Growth, Distributional Controls and Taphonomy of Recent Isocrinidae (Echinodermata: Crinoidea)

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Stalked crinoids (Isocrinida) represent a major component of living assemblages and produce modern crinoid- rich sediments along the western flank of the Little Bahama Bank. Three aspects of stalked crinoid biology will be examined as they contributed to understanding paleoecological processes: 1) Rates of stalk growth and sediment production; 2) Distributional controls: what are the relationships between current flow, temperature, the distribution of living crinoid assemblages and the nature and amount of crinoidal contributions to sediments? and 3) Taphonomy: what are the temporal and spatial variations and taphonomic modifications of crinoid-rich sediments in the study area, and how can these be applied to the reconstruction of fossil assemblages? Isocrinids have a fossil record dating to the Triassic and these modern assemblages represent an excellent analogue for better understanding paleoecological processes and interpreting ancient crinoidal deposits.