Over the past decade, ecologists have increasingly come to appreciate the unique insights afforded by comparative studies conducted using different spatial and temporal frames of reference, and the proliferation of LTER and LTREB sites is one testament to this fact. Examining ecological dynamics at time scales greater than that afforded in the present day can accelerate the development and refinement of existing ecological paradigms and provide a baseline for comparison with the present day. However, because paleontologists and ecologists typically attend different meetings and rarely have the opportunity to interact some of the insights gathered from these different scales are not shared. This symposium on the maintenance of biodiversity during intervals of environmental change will end with a moderated panel discussion. The panel discussion will involve all the symposium speakers and will encourage a discussion between speakers and participants about the role of geohistorical records in understanding and testing ecological theory.