Page 94 - Introduction to Paleobiology and The Fossil Record

PALEOECOLOGY AND PALEOCLIMATES 81

nektonic mobile
carnivore

(q)
mobile, semi
infaunal, benthic,
deposit feeder

(p)
mobile benthic (k)
carnivore

(o)

(j)

(i) (g)
(j)
(i)
(f) (r)
(g)
(h)
10 cm

mobile infaunal
suspension feeder
(n) (m) (l) mobile infaunal
deposit feeder
(b) (c) (d) (a) (e)

×0.2

×1

Figure 4.1 Life modes of marine organisms in a living offshore, muddy-sand community in the Irish
Sea with a range of bivalves (a–e, l), gastropods (f), scaphopods (g), annelids (h, j), asterozoans (i),

crustaceans (k, r), echinoids (m, n) and fishes (o–q). Insets indicate large and small burrowers. (From
McKerrow 1978.)

and limited to, a particular environment ecology covers the detailed functions and life
however broad or restricted; moreover most of a coral species, and synecology might be
are adapted for a particular lifestyle and all concerned with the growth and structure of an
have some form of direct or indirect depen- entire coral reef, including the mutual rela-
dence on other organisms. These principles tionships between species and their relation-
are valid also for the study of the ecology of ship to the surrounding environment. The
ancient animals and plants. autecology of individual groups is discussed in
There are two main areas of paleoecologi- the taxonomic chapters. In most studies the
cal research: paleoautecology is the study of functions of fossil animal or plants are estab-
the ecology of a single organism whereas lished through analogies or homologies with
paleosynecology looks at communities or living organisms or structures or by a series of
associations of organisms. For example, aut- experimental and modeling techniques. Geo-