ABSTRACT
In Part 1, we examined the physical evidence that reveals the timing, magnitude and rates of climate change since 2.6 Ma. Now we need to consider how vegetation, animals and our ancestors coped with the rapid climatic oscillations. Terrestrial sediments contain many fossils which can be used to recreate the environment and give us an idea of the changes our ancestors experienced. Indeed, our modern understanding of climate change was founded on palaeontological studies of the kind described in this chapter.
