The Ebenezers, 1843-1859

Students of history are actively engaged in processes and meanings of memory, heritage and history. The differences between memory, heritage and history generate constructive conflict and inquiry about the past. Contextualization and corroboration of primary sources accesses the past. Contextualization and corroboration of inquiry primary sources, as with other primary sources, informs understandings about the past. Construction of a webpage using primary sources of memory, heritage, history, and contextualized and corroborated inquiry may provide one model for inquiry within memory, heritage, and history

A climatic and taxonomic comparison between leaf litter and standing vegetation from a florida swamp woodland

One method to determine past climate has been the use of leaf morphological characteristics of fossil leaves quantifi ed using modern climate and canopy leaf characteristics. Fossil assemblages are composed of abscised leaves, and climate may be more accurately determined by using leaves from leaf litter instead of the canopy. To better understand whether taphonomic processes make a difference in this relationship, a north-central Florida woodland was sampled to determine the morphologically based climate estimates from these leaves. Leaves from woody, dicotyledonous plants were collected and identifi ed, then compared using presence/absence data and analyzed using several linear regression equations and the CLAMP data set. Although the majority of standing vegetation was refl ected in leaf litter, some inconsistencies were observed, which may refl ect plant community structure or sampling technique. Mean annual temperature (MAT) and growing season precipitation (GSP) were estimated f

Sensitivity of leaf size and shape to climate: global patterns and paleoclimatic applications.

16 páginas, 2 tablas, 5 figuras.Paleobotanists have long used models based on leaf size and shape to reconstruct paleoclimate. However, most models incorporate a single variable or use traits that are not physiologically or functionally linked to climate, limiting their predictive power. Further, they often underestimate paleotemperature relative to other proxies. • Here we quantify leaf–climate correlations from 92 globally distributed, climatically diverse sites, and explore potential confounding factors. Multiple linear regression models for mean annual temperature (MAT) and mean annual precipitation (MAP) are developed and applied to nine well-studied fossil floras. • We find that leaves in cold climates typically have larger, more numerous teeth, and are more highly dissected. Leaf habit (deciduous vs evergreen), local water availability, and phylogenetic history all affect these relationships. Leaves in wet climates are larger and have fewer, smaller teeth. Our multivariate MAT and MAP models offer moderate improvements in precision over univariate approaches (± 4.0 vs 4.8°C for MAT) and strong improvements in accuracy. For example, our provisional MAT estimates for most North American fossil floras are considerably warmer and in better agreement with independent paleoclimate evidence. • Our study demonstrates that the inclusion of additional leaf traits that are functionally linked to climate improves paleoclimate reconstructions. This work also illustrates the need for better understanding of the impact of phylogeny and leaf habit on leaf–climate relationships.Work at Wesleyan was supported primarily by the National Science Foundation (NSF) (grant EAR-0742363 to DLR). Funding for the Patagonia fossil collections (Laguna del Hunco and P. Loros) was supported by NSF and the National Geographic Society (grants DEB-0345750, DEB- 0919071, and NGS 7337-02 to Peter Wilf and others).Peer reviewe