The déjà vu effect: Recurrent patterns in exploitation of ecospace, establishment of the mixed layer, and distribution of matgrounds

Research Article| December 01, 2011 The déjà vu effect: Recurrent patterns in exploitation of ecospace, establishment of the mixed layer, and distribution of matgrounds Luis A. Buatois; Luis A. Buatois * Department of Geological Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, 114 Science Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E2, Canada *E-mails: luis.buatois@usask.ca; gabriela.mangano@usask.ca. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar M. Gabriela Mángano M. Gabriela Mángano * Department of Geological Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, 114 Science Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E2, Canada *E-mails: luis.buatois@usask.ca; gabriela.mangano@usask.ca. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (2011) 39 (12): 1163–1166. https://doi.org/10.1130/G32408.1 Article history received: 28 Apr 2011 rev-recd: 14 Jul 2011 accepted: 17 Jul 2011 first online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share MailTo Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Luis A. Buatois, M. Gabriela Mángano; The déjà vu effect: Recurrent patterns in exploitation of ecospace, establishment of the mixed layer, and distribution of matgrounds. Geology 2011;; 39 (12): 1163–1166. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G32408.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Although the notion of recurrent trace-fossil assemblages through geologic time as a result of similar sets of environmental conditions has a long history in ichnology, the idea that recurrent ichnofaunas may have occurred in connection with macroevolutionary events has not yet been put forward. We refer to this phenomenon as "the Déjà vu effect," and suggest that understanding its significance may shed light on how organisms colonize underutilized or empty ecospace, the establishment of the mixed layer, and the temporal and spatial distribution of matgrounds. These recurrent trace-fossil assemblages record the activity of the epifauna and a very shallow tier infauna, in the absence of mid- to deep-tier trace fossils and mottled textures. They typically consist of grazing trails, very shallow feeding burrows, and arthropod trackways. Shallow-tier burrows and trails with well-developed scratch marks may be present. These ichnofaunas suggest that the initial exploitation of underutilized or empty ecospace is linked to a set of recurrent behavioral strategies to obtain food from matgrounds and firmgrounds in the absence of a well-developed mixed layer. Preservation of these behaviors in the form of trace fossils is mediated by a set of taphonomic conditions. These taphonomic windows occur during the initial colonization of empty or underutilized ecospace, such as the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition or the subsequent colonization of the land, but also after the end-Permian mass extinction, which may have had a negative impact on the mixed layer in marine environments, producing a return to the ecologic conditions of the early Paleozoic. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.