9520849 TAYLOR Paleo-ecological reconstructions clarify long-term climatic patterns, explain current ecosystem structure, and predict ecological outcomes given certain changes in climate or management scenarios. The sequence of climatic changes affecting the development of natural wetland ecosystems of the Upper Atlantic Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States has not been well elucidated. The PI's propose to resolve this sequence of local climatic change by using the record of fossilized diatoms, sponge spicules, and plant phytoliths. These systems are attractive candidates for the research because they are non-fluvial precipitation basins whose sediments directly reflect local climate. The vertical sequence of microfossils and physical sediment components will be assessed in horizontal transects of sediment cores taken throughout several Carolina bays.
