The utility of height for the Ediacaran organisms of Mistaken Point

Mitchell, Emily G. and Kenchington, Charlotte G. (2018) The utility of height for the Ediacaran organisms of Mistaken Point. Nature Ecology & Evolution. ISSN 2397-334X DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0591-6

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Abstract

Ediacaran fossil communities consist of the oldest macroscopic eukaryotic organisms. Increased size (height) is hypothesized to be driven by competition for water column resources, leading to vertical/epifaunal tiering and morphological innovations such as stems. Using spatial analyses, we find no correlation between tiering and resource competition, and that stemmed organisms are not tiered. Instead, we find that height is correlated with greater offspring dispersal, demonstrating the importance of colonization potential over resource competition.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	2018AREP; IA72
Subjects:	04 - Palaeobiology
Divisions:	04 - Palaeobiology
Journal or Publication Title:	Nature Ecology & Evolution
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0591-6
Depositing User:	Sarah Humbert
Date Deposited:	29 Jun 2018 17:28
Last Modified:	29 Jun 2018 17:28
URI:	http://eprints.esc.cam.ac.uk/id/eprint/4296

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