New research conducted by Michal Kowalewski, the Thompson chair of invertebrate paleontology at the Florida Museum of Natural History, shows that human activity is significantly influencing the ways in which marine organisms are preserved. According to Kowalewski, these changes can have both positive and negative effects on the fossil record. Human actions can prevent the fossil record from accurately preserving information about ongoing changes in ecosystems, while in other situations, human activities can actually enhance the quality of the fossil record, providing valuable information for research.
The impacts of human activity on the fossil record can have serious implications for conservation efforts as well. Scientists rely on fossils to understand how ecosystems have changed over time, and knowing what degraded ecosystems looked like before human alterations can guide restoration efforts. Kowalewski and his colleagues specialize in marine paleoecology and have focused their study on fossil beds in the world’s oceans. They have identified several factors that influence fossilization in marine environments, such as sediment accumulation rates, animal burrowing activity, burial depth, and fossil preservation rates, all of which can be influenced by human activities.
One significant human activity that affects the fossil record is bottom trawling, where nets dragged along the seafloor churn up sediment and oxygenate it, accelerating the breakdown of organic remains. The widespread impacts of bottom trawling surprised lead author Rafal Nawrot, a paleontologist at the University of Vienna, who studies changes in marine ecosystems since the last ice age. Altering the fossil record can also be indirect, such as local extinctions caused by human activity or the introduction of invasive species. For example, the introduction of red king crabs to the Barents Sea led to changes in burrowing invertebrate populations, affecting the oxygen levels in sediments and ultimately fossil preservation.
Interpreting the effects of human activity on the fossil record can be challenging, as these changes can mimic natural processes like erosion or species migrations. Human-driven changes can erase fossil records or add foreign material to an environment, complicating research efforts. Scientists are exploring strategies to disentangle natural and human influences on fossilization, such as utilizing radiocarbon dating to estimate the age of fossils and implementing more robust statistical analyses to interpret data accurately. These methods are helping researchers gain a better understanding of how humans are impacting the historical archive of life on Earth.
As researchers continue to investigate the impacts of human activity on the fossil record, they are uncovering valuable insights into the history of ecosystems. Changes in the geological record can serve as “fingerprints” of human activity and provide clues about how ecosystems have evolved over time. Collaborative efforts involving scientists like Kowalewski, Nawrot, and their colleagues from various institutions are instrumental in advancing our understanding of the complex interactions between human activities and the fossil record. By studying how humans are altering the fossilization process, researchers can better inform conservation practices and work towards restoring and preserving ecosystems for future generations.
