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Paleontology (view source)

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==Overview==

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Modern paleontology sets [[Prehistoric life|ancient life]] in its contexts by studying how physical changes of global geography [[Palaeogeography|paleogeography]] and climate [[paleoclimate]] have affected life on the planet, how ecosystems have responded to these changes and have changed the planetary environment in turn and how these mutual responses have affected today's patterns of [[biodiversity]]. Hence, paleontology overlaps with [[geology]] (the study of rocks and rock formations) as well as with [[botany]], [[biology]], [[zoology]] and [[ecology]] – fields concerned with [[Organism|life forms]] and how they interact. Paleontological data provide much of the alleged evidence for the modern [[Theory of Evolution]].

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Within paleontology, there are branches and areas of specializations based on the particular type of organism. The study of prehistoric humans is known as [[Paleoanthropology]], animal paleontology is [[Paleozoology]], and the branch which studies ancient plants is called [[Paleobotany]].

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