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

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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.