AI Article Synopsis
- Rodent middens are piles of animal poop that can show us what plants and animals lived in an area a long time ago.
- In the Americas, scientists study these middens to understand how species changed with the environment and other historical factors.
- To get the most out of these studies and help with conservation efforts, researchers need to work together and explore more midden records from around the world.
Article Abstract
Rodent middens provide a fine-scale spatiotemporal record of plant and animal communities over the late Quaternary. In the Americas, middens have offered insight into biotic responses to past environmental changes and historical factors influencing the distribution and diversity of species. However, few studies have used middens to investigate genetic or ecosystem level responses. Integrating midden studies with neoecology and experimental evolution can help address these gaps and test mechanisms underlying eco-evolutionary patterns across biological and spatiotemporal scales. Fully realizing the potential of middens to answer cross-cutting ecological and evolutionary questions and inform conservation goals in the Anthropocene will require a collaborative research community to exploit existing midden archives and mount new campaigns to leverage midden records globally.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2023.12.003 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!