Paleobiology and Taphonomy of Soft-Bodied Organisms from the Chengjiang Biota (Early Cambrian), Yunnan Province, China

Babcock 9405990澄江生物群是世界上已知最古老的保存完好的生物化石组合，包括软体和带壳动物以及海洋植物。 这个组合是了解早期后生动物进化史的一个独特窗口。 在与中国同事的合作中，PI将1）完成生物体的系统和比较研究，2）确定生物体的地理亲缘关系，3）描述小壳化石，4）解释化石的保存方面，以及5）描述和解释相关的痕迹化石。

Babcock 9405990 The Chengjiang Biota is the oldest known fossil assemblage of exceptionally preserved organisms in the world, including soft- bodied and shell-bearing animals, as well as marine plants. This assemblage is a unique window into the history of early metazoan evolution. In collaboration with Chinese colleagues, PI will 1) complete systematic and comparative studies of the organisms, 2) determine biogeographic affinities of the organisms, 3) describe the small shelly fossils, 4) interpret aspects of preservation of the fossils, and 5) describe and interpret associated trace fossils.