Wednesday, August 8, 2007: 8:00 AM-11:30 AM
B1&2, San Jose McEnery Convention Center
OOS 22 - Stepping back in time: The application of historical and fossil records to recovering ecological baselines
Many ecological processes operate at timescales beyond those of direct human observation. Even multi-year modern ecological analyses cannot encompass the full range of past environmental conditions, much less those envisioned in the near future. Thus, predicting future biotic responses to environmental change and establishing pre-human baselines for conservation and remediation efforts necessitates incorporating historical and paleontological data. The past decade has witnessed increased emphasis on long-term ecological studies because of the deepening understanding that biotic systems are inherently dynamic and that longer temporal scales are critical to understanding the role of natural variability. Paleoecologists have also made significant advances in recent years, quantifying the ecological fidelity and temporal acuity of the fossil record, and developing a suite of independent environmental proxies that extend the temporal depth of direct empirical data back through the Quaternary. While both neontological and paleontological communities recognize the urgent need for establishing target baselines for restoration efforts, opportunities for interaction between the two communities have been limited, hindering the development of critically important collaborative research efforts. In bringing these communities together, this session will present innovative and multidisciplinary tools for (1) establishing the natural range of environmental variability and ecosystem function, (2) analyzing past ecosystem response to climatically driven environmental change, and (3) understanding how ecosystems are responding now to progressive human impacts. Speakers work at a variety of temporal scales and across disparate taxonomic groups, using innovative approaches to document faunal change over time. In addition, this session will provide an overview of the quality of data recorded in geohistorical archives, and stress the development of robust analytical techniques for applying geohistorical data to modern-day conservation and remediation issues.
Organizer:Rebecca C. Terry, University of Chicago
Co-organizer:Felisa A. Smith, University of New Mexico
Moderator:Rebecca C. Terry, University of Chicago
8:00 AMOOS 22-1A tale of two species: Extirpation, range expansion and evolution in response to temperature shifts during the late Quaternary
Felisa A. Smith, University of New Mexico, Larisa Harding, University of New Mexico, Hilary M. Lease, University of New Mexico, Ian W. Murray, University of New Mexico, Adrienne L. Raniszewski, University of New Mexico, Kristin M. Youberg, University of New Mexico
8:20 AMOOS 22-2Invasions, extinctions, and climate change: The long-term perspective of desert rodents
S.K. Morgan Ernest, Utah State University
8:40 AMOOS 22-3Desertification, alternate stable states and restoration of arid grasslands: a missing link
Thomas J. Valone, Saint Louis University, Michael Castellano, Saint Louis University
9:00 AMOOS 22-4Paleoecological perspective on restoration goals: Vegetation, fire, and climate on the northwestern Wisconsin sand plain
Sara C. Hotchkiss, University of Wisconsin, Elizabeth A. Lynch, Luther College, Randy Calcote, University of Minnesota, Michael A. Tweiten, University of Wisconsin - Madison
9:20 AMOOS 22-5Holocene small-mammal fossil records: Recent richness declines and live-dead analysis of fidelity
Rebecca C. Terry, University of Chicago
9:40 AM Break
9:50 AMOOS 22-6The living, the dead, and the expected dead: Minimal bias from differential mortality in bivalve death assemblages
Thomas A. Rothfus, College of the Bahamas, Susan M. Kidwell, University of Chicago
10:10 AMOOS 22-7Inferring temporal variation in marine benthic communities from dead shell accumulations: A test using data from coastal biomonitoring
Adam Tomašových, University of Chicago, Susan M. Kidwell, University of Chicago, Thomas A. Rothfus, University of Chicago
10:30 AMOOS 22-8Global change, paleobiology, and conservation of coral reefs
Richard B. Aronson, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, William Precht, Battelle Memorial Institute
10:50 AMOOS 22-9Reconstructing human-induced changes in estuarine and coastal ecosystems through time
Heike K. Lotze, Dalhousie University, Matt Kay, University of California
11:10 AMOOS 22-10What can long-term paleolimnological records of sockeye salmon dynamics tell us?
Irene Gregory-Eaves, McGill University, Daniel Selbie, McGill University, Guangjie Chen, McGill University, Bruce Finney, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Catherine Foster West, University of Washington, Daniel Schindler, University of Washington, Peter Leavitt, University of Regina

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