GEOL 104 Dinosaurs: A Natural History

Fall Semester 2006
Eat or be Eaten: Dinosaur Paleoecology

Ecology is NOT what most people think it is!
It is not environmental activism. Instead:

Therefore, ecology isn't about saving the whales, but it WILL tell us something about HOW to save the whales...

Paleoecology is attempting to reconstruct the ecology of extinct forms.

Some aspects about paleoecology:

Bakker used his interpretations of trophic relationships to try and determine the thermophysiology of dinosaurs and other extinct forms. His technique:
Predator-Prey ratios:

So, P/P ratios are problematic, at best.

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Last modified: 14 July 2006