Ediacaran Paleobiology

I study early animal evolution in the Ediacaran Period by investigating the impact of climate and biological feedbacks on the fossil record to provide greater paleobioloigcal context to the events which lead to the Cambrian explosion. My ongoing research in this area includes:

• Metadata analysis of fossil data to understand the temporal and spacial changes to Ediacaran biodiversity

• Using primary body fossil and trace fossil data to track evolutionary transitions and extinction events throughout the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition

• Applying geochemical techniques (such as lithium isotopes) to evaluate the role of clays in Ediacaran soft-tissue preservation

Neoproterozoic Stratigraphy

The refinement of the geological timescale to better temporally resolve changes in biodiversity and environmental phenomena in the rock record is critical to understanding early animal evolution. My ongoing research in this area includes:

• A sedimentological and paleontological investigation of the Wernecke Mountains, Yukon, Canada to provide stratigraphic evidence for the deep-marine evolution of early animals, a pattern opposite to Phanerozoic radiations which begin in the shallow ocean

• Integrated stratigraphic, isotopic, and geochronological study of Ediacaran rocks in the Cariboo Mountains, B.C., Canada with the goal of creating one of the most complete time-calibrated carbon isotope records of the middle-late Ediacaran

Ecophysiology and Global Change

A novel field in paleobiology is the study of the ecophysiology of living animals to make mechanistic predictions for how their ancient relatives were impacted by global change in the geological past. This research is also invaluable to understand how anthropogenic global change will impact the modern animal kingdom. My ongoing research in this area includes:

• Studying extant marines invertebrates including cnidarians and annelids as physiological proxies for Ediacaran animals, in order to mechanistically understand the role of climate in early animals evolution.

• Using large physiological data sets from living marine invertebrates, along with paleontological and paleoclimate data to better understand the relationship between latitudinal biodiversity during different climate states (e.g., hothouse vs. icehouse). This work has shown that during hothouse periods (e.g., Cretaceous & PETM), invertebrate diversity in low-latitudes is muted, with similar predictions for the coming centuries.