paleoecology

noun

pa·​leo·​ecol·​o·​gy ˌpā-lē-ō-i-ˈkä-lə-jē How to pronounce paleoecology (audio)
-e-ˈkä-
: a branch of ecology that is concerned with the characteristics of ancient environments and with their relationships to ancient plants and animals
paleoecological adjective
or less commonly paleoecologic
paleoecologist noun

Examples of paleoecology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Conveniently being in possession of one as a pet, Buckland proved Kirkdale Cave had been a hyena den, and founded the science of paleoecology. Liam Herringshaw, Discover Magazine, 27 July 2015 Among these disciplines are invertebrate and vertebrate paleontology, as well as paleobotany, paleoecology and paleoclimatology. Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 30 Mar. 2023 The latter technique is more often used in paleoecology through lake core sampling, but the researchers in this case retrieved plant DNA from archaeological sediments that were thousands of years old. Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 23 June 2022 His own work has focused on the paleoecology of the Southwest Wilderness World Heritage Area of Tasmania (Lutruwita), more than 6,000 square kilometers of some of Australia’s most biodiverse landscapes. Quanta Magazine, 29 Nov. 2021 Her fields of study include evolution and paleoecology. Erica Goode, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2018 An adjunct professor in anthropology at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Crockford's fields of study include evolution and paleoecology. Author: Erica Goode, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Apr. 2018 John Hoffecker, who studies the paleoecology of Beringia at the University of Colorado-Boulder, says there is still plenty of room for debate about the geographic locations of the ancestral splits. Ben Potter, National Geographic, 3 Jan. 2018 This is the philosophy of Keith Dobney, a professor of human paleoecology at the University of Liverpool and a co-author of a new study that draws some remarkable conclusions about the lives of Neanderthals by peering beneath their dental enamel. The Washington Post, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'paleoecology.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

paleo- + ecology

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of paleoecology was in 1898

Dictionary Entries Near paleoecology

Cite this Entry

“Paleoecology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paleoecology. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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