PubTalk 10/2008 — Prehistoric Packrat Piles

Archives of Climate Change

by Kenneth Cole, USGS Research Ecologist

• Piles of ancient vegetation hoarded by packrats are providing clues to past events of rapid climate warming -- similar to those expected for the 21st century
• Preserved material shows the effects of three sudden warming events that occurred over the last 20,000 years
• Each historic warming event was followed by several thousand years of vegetation migration and succession
• Changes following these past warming events resemble some recently observed shifts in natural ecosystems, and can be incorporated into models of future ecosystems