Collaborative Research: Quantitative Hierarchical Models for Fossil and Recent Marine Assemblages

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; R o o t E n t r y F h C o m p O b j b W o r d D o c u m e n t O b j e c t P o o l h h 4 @ 7 8 9 : ; = ? @ A F Microsoft Word 6.0 Document MSWordDoc Word.Document.6 ; 9506606 Gardner Some recent studies of marine fossil assemblages suggest that they exhibit a hierarchical pattern of stasis or persistence on time scales ranging from millions to hundreds of millions of years. Other studies seemingly contradict this, suggesting that the taxonomic composition of marine assemblages are open; i.e., that persistent marine communities do not exist. Both views of the stability of these systems invoke abiotic perturbations as major controlling factors. Any ecological model invoked to explain these patterns must include a consideration of the heterogeneous distribution of habitats and ecosystems over a wide range of spatial scales, changes in habitat distribution over time, and the effect that spatial heterogeneity will have on population and community dynamics. In addition, any model must include a consideration of the severity and frequency of abiotic perturbations, which can also occur at multiple temporal and spatial scales. Fortunately, the last decade has seen a tremendous growth in qualitative and quantitative studies in landscape ecology and metapopuulation dynamics specifically designed to examine such problems. This proposal is designed to fund collaborative research between a paleontologist and a landscape ecologist, in order to develop and utilize a quantitative model for the dynamics of ecological units on multiple spatial and temporal scales. This model, CAPS, will integrate metapopulation concepts into the spatial models developed for landscape ecology and examine the relationship between the scales of biotic dynamics with those of disturbance regimes. CAPS will be used to address several problems of paleontological and ecological interest: How do fine-grained, high frequency interactions at the landscape scale affect broader scale properties of species abundance and distribution at metapopulation and biogeographic scales? To what extent does long distance transport stabilize local biotas against extinction due to local disturbances? Is the impact of a given disturbance contingent on its location or timing? What are the relative roles played by disturbance and biotic interactions in producing observed patterns of community structure? Paleontology provides the only long term record of the biotic impact of global change. As a result, the interpretation of spatial and temporal changes in community composition observed in the fossil record is of major importance. The model developed in this proposal will greatly aid in the interpretation of these data. Oh +' 0 $ H l S u m m a r y I n f o r m a t i o n ( 6 D h R:\WWUSER\TEMPLATE\NORMAL.DOT 9506639 Felicia A. Fauntleroy Felicia A. Fauntleroy @ r @ @ r @ Microsoft Word 6.0 2 ; e = e p p p p p p p C % ' ' ' ) P T e E p p p p p % p p p p % w 9506606 Gardner Some recent studies of marine fossil assem