Directed by Dr. Jonathan Hughes, research in the Paleoecology Lab focuses on the response of vegetation to past earthquakes, fires, floods, climate change, and anthropogenic modification of the landscape. We use pollen, plant macrofossils, and tree rings to quantify the abundance and distribution of vegetation in the past and how plant communities were influenced by changing environmental conditions. Understanding how environments changed in the past helps refine predictive models and risk management. The interdisciplinary research conducted in the Paleoecology Lab attracts students and faculty with interests in geography, geology, biology, chemistry, statistics, and fine arts.