The role of Archaeocyatha in Cambrian biostratigraphy and biogeography
Abstract
The Archaeocyatha is group of Cambrian fossils successively considered as cnidarians
or sponges or as an independent phylum convergent with many groups lacking clear affinities.
Comparisons with Recent calcified sponges discovered in sub-marine caves have demonstrated
that the sponge model is consistent with their structural organization. Thus their systematic
position is now agreed as a class within the phylum Porifera, permitting now realistic investigations
of their comparative physiology and life strategies. Archaeocyatha is an important part of research
programmes on the Cambrian System, initiated by different commissions of the IUGS since 1970.
Archaeocyathan biozones are available in some key regions. Faunal and palaeocommunities
distribution, especially of the reefs they helped build in epeiric seas & migration pathways constrain
Cambrian palaeogeographical reconstructions. A database, using recent compilations of the group,
is now on line. This free access data source offers specialists a tool, easy to use not only as an
identification key but also to establish faunal, geographical and stratigraphical distributions of
archaeocyathan genera & a rapid first step towards Cambrian palaeogeographical reconstructions.
Fichier principal
The role of Archaeocyatha in Cambrian biostratigraphy and biogeography.pdf (977.11 Ko)
Télécharger le fichier
Origin : Files produced by the author(s)