TY - JOUR
T1 - Forests of the past
T2 - A window to future changes
AU - Petit, Rémy J.
AU - Feng, Sheng Hu
AU - Dick, Christopher W.
PY - 2008/6/13
Y1 - 2008/6/13
N2 - The study of past forest change provides a necessary historical context for evaluating the outcome of human-induced climate change and biological invasions. Retrospective analyses based on fossil and genetic data greatly advance our understanding of tree colonization, adaptation, and extinction in response to past climatic change. For instance, these analyses reveal cryptic refugia near or north of continental ice sheets, leading to reevaluation of postglacial tree migration rates. Species extinctions appear to have occurred primarily during periods of high climatic variability. Transoceanic dispersal and colonization in the tropics were widespread at geological time scales, inconsistent with the idea that tropical forests are particularly resistant to biological invasions.
AB - The study of past forest change provides a necessary historical context for evaluating the outcome of human-induced climate change and biological invasions. Retrospective analyses based on fossil and genetic data greatly advance our understanding of tree colonization, adaptation, and extinction in response to past climatic change. For instance, these analyses reveal cryptic refugia near or north of continental ice sheets, leading to reevaluation of postglacial tree migration rates. Species extinctions appear to have occurred primarily during periods of high climatic variability. Transoceanic dispersal and colonization in the tropics were widespread at geological time scales, inconsistent with the idea that tropical forests are particularly resistant to biological invasions.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=45849110719&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=45849110719&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1126/science.1155457
DO - 10.1126/science.1155457
M3 - Short survey
C2 - 18556547
AN - SCOPUS:45849110719
SN - 0036-8075
VL - 320
SP - 1450
EP - 1452
JO - Science
JF - Science
IS - 5882
ER -