Ordovician increase in extent and depth of bioturbation: Implications for understanding early Paleozoic ecospace utilization

Research Article| September 01, 1989 Ordovician increase in extent and depth of bioturbation: Implications for understanding early Paleozoic ecospace utilization Mary L. Droser; Mary L. Droser 1Department of Earth Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California 92521 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar David J. Bottjer David J. Bottjer 2Department of Geological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (1989) 17 (9): 850–852. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1989)017<0850:OIIEAD>2.3.CO;2 Article history first online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Mary L. Droser, David J. Bottjer; Ordovician increase in extent and depth of bioturbation: Implications for understanding early Paleozoic ecospace utilization. Geology 1989;; 17 (9): 850–852. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1989)017<0850:OIIEAD>2.3.CO;2 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 The infaunal habitat was colonized in the early Phanerozoic primarily by soft-bodied organisms. To understand the early biotic history of this environment, it is necessary to examine the overall record of bioturbation, or ichnofabric. We present here results documenting trends in ichnofabric from Ordovician strata of the Great Basin in California, Nevada, and Utah, collected by a method devised to semiquantitatively measure the extent of early Paleozoic utilization of infaunal ecospace. When combined with similar Cambrian data, a two-phase stepwise pattern of increasing bioturbation contemporaneous with the Cambrian and Ordovician radiations of skeletonized metazoans is apparent. These data represent evidence independent of the body fossil record of increasing ecospace utilization in the early Paleozoic. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.