Ichnologic evidence of ecospace utilization in mid to late Paleozoic marine environments

遗迹学包括对生物体和基质之间相互作用产生的生物结构的研究。由于遗迹化石通常是由软体动物产生的，它们不像身体化石那样受到同样的限制。遗迹化石的研究提供了一个动物-基质相互作用的视角，有助于我们理解过去不断变化的生态。此外，由于遗迹化石通常显示出与环境因素的密切联系，相分析已成为一种日益完善的技术，因此有可能为遗迹化石提供比身体化石更详细的相约束特征。虽然大多数的遗迹学研究处理宏观进化的影响集中在生物扰动的程度，一个更复杂和丰富的一套概念和方法的工具，目前可用，包括遗迹多样性，遗迹差异和分析底栖生态空间占用和生态系统工程。这一建议旨在进一步探讨中晚古生代生态空间利用模式。因此，本项目的目标是：（1）记录志留纪至二叠纪海洋遗迹动物群的环境背景，（2）评估志留纪至二叠纪期间的遗迹多样性和遗迹差异轨迹，（3）分析沿着古生代海洋沉积剖面的生态空间利用和生态系统工程。该项目包括编制志留纪-二叠纪数据库，修订痕迹化石收集，以及在志留纪-二叠纪各关键地点进行实地考察。通过将研究扩展到古生代的其余部分，该项目代表了申请人所开展的更广泛研究计划的延续。该项目的重要性通过以下事实得到了证明：所建议的方法已经在埃迪卡拉-奥陶纪时期发表了高影响力的论文。

Ichnology comprises the study of biogenic structures that result from the interactions between organisms and the substrate. Because trace fossils are commonly produced by soft-bodied animals, they are not subjected to the same preservational constrains than body fossils. The study of trace fossils has much to contribute to our understanding of the changing ecology of the past by providing a perspective of animal-substrate interactions in deep time. Also, because trace fossils typically display a close link with environmental factors and facies analysis has become an increasingly refined technique, it is possible to provide a more detailed characterization of facies constraints for trace fossils than for body fossils. Although the majority of ichnologic studies dealing with macroevolutionary implications has focused on degree of bioturbation, a more sophisticated and rich set of conceptual and methodological tools is currently available, including ichnodiversity, ichnodisparity and analysis of benthic ecospace occupation and ecosystem engineering. This proposal aims to further explore patterns of ecospace utilization during the mid to late Paleozoic. Therefore, the objectives of this project are to: (1) document Silurian to Permian marine ichnofaunas in their environmental context, (2) assess ichnodiversity and ichnodisparity trajectories during the Silurian to Permian, and (3) analyze ecospace utilization and ecosystem engineering along the marine depositional profile during the middle to late Paleozoic. This project implies compilation of a database for the Silurian-Permian, revision of trace-fossil collections, and fieldwork in various key Silurian-Permian localities. By expanding research to the rest of the Paleozoic, this project represents a continuation of a broader research program undertaken by the applicant. The significance of this project is demonstrated by the fact that the suggested approach has already generated the publication of high-impact papers for the Ediacaran-Ordovician timespan.