Paleoecology Laboratory

The Paleoecology Lab at Montana State University was established in 2004 to study the dynamics of terrestrial ecosystems through time and particularly to understand the sensitivity of plant communities to past environmental change. Our focus is on the vegetation, fire and climate history of the western U.S. and other temperate regions based on an examination of the fossils and other components preserved in the sediments of lakes. Information about past environmental change is essential for understanding ecosystem responses to climate change in the future.

Blacktail Pond in Yellowstone National Park