Super-traits of Ediacaran organisms ~ (580-560 Ma)

Funder	Natural Environment Research Council
Recipient Organization	University of Cambridge
Country	United Kingdom
Start Date	Sep 30, 2023
End Date	Mar 30, 2027
Duration	1,277 days
Number of Grantees	2
Roles	Student; Supervisor
Data Source	UKRI Gateway to Research
Grant ID	`2889755`

Grant Description

It is currently not clear which biological characters or traits are key to influencing taxon interactions in the Ediacaran.

This project will focus on the Ediacaran clade Rangeomorpha, which exhibit a "fractal-like" anatomy unique to the Ediacaran, which maximise their surface areas.

Since specimen height and population height distributions do not govern community dynamics, contrary to prior hypotheses (Mitchell and Kenchington 2018) other metrics need to be considered.

This project will investigate which morphological traits, such as branching characters, correlate with their ecological dynamics to determine what are the key traits of Ediacaran organisms.