Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Visual reconstructions play a central role in paleoecology, where past ecosystems must be inferred from fragmentary and indirect evidence. Paleoart has long contributed to this task, yet it has traditionally been dominated by a zoocentric perspective in which vegetation functions as a secondary or decorative element. This article examines botanical paleoart as a distinct and necessary practice for depicting paleoecosystems, arguing that plants are not merely background components but primary ecological agents that structure landscapes, climates, and evolutionary trajectories through deep time. We provide a historical and methodological analysis of botanical paleoart, tracing its origins from nineteenth-century collaborations—most notably that between Franz Unger and Josef Kuwasseg—through twentieth-century syntheses such as Rudolph Zallinger’s murals, to contemporary practices grounded in paleoecology. Particular attention is given to the epistemic challenges posed by the plant fossil record, including fragmentary macrofossils, ambiguous palynomorphs, architectural uncertainty, and competing biological interpretations. Drawing on recent Quaternary case studies developed within the ECCE HOMO research group (University of Murcia), we illustrate how botanical paleoart can function as an explicit visual synthesis of palynological, macrofossil, and ecological data. These reconstructions demonstrate that paleoart is not merely illustrative but heuristic, capable of integrating evidence, highlighting uncertainty, and generating new paleoecological insights.
Source: Ecosistemas
DOI: 10.7818/ecos.3231
Institution: Universidad de Murcia
Language: English
Subfield: Paleontology
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: diamond
Funder: Yale University
OpenAlex ID: W7221993065