Lab Description

Paleoecological research encompasses a broad array of disciplines devoted to the reconstruction of past environmental conditions and the study of short- and long-term dynamics that link climate, geology, hydrology, biology, archaeology, and anthropology. DEES scientists are shedding light on past processes while helping to solve some of the problems facing managers and planners today. Plant macrofossils, pollen, phytoliths, charcoal, and mollusks acquired from aquatic and terrestrial sediments, packrat middens, and archaeological sites can provide detailed chronological records of vegetation change, climate change, fire frequency and intensity, the effects of wildfire and historic fire suppression on natural resources, past hydrology of lakes and wetlands, water composition, and sedimentation and erosion processes on local and regional scales.

Research conducted using the Paleoecology Laboratory includes woodrat (Neotoma) midden and pollen analyses for use in vegetation and climate history; vegetation and mollusk analysis in lake and playa sediments to reconstruct past ecology, hydrology and climate; and the use of terrestrial and aquatic mollusks and other biota for paleoenvironmental and paleohydrological reconstruction. A complete laboratory processing facilities and a reference collection of fossil and modern species is maintained. Reference collections include seeds, wood, charcoal, and herbarium specimens, mollusks, and library.

Research areas and key equipment

Above: Photo of pollen grains by Dr. Peter Mehringer

Above: RI coring raft on Lower Pahranagat Lake, Northern Nevada

The laboratory specializes in:

• Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction
• Paleoclimatic Reconstruction
• Paleohydrologic Input Estimates
• Lake Level History
• Vegetation History
• Fire History
• Coring: Lakes, Wetlands, Drylands
• Packrat Midden Processing, Analysis
• Plant Macrofossil Identification, Analysis
• Archeobotanical Analysis
• Coprolite Analysis

Our research on past climatic extremes and hydrological boundary conditions are applied to a range of timely environmental issues including:

• Natural versus human-induced climate change
• Watershed processes, hydrology and fire history of populated and recreational areas
• Design needs for urban water storage
• Impacts of deforestation, fire suppression and grazing on forests and range lands
• Reclamation and restoration of disturbed environments
• Predictability of extreme events for risk assessment
• Aboriginal and post-European effects on the environment

Our key equipment and capabilities include:

• Giddings Hydraulic Coring/Drilling Rig (gas powered), 2-inch diameter
• Modified Livingston Piston Coring device, 4-inch diameter
• 21' pontoon boat with 85 horse power outboard motor
• Coring Raft and motor
• Bartington MS-2B magnetic susceptibility system
• Microscopes, dissecting and light, with photographic capability
• Fully equipped wet and dry laboratories, with fumehood and distilled water
• Increment borers
• Ovens and furnaces
• Balances (Digital, Mettler, Triple-beam)

For more information on the Paleoecology Laboratory, please contact Dr. Saxon Sharpe at
(775) 674-7006 or via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it