The effects of two major causes of habitat loss and community extinction - human agency and climate change - can be difficult to distinguish for both scientists and policy makers. Remedies, which can have major social and economic consequences, must be based on sound science and ample data. The fossil record represents one of the few ways heavily impacted or now-extinct habitats and communities can be reconstructed to perform the before-and-after studies leading to a better understanding of historical processes on an ecosystem scale. A rich new source of this fossilized information, rare because it comes as a virtually intact ecological community and time slice, has been discovered in a large flooded cave in Madagascar. This fossil 'graveyard" contains abundant fossilized material from extinct forms of the unique Malagasy primate taxa referred to as lemurs, as well as remains of other animals that co-existed with them, and in a geological context that exists in many parts of the world where comparably valuable prehistoric information can be expected.
The ultimate goal of the project initiated through this immediate research will test the hypothesis that fossiliferous submerged caves preserve a more comprehensive taxonomic cross-section of a natural community, represented by more complete, more interpretable remains than is typical of paleontological sites reflecting the millennial timeframe of recent human occupation. The most pressing goal is to pilot the methods needed to document the extent of these scientific resources for the first time. The site is in need of immediate attention because it is unknown to both local policy makers and the international community, and it is not protected from human disturbance or loss of the fossils. The environment is sensitive to climatic and geological factors which can rapidly harm fragile specimens or destroy them entirely. The need is exigent because global priorities recognize that understanding the causes of ecological degradation is a precondition to finding solutions to the humanitarian and wildlife consequences, especially in fragile island ecosystems such as found on Madagascar.
The methods used to document the biodiversity, abundance and completeness of this resource involve detailed mapping of the spatial distribution of fossils within the more outwardly accessible and deeper parts of the cave, using a grid system and high-resolution digital underwater videography and close-up photography, which will make it possible to taxonomically identify fossils and prioritize their extraction. The research team consists of six experienced, fossil-collecting divers, including two videographers and two scientists specializing in primate evolution.
