The Williamson Family Colloquium Series

MU Department of Geological Sciences

Deep-time perspectives on community ecology and niche evolution: case studies from the crinoid fossil record

Dr. Selina Cole 

Assistant Professor of Geosciences, University of Oklahoma
Assistant Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology, Sam Noble Museum

Marine paleocommunities have changed substantially throughout the history of life in terms of their taxonomic composition, resource utilization, functional diversity, ecological complexity, and structure. As a result, a central challenge in the study of evolutionary paleoecology is to quantify these features within paleocommunities and identify their evolutionary drivers across taxonomic, spatial, and temporal scales. However, many fundamental components of paleocommunities, such as ecological niches, remain difficult to quantify and investigate in the fossil record due to their complex nature. This talk discusses the value of merging ecomorphological trait data with phylogenetic trees at the community level using case-studies from the fossil record of crinoids. Applying these methods to some of the earliest complex crinoid paleocommunities establishes patterns of niche occupation and reveals that ecological niches of crinoid subclasses were strongly differentiated in early crinoid communities. Further, the inclusion of phylogenetic comparative methods allows phenomena like niche conservatism versus convergence to be recognized at the community scale, with both patterns recognized within crinoid communities across different timescales. Combined, these approaches provide a valuable framework for quantifying functional ecology in ancient ecosystems, identifying the timeframes for niche evolution versus stasis, and assessing the driving mechanisms that shape community assembly and evolution in deep time.

For more information about Lena's research, please see her Google Scholar page: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=QjGU9_IAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

Room 108, Geological Science Bldg

Friday 3/22, 2024 at 3:30 pm

Refreshments will be provided