D.R. Foster and P.K. Schoonmaker are at the Harvard Forest, Harvard University, Petersham, MA 01366, USA.
Trends Ecol Evol. 1990 Apr;5(4):119-22. doi: 10.1016/0169-5347(90)90166-B.
Ecologists and paleoecologists have become increasingly aware that the temporal and spatial scales of the two disciplines overlap considerably and provide complementary information. Pollen and macrofossil evidence from thousands of radiocarbon-dated sites worldwide indicate that species respond to environmental change independently, that communities are relatively open assemblages, and that instability and change characterize Quaternary environments and biotas. The extended temporal view provided by paleoecology also enables detection of the occurrence, intensity and changing frequency of periodic and unique events such as disturbances and environmental fluctuations. As these insights contribute to our understanding of a dynamic environment and biota, they may help to increase our ability to anticipate future changes in communities.
生态学家和古生态学家越来越意识到，这两个学科的时间和空间尺度有很大的重叠，并提供互补的信息。来自全球数千个放射性碳测年地点的花粉和大型化石证据表明，物种对环境变化的反应是独立的，群落是相对开放的组合，而不稳定性和变化是第四纪环境和生物群的特征。古生态学提供的扩展的时间视角也能够检测到周期性和独特事件（如干扰和环境波动）的发生、强度和变化频率。由于这些观点有助于我们理解动态环境和生物群，它们可能有助于提高我们预测群落未来变化的能力。
