Dr. Daniel Peppe

Research areas:

• Biogeosciences:  Paleontology, paleoecology, and paleogenomics; Paleoclimatology; Geoarcheology
• Paleoclimate:  Geochronology; Human-environment interactions; Geoarcheology; and Stratigraphy and Sedimentology
• Surface and Hydrologic Processes:  Geochronology; Geoarcheology
• Tectonic Processes

Specific research areas: Paleoclimatology, paleobotany, paleoecology, sedimentology, stratigraphy, ecology, biostratigraphy, paleomagnetism, geochronology, human evolution

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Education:

• Ph.D., Yale University

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Biography:

My research focuses on understanding how environmental change drives evolutionary processes in plants and animals. Specifically, my lab focuses on reconstructing ancient climates and ecosystems through time in North America and East Africa, and on developing better and more accurate paleoclimate and paleoecological proxies. To do this we integrate methods in paleobotany, ecology, paleoclimatology, sedimentology, stratigraphy, and paleomagnetism. Results from this research address a broad spectrum of questions aimed at understanding the underlying dynamics of environmental, biotic, and climatic change through time.

    My lab’s research aims to answer questions about how ancient terrestrial ecosystems have been influenced by large scale environmental perturbations, such as long and short term climate change events and mass extinctions. We rely on field based research and the integration of diverse methodologies to approach these questions. We use paleobotanical and ecological methods to reconstruct ancient paleoenvironments and paleoclimates and to develop paleoclimate and paleoecological proxies. We also utilize aspects of stratigraphy, sedimentology, and paleomagnetism as correlation tools, and to reconstruct the sedimentary record of terrestrial basins. Through the integration of these complimentary methods, it is possible to study terrestrial ecosystems and make regional and global correlations to synchronous ecosystems. Using these correlations, we can test local, regional, and global hypotheses about evolution, paleoenvironment, paleoecology, and paleoclimate.

    We have three major current and future research initiatives focused on answering questions about the evolutionary history and paleoecology of terrestrial ecosystems and the paleoclimatic record of the Cretaceous and Cenozoic:

1. Developing proxies for paleoclimate and paleoecological variables using modern leaf traits.
2. Reconstructing paleoenvironments during the Neogene in East Africa to identify the influence of changing environments on the evolution of hominids.
3. Studying Paleocene plant communities across North America to understand how terrestrial ecosystems respond to mass extinction and long-term climate change.

Check out my website, www.danielpeppe.com, to learn more about my research and publications, my lab, and potential opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students.