The Ediacaran biota in miniature: palaeoecological and palaeobiological insights from sub-centimetre fossils.

该项目将通过对最近在纽芬兰发现的埃迪卡拉大化石分类群的小型（长度<30mm）标本的生长和古生态学的研究，提供迄今为止获得的最准确的埃迪卡拉古群落的图像。小型标本反映了埃迪卡拉纪海洋古环境的重要组成部分，但大部分未记载，包括已知和未描述的分类群。这个项目将描述古群落内和种间的相互作用，并检验关于繁殖和群落发展的假设。一个主要的焦点将是阐明丝状连接结构在埃迪卡拉系生态系统中的作用。进一步评估个体发生和发展之间的特定分类群将旨在限制他们的系统发育亲缘关系。该学生将从剑桥大学现有的模型和激光扫描数据集中收集古生物学数据，并从野外现场收集数据，以评估埃迪卡拉纪大化石分类群之间的时空生态相互作用。种群内形态特征的测量将用于研究个体发生和繁殖。空间点过程分析（SPPA）将检测种内和种间竞争，允许评估小样本在社区发展中的作用。该项目将包括访问加拿大纽芬兰的实地地点，包括联合国教科文组织世界遗产的错误点生态保护区，以及博纳维斯塔半岛的卡塔利娜圆顶。某些铸件将使用x射线断层扫描（微ct扫描）来研究，以获得亚毫米形态数据。该项目可能会扩大到考虑这些生物与其环境之间的局部生物地球化学相互作用。

This project will provide the most accurate picture of Ediacaran palaeocommunities yet obtained, via investigation of growth and palaeoecology within recently discovered, exceptionally preserved, fossil assemblages of small (<30mm length) specimens of Ediacaran macrofossil taxa from Newfoundland. Small specimens reflect a significant but largely undocumented component of Ediacaran marine palaeoenvironments, and include both known and undescribed taxa. This project will characterize intra- and inter-specific interactions within palaeocommunities, and test hypotheses regarding reproduction and community development. A primary focus will be to elucidate the role of filamentous connective structures in Ediacaran ecosystems. Additional assessment of ontogeny and development amongst specific taxa will aim to constrain their phylogenetic affinities. The student will collect palaeobiological data from existing collections of casts and laser scan datasets at the University of Cambridge, and from field sites, to assess spatial and temporal ecological interactions amongst Ediacaran macrofossil taxa. Measurements of morphological features within populations will be used to investigate ontogeny and reproduction. Spatial Point Process Analyses (SPPA) will detect intra- and inter-specific competition, permitting assessment of the role of small specimens in community development. The project will involve visits to field sites in Newfoundland, Canada, including the Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Catalina Dome on the Bonavista Peninsula. Certain casts will be studied using x-ray tomography (micro-CT scanning) to obtain sub-millimetric morphological data. The project could potentially be expanded to consider local-scale biogeochemical interactions between these organisms and their environments.