Species diversity shows not only spatial, but also temporal patterns of change. The fossil record retains information of change in communities of species over millions to over thousands of years. Examining such fossil deposits allows for detailed understanding of how individual species and communities of interacting species may have changed over time. This also facilitates our ability to forecast and predict changes in response to future climate change. Fossil deposits, especially those spanning the Pleistocene, are rare in the Indian subcontinent. Using one such small mammal paleo-deposit from the Pleistocene-Holocene from Andhra Pradesh, I will provide a brief introduction to the field of, and the methods in paleo-ecology and what we can learn from looking into the past. I will also discuss the limitations of such datasets, especially from the tropics where degradation is rapid. Despite this, this approach can yield very interesting insights into community responses to long-term ecological and climatic changes.