Paleobotany
Paleobotany
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USGS North American Packrat Midden Database
A Database of Paleoecological Records from Neotoma Middens in Western North America Dry caves and rockshelters in western North America host a unique and valuable paleobotanical resource known as packrat middens. Packrat ( Neotoma spp.) middens composed of desiccated fecal matter and urine also contain well preserved fossil plant materials. Over fifty years of scientific investigations on packrat...
Understanding long-term drivers of vegetation change and stability in the Southern Rocky Mountains with paleoecological data and ecological models
Drought and fire are powerful disturbance agents that can trigger rapid and lasting changes in the forests of western North America. Over the last decade, increases in fire size and severity coincided with warming, drought, and earlier snowmelt, factors that projected climatic changes are likely to exacerbate. However, recent observations are brief relative to the lifespans of trees and include...