Northward march of spruce
Article Abstract:
Tundra gave way to black-spruce (Picea mariana) forest in central Canada within a 150-year period between 5,000 and 4,000 years ago. Glen M. MacDonald and colleagues determined that the forest-tundra border had shifted this quickly by analyzing the fossil pollen, fossil diatoms and carbon 14 age of cores taken from several lakes. The resulting data indicate that climatic changes can cause one ecological community to yield to another faster than scientists had previously thought.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1993
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Rapid response of treeline vegetation and lakes to past climate warming
Article Abstract:
Paleoecological data from central Canada show that climatic warming between 5,000 and 4,000 years ago caused the tundra to give way to the advancing boreal treeline within 150 years. Sediment cores taken from four treeline lakes were analysed for fossil pollen, diatoms, geochemistry and radiocarbon dates. The resulting evidence for comparatively rapid climate-caused ecological change should influence forecasts of how greenhouse warming will affect contemporary ecology.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1993
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Ecology of ice-age extinctions
Article Abstract:
The charismatic ice-age mammal that was thought to have become extinct 10,000 years ago-the giant deer or Irish elk- survived in Western Siberia to the dawn of historic times is discussed. The investigation was done by carrying out radiocarbon dating of five skeletal specimens, including a complete skeleton of an antler-bearing male.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 2004
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