessa

  • 1Paleontological Research Institution, 1259 Trumansburg Road, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA. gpd3@cornell.edu

Trends in Ecology & Evolution
|November 2, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Geohistorical data, including fossils, are vital for conservation biology. This approach identifies vulnerable species and predicts common responses to environmental change, improving conservation policies.

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Area of Science:

  • Conservation Biology
  • Paleobiology
  • Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Geohistorical data are increasingly crucial for conservation.
  • Understanding species' responses to environmental change is key.
  • Short-term observations alone are insufficient for robust conservation policies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the application of geohistorical data in conservation biology.
  • To demonstrate how fossil records inform ecological and evolutionary responses.
  • To highlight the value of paleobiology in conservation decision-making.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of near-time and deep-time fossil records.
  • Review of case studies illustrating species' responses to past environmental changes.
  • Integration of geohistorical data into conservation frameworks.

Main Results:

  • Fossil records provide essential baseline data for conservation.
  • Conservation paleobiology identifies species vulnerability to environmental shifts.
  • Predicts common ecological and evolutionary responses of species.
  • Geohistorical data enhance the scientific robustness of conservation policies.

Conclusions:

  • Incorporating geohistorical data strengthens conservation biology practice and policy.
  • A paleobiological perspective is essential for proactive and effective conservation.
  • Long-term environmental change data offer a more reliable basis for conservation than short-term data.