Collaborative Research: Mesozoic Tethyan paleocommunity dynamics: Modelling complexity and stablity during times of biotic escalation and community restructuring

合作研究：中生代特提斯古群落动力学：在生物升级和群落重建期间的建模复杂性和稳定性中生代开始于2.51亿年前地球上最大的大灭绝之后，以6600万年前的另一次大灭绝结束。目前的项目重点是一个古老海洋的生态系统，它在中生代覆盖了西欧的大部分地区，并留下了丰富的、有充分记录的化石记录。在此期间，随着生态系统的日益复杂，为现代海洋奠定了基础。然而，人们对生态系统的复杂性和稳定性之间的关系知之甚少。该项目将通过利用食物网模拟中生代海洋生态系统的复杂动态来检验这种关系，食物网捕捉到生物群落中物种之间的相互作用和能量转移。食物网对环境干扰的反应是生态系统复原力的信息。对古代食物网的分析将通过一套数学和计算模型来完成。生态系统对生物复杂性和环境干扰变化的反应仍然知之甚少。人类活动驱动的全球生物变化目前正在导致生物多样性的灾难性丧失。为了预测生态系统的反应并有效地管理资源，我们必须了解生态系统如何应对极端变化；然而，人类经验中没有先例来指导我们。化石记录记录了极端的生态系统变化，该项目将提供过去的类似物，以实现对现代海洋生态系统的更好预测。这些信息将通过加州科学院的各种项目分发给公众、教育工作者和学生。

Collaborative Research: Mesozoic Tethyan paleocommunity dynamics: Modelling complexity and stablity during times of biotic escalation and community restructuringThe Mesozoic Era began in the aftermath of Earth's largest mass extinction 251 million years ago, ending 66 million years ago with another mass extinction. The current project focuses on ecosystems of an ancient ocean which covered much of western Europe during the Mesozoic and left behind a rich, well-documented fossil record. The groundwork for modern oceans was laid during this time with increasingly complex ecosystems. The relationship between the complexity and stability of ecosystems is, however, poorly understood. The project will examine that relationship by modeling the complex dynamics of Mesozoic marine ecosystems using food webs, which capture the interactions and energy transfer between species in biological communities. Food web reactions to environmental disturbances are informative of ecosystem resilience. Analyzing ancient food webs will be accomplished with a suite of mathematical and computational models. Ecosystem responses to changes in biological complexity and environmental disturbance remain poorly understood. Anthropogenically-driven global biological change is currently resulting in catastrophic losses of biodiversity. To anticipate ecosystem responses and effectively manage resources, we must understand how ecosystems respond to extreme changes; yet there are no precedents in human experience to guide us. The fossil record documents extreme ecosystem changes and this project will provide analogs from the past to enable better forecasts for modern marine ecosystems. This information will be distributed to the public, educators and students through a variety of programs at the California Academy of Sciences.