Many native species have vanished from tropical islands because of human impact, but University of Florida scientists have discovered how fossils can be used to restore lost biodiversity. The key lies in organic materials found in fossil bones, which contain evidence for how ancient ecosplayystems2 functioned, according to a new study available online and in the September issue of the Journal of Herpetology. Pre-human island ecosplayystems provide vital clues for saving endangered island species and re-establishing native species, said lead author Alex Hastings, who conducted work for the study as graduate student at the Florida Museum of Natural History and UF department of geological sciences.Our work is particularly relevant to endangered species that are currently living in marginal environments, said Hastings, currently a postdoctoral researcher at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. A better understanding of species natural roles in ecosplayystems untouched by people might improve their prospects3 for survival.Thousands of years ago, the largest carnivore and herbivore on the Bahamian island of Abaco disappeared. The study reconstructs the ancient food web of Abaco where these two mega-reptiles4, the endangered Cuban Crocodile and the now-extinct Alburys Tortoise , once flourished. Today, there is no modern terrestrial ecosplayystem1 like that of ancient Abaco, with reptiles filling the roles of largest herbivore and carnivore.In the study, sponsored by the National Science Foundation and National Geographic5 Society, researchers embarked6 on the difficult task of reconstructing an ecosplayystem where few of the components7 still exist. To understand these missing pieces, scientists analyzed8 the types of carbon and nitrogen in well-preserved fossil bones from the Cuban Crocodile and Alburys Tortoise, which was unknown to scientists before its 2004 discovery in the Bahamas. The data reveal the crocodile and tortoise were both terrestrial, showing that reptiles called the shots on the island, Hastings said.
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1 ecosplayystem n.生态系统 参考例句： This destroyed the ecosplayystem of the island.如此破坏了岛上的生态系统。 We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosplayystem.保持生态系统的完整是大家一同的利益。
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