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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 28, 2026

Reconstructing Terrestrial Paleoclimate and Paleoecology with Fossil Leaves Using Digital Leaf Physiognomy and Leaf Mass Per Area

Reconstructing Terrestrial Paleoclimate and Paleoecology with Fossil Leaves Using Digital Leaf Physiognomy and Leaf Mass Per Area

Published on: October 25, 2024

A warrant for applied palaeozoology.

R Lee Lyman¹

¹Department of Anthropology, 107 Swallow Hall, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA. lymanr@missouri.edu

Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society

|October 29, 2011

Summary

The fossil record, or palaeozoological record, is valuable for conservation biology. It provides crucial historical data on biological change, similar to natural history collections, aiding modern resource management.

Area of Science:

Paleozoology
Conservation Biology
Neozoology

Background:

Debate exists on the utility of the palaeozoological record for conservation biology due to perceived biases.
Natural history collections (NHCs) offer valuable historical data for understanding biological change.
Many variables documented in NHCs are also identifiable in the palaeozoological record.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the value of the palaeozoological record for conservation biology.
To address the argument that the palaeozoological record is too incomplete for conservation purposes.
To demonstrate the utility of palaeozoological data in modern resource management.

Main Methods:

Comparative analysis of data from natural history collections and palaeozoological remains.

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Identification of variables documenting global biological change across different time scales.

Review of empirical examples using palaeozoological data in conservation contexts.

Main Results:

The palaeozoological record contains variables crucial for conservation biology, mirroring data from NHCs.
These variables provide significant time depth, essential for documenting global biological change.
Empirical evidence supports the use of palaeozoological data for conservation and resource management.

Conclusions:

The palaeozoological record is a valuable and satisfactory resource for conservation biology.
Palaeozoological data should be consulted for modern resource management and understanding biological change.
The historical perspective offered by the fossil record complements data from contemporary collections.