Science. 1991 Feb 1;251(4993):544-7. doi: 10.1126/science.251.4993.544.
Paleoecological data provide estimates of response rates to past climate changes. Fossil Pinus sylvestris stumps in far northern Scotland demonstrate former presence of pine trees where conventional pollen evidence of pine forests is lacking. Radiocarbon, dendrochronological, and fine temporal-resolution palynological data show that pine forests were present for about four centuries some 4000 years ago; the forests expanded and then retreated rapidly some 70 to 80 kilometers. Despite the rapidity of this response to climate change, it occurred at rates slower by an order of magnitude than those necessary to maintain equilibrium with forecast climate changes attributed to the greenhouse effect.
古生态学数据可估算生物对过去气候变化的响应速度。在苏格兰最北部发现的远古油松残桩表明，在缺乏传统花粉证据的地方，曾经有松林存在。放射性碳测年、树木年代学和高时间分辨率孢粉数据表明，大约在 4000 年前，松林存在了大约 400 年；松林迅速扩张，然后又迅速后退了约 70 至 80 公里。尽管这种对气候变化的响应速度很快，但与预测的气候变化保持平衡所需的速度相比，还是慢了一个数量级，而预测的气候变化归因于温室效应。
