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

该项目将通过对最近发现的、特别保存的、来自纽芬兰的埃迪卡拉纪宏体化石分类群的小型（<30毫米长）标本的化石组合进行生长和古生态学调查，提供迄今为止最准确的埃迪卡拉纪古生物群落图片。小标本反映了埃迪卡拉纪海洋古环境的一个重要但基本上没有记录的组成部分，包括已知和未描述的类群。该项目将描述古群落内种内和种间的相互作用，并测试有关繁殖和群落发展的假设。一个主要的重点将是阐明丝状结缔组织结构在埃迪卡拉生态系统中的作用。对特定类群的个体发生和发育的额外评估旨在限制它们的系统发生亲缘关系。学生将从剑桥大学现有的铸件和激光扫描数据集收集古生物学数据，并从现场，以评估埃迪卡拉纪宏化石类群之间的空间和时间生态相互作用。种群内形态特征的测量将用于研究个体发育和生殖。空间点过程分析（SPPA）将检测种内和种间的竞争，允许评估小标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，包括被列为教科文组织世界遗产的错误点生态保护区和博纳维斯塔半岛的卡塔利纳圆顶。将使用X射线断层摄影术（微型CT扫描）研究某些铸件，以获得亚毫米形态学数据。该项目有可能扩大到考虑这些生物与其环境之间的局部尺度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.