300294 SE Conservation Paleobiology and historical ecology (2011W)

In this seminar we will deal with the new field of "Historical Ecology" and "Conservation Paleobiology". Historical ecology can be defined as the use of historical knowledge in the management of ecosystems. It is typically limited to the Pleistocene and concentrates on changes in species abundance and distribution. Conservation Paleobiology is the application of theories and analytical tools of paleontology to biodiversity conservation. It extends to the older fossil record and also concentrates on evolutionary dynamics. In this course we will discuss classic papers and will also focus on more recent advances of these relatively new fields.