Our work is centered around the biology and ecology of soft-bodied (“squishy”) organisms from critical transitions in the history of life on Earth. We aim to better understand what these animals looked like, how they interacted with their environment, where they came from, what happened to them and how they fit into the evolution of diverse life forms that exist today.
Searching for Fossils: One of the greatest challenges of studying soft-bodied fossils is the rarity of such forms. Much of my work involves searching for new examples of these exceptional faunas from various times in Earth History and all over the world.
Biotic Turnover: The image below (by paleoartist Alex Boersma) illustrates major changes between assemblages of the Ediacara Biota. A major aim of my research is to understand why these occurred and what they might tell us about more recent diversity crises. Because turnover events were likely influenced by changes in the environment, this work can also be used to understand the range of conditions that can support complex life, on Earth and beyond…
Paleobiology and Paleoecology: Soft-bodied animals leave a unique fossil record. Through specimen based examination of field and museum collections we examine everything from how these organisms grew, to how and why they moved, to the composition of their tissues to how they interacted with the environment.
Preservation and Taphonomy: Any study of the fossil record must account for the processes that lead to preservation. Understanding how organism became fossilized and the influence of those processes are integral to reconstructing biology and ecology. This work can also help guide the search for similar fossils in new places.
