Phytoliths in palaeoecology

With increasing interest in climate change and other issues associated with the history of the environment and anthropogenic evolution there is an ongoing requirement to investigate the Earth's natural systems. A key approach is for scientists to look back into geological time, perhaps millions of years, to see how the world has reacted to natural climatic changes in the past. Using evidence from the fossil record, fluctuations in palaeoclimate can be assessed with reference to changes in global floral and faunal patterns. Phytoliths, Greek for 'plant stones', is a fossil group that is being increasingly utilized in the understanding of past climates and environments.