Artistic palaeo-reconstructions of ecosystem states in Central Europe over the last 23 million years (IMAGE)

Aarhus University

Artistic palaeo-reconstructions of ecosystem states in Central Europe over the last 23 million years

Caption

Artistic palaeo-reconstructions of ecosystem states in Central Europe over the last 23 million years. The illustrations depict typical landscapes and key large herbivores from six time periods: the Neogene (evolutionary origins of many present taxa), the Pleistocene (pre-Homo sapiens baseline), and the Holocene (human-shaped ecosystems). Across most periods, landscapes are shown as tree-rich, flower-rich mosaics maintained by abundant large herbivores. Only in the recent Holocene do ecosystems become either densely wooded due to herbivore loss or strongly shaped by domestic livestock and agriculture. 

Credit

Márton Zsoldos

Usage Restrictions

Credit must be given to the creator.

License

CC BY

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.