Paleobiology is the study of ancient life in its entirety. While the paleontology analyzes only what happened to the dinosaurs, the paleobiology It is responsible for investigating the life of mammals, insects, fish, microbes and fungi.
It is a science that takes fossil evidence to discover how organisms were modified and what the real landscape of the planet was when those species were alive.
So, what does a paleobiologist do?
Paleobiology has resulted in the existence of paleobiologists, who study all fossilized biological life. For this, they use microscopes with which they study microfossils originating from ancient vegetation. They can be seeds, spores, or pollen.
In the same way they analyze phytoliths, individual cells and mineralized deposits of complete specimens. This frequently occurs in excavations with paleontologists and archaeologists.
That’s why use commonly used tools in this field such such as trowels, brushes, recording equipment and measuring tapes. They also use knowledge in geology to recognize rocks and soil properties.
When directing or managing excavations, they use remote sensing and measurement equipment.. This allows them to interpret data from non-intrusive technology, from devices such as ground penetrating radar.
There are different specializations and qualifications in this activity. And they don’t just work in fossil excavation. They also work in laboratories or carry out theoretical research.
They are in charge of testing data samples or creating distribution diagrams that give a global idea of the information obtained.
Where does a paleobiologist work?
Since the skill of a paleobiologist is flexible, his work is not only in the academic field. Also They are part of oil or gas consulting or excavation teams. This is due to his knowledge of geology and natural deposits.
The fossil fuels still used in the modern world come from the decomposition of organic matter. Paleobiology is very important to find pockets of gas, and oil or coal deposits. They can compile biological maps and construction diagrams.
It is estimated that 15% work in independent technical consultancies. These in turn can work with developers or government institutions.
In the same way they also work in museums directing and designing their exhibitions. They can also be found in university teaching.
What does a paleobiologist study?
Since paleobiology studies the evolution of life as a whole over time, in order to analyze the information it handles you must have a specialized set of skills. That is why many begin with the study of geology.
Added to this is the specialization in field studies, and in the measurement of stratigraphic sections of the earth. It is also trained in the documentation, organization, storage and conservation of field investigations.
Fossils and paleobiology
Paleobiologists study a wide variety of fossil remains because they offer the most important evidence of past life. Therefore, these may include petrified shells, bones, wood, or leaves.
To this We must add footprints, pollen, food traces, worm burrows and even fossilized feces.. This leads to the study of fossil DNA and biochemical remains. They can also vary from tiny bacteria, to giant dinosaur samples.
In this way they obtain information about what life was like in the past and what characterized each of the specimens. This is achieved through the study of body fossils or of trace fossils.
The first is a part of the creature’s body with certain organic material. But paleobiologists generally must use casts and molds that can show the internal structure of an animal but not its biology itself.
The fossil traces They do not reveal too much about the original anatomy of the creatures of which they were a part, but rather they give clues about their biology.
© Peka
– Creative Commons
body fossils They are the ones that present the most variety. For example, there are the compressions that result from the pressure that an organism suffers in a flat layer. What remains of the biological material occurs in thin films of carbon.
© Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata
– Creative Commons
Castings and molds They are empty spaces that preserve the shape of an animal that ended up under a type of clay. When filled with plaster it offers a good view of how the creature was made.
They are finally the petrifications in which organic life is replaced with silica, leaving a sample of its original state. This is what usually happens with petrified wood.
© Dhzanette
The paleobiology of conservation
If there is something interesting and relatively new in paleobiology, it is what is known as Conservation Paleobiology. It is a field that combines several disciplines and that applies new data and methods in the conservation and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems as we know them.
For this, it uses not only paleontology, but also sedimentology, community ecologies and restoration ecology, among other fields. They are used to maintain certain preservation objectives.
In this way they generate geohistorical records that gather environmental or biological information about the past. These may include sediment or ice cores, tree ring arrays, fossils, and natural archives.
In this way, information is obtained about the changes that have occurred in various periods of time, which may include centuries, millennia or millions of years.
In this way, it strives to conserve and restore biodiversity and current ecosystems. It is responsible for providing information for decision making in a certain area. To understand it better, let’s see how it would be applied in a territory like the Galapagos Islands.
Applying geohistorical records in the Galapagos
The biology on these Ecuadorian islands is known to have a unique, independently developed ecosystem. Many of their life forms are found nowhere else on Earth.
It has endemic species that have been widely studied to understand evolutionary and ecological processes. This is the home of the Darwin’s fincheswhich is a group of bird species of various sizes and ecologies that evolved from a single ancestral species.
The ecosystems in the Galapagos are carefully monitored to conserve and restore their uniqueness. This involves knowing the number of people who visit the islands, and even the plants and animals that live on them.
Such efforts are used to eliminate non-native species while ensuring that endemic species can thrive. For this they are based on observations and scientific studies of life in this archipelago.
A frame of reference
It is believed that the first human presence in the Galapagos dates back to 1535.. Therefore this is the framework that is used to make restoration and conservation decisions.
This means that if a species was present before that date it is considered native and if it appeared after it is determined that it is not, so it must be eliminated.
In any case, this task can be complex because there are few studies and observations that go back far enough to make a decision.
Nevertheless geohistorical records may help fill in gaps in some species. On several islands the lowland areas are home to swampy ecosystems that have been that way for thousands of years.
Plant pollen has always been trapped and is preserved in sediments. This is frequently used to evaluate the presence of specific plants. By examining the cores extracted from the sediments of the swamps, it has been possible to specify the classification of the vegetation on the islands and in this way know the native varieties of those that are not.
This is an interesting application of paleobiology in the world as we know it today.