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Extinction of Giant Mammals Changed Landscape Dramatically
Live Science ^ | Nov 19, 2009 | Jeanna Bryner

Posted on 11/19/2009 6:16:45 PM PST by decimon

The last breaths of mammoths and mastodons some 13,000 years ago have garnered plenty of research and just as much debate. What killed these large beasts in a relative instant of geologic time?

A question asked less often: What happened when they disappeared?

A new study, based partly on dung fungus, provides some answers to both questions. The upshot: The landscape changed dramatically.

"As soon as herbivores drop off the landscape, we see different plant communities," said lead researcher Jacquelyn Gill of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, adding the result was an "ecosystem upheaval."

Gill and her colleagues found that once emptied of a diversity of large animals equaling or surpassing that of Africa's Serengeti, the landscape completely changed. Trees once kept in check by the mammoth gang popped up and so did wildfires sparked by the woody debris.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: History
KEYWORDS: catastrophism; godsgravesglyphs; mammoth; mammoths; mastodon; mastodons
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1 posted on 11/19/2009 6:16:45 PM PST by decimon
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To: SunkenCiv

Dung fungus upshot ping.


2 posted on 11/19/2009 6:17:29 PM PST by decimon
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To: decimon
t' was the Eeevil SUV!
3 posted on 11/19/2009 6:21:48 PM PST by Ancient Drive (DRINK COFFEE! - Do Stupid Things Faster with More Energy!)
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To: Ancient Drive
t' was the Eeevil SUV!

Actually, it was the weevil SUV. Incredibly destructive things.

4 posted on 11/19/2009 6:27:27 PM PST by decimon
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To: decimon

Ask Helen, she’ll know.


5 posted on 11/19/2009 6:28:57 PM PST by central_va ( http://www.15thvirginia.org/)
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To: decimon
Ahhh...the Cenozoic. My favorite. Much more fascinating than rehashing all that reptilian crud. Give me giant mammals any day.

Dinohyus. Now there was a beastie.

6 posted on 11/19/2009 6:29:38 PM PST by Bloody Sam Roberts (An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject.)
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To: decimon

Imagine the carbon footprint of these giant beasts. The Clovis people must have killed them off to prevent global warming and boiling of the oceans. Good riddance.


7 posted on 11/19/2009 6:30:43 PM PST by hellbender
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The Cycle of Cosmic Catastrophes: Flood, Fire, and Famine in the History of Civilization The Cycle of Cosmic Catastrophes:
Flood, Fire, and Famine
in the History of Civilization

by Richard Firestone,
Allen West, and
Simon Warwick-Smith


8 posted on 11/19/2009 6:31:03 PM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/__Since Jan 3, 2004__Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: 75thOVI; aimhigh; Alice in Wonderland; AndrewC; aragorn; aristotleman; Avoiding_Sulla; BBell; ...
Thanks decimon!
 
Catastrophism
 
· join · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post new topic · subscribe ·
 

9 posted on 11/19/2009 6:31:36 PM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/__Since Jan 3, 2004__Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: decimon; StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; ...

· join list or digest · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post a topic · subscribe ·

 
Gods
Graves
Glyphs
Thanks decimon.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.
GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
 

·Dogpile · Archaeologica · ArchaeoBlog · Archaeology · Biblical Archaeology Society ·
· Discover · Nat Geographic · Texas AM Anthro News · Yahoo Anthro & Archaeo · Google ·
· The Archaeology Channel · Excerpt, or Link only? · cgk's list of ping lists ·


10 posted on 11/19/2009 6:33:52 PM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/__Since Jan 3, 2004__Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: decimon

“Dung fungus”
Cool! I’ve got a new phrase to add to my favorite insults list!


11 posted on 11/19/2009 6:43:41 PM PST by ozark hilljilly (Ditherer In Chief = An appropriate acronym!)
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To: SunkenCiv

Bump


12 posted on 11/19/2009 6:50:57 PM PST by B.O. Plenty (Give war a chance...)
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To: Ancient Drive
Canyonero!!!
13 posted on 11/19/2009 6:53:20 PM PST by Salgak (Acme Lasers presents: The Energizer Border: I dare you to try and cross it. . .)
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To: SunkenCiv

I love that book! And that’s despite the pukey cover and less than adequate title.


14 posted on 11/19/2009 6:55:30 PM PST by SatinDoll (NO Foreign Nationals as our President!!)
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To: central_va; SunkenCiv
"Ask Helen, she’ll know."

Well shoot...There's the problem, I asked Alice.

15 posted on 11/19/2009 6:59:29 PM PST by blam
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To: decimon; retrokitten
Dung fungus upshot ping.

Mundungus ping...


16 posted on 11/19/2009 7:01:10 PM PST by null and void (We are now in day 302 of our national holiday from reality. - 0bama really isn't one of US.)
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To: ozark hilljilly

“Dung Fungus” is a cool rock band name.


17 posted on 11/19/2009 7:08:07 PM PST by goseminoles
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To: goseminoles

Dung Fungus?
Wasn’t he the drummer for Spinal Tap?


18 posted on 11/19/2009 7:12:09 PM PST by ozark hilljilly (Ditherer In Chief = An appropriate acronym!)
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To: decimon
Anyone that raises livestock knows what happens when pasture land is left ungrazed, it grows up in brush and finally trees. It only takes a few years as I've seen land that I once plowed now covered in trees several inches in diameter.
Another fifty years and no one will ever guess that the soil there was ever turned.

On the other hand place hogs in a lot and they'll kill every plant there in a short time.
Now where do I collect my grant money?

19 posted on 11/19/2009 7:20:13 PM PST by count-your-change (You don't have be brilliant, not being stupid is enough.)
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts

Now they call it Daeodon. What a porker! Ribs for everyone.


20 posted on 11/19/2009 8:18:33 PM PST by Lucius Cornelius Sulla (a wild-eyed, exclusionist, birther religio-beast -- Daily Kos)
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