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SUMMARY:Marc Laflamme on &quot\;Ediacaran Endgame: The Rise of Complex Lif
 e&quot\; - Marc Laflamme (Earth Science\, University of Toronto Mississaug
 a)
DTSTART:20250220T110000Z
DTEND:20250220T120000Z
UID:TALK227884@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Paul B. Rimmer
DESCRIPTION:In Person\n\nABSTRACT: \n\nThe Ediacaran period represents one
  of the most significant biological transitions in Earth’s history\, mar
 king a profound shift from microbially dominated ecosystems to those ruled
  by animals. During this time\, the Ediacara biota emerged\, comprising la
 rge and morphologically diverse organisms\, including both stem and crown 
 group animals\, alongside enigmatic forms that vanished from the fossil re
 cord during the Cambrian explosion of bilaterians. To investigate the conn
 ections between the decline of the Ediacara biota and the Cambrian diversi
 fication event\, our team has concentrated on terminal Ediacaran units in 
 Namibia and Iran. We revisited classic Ediacaran sections and explored pre
 viously unknown sites. These field studies have broadened the temporal and
  geographic distribution of well-known Ediacara biota\, such as Dickinsoni
 a and Kimberella. Additionally\, we identified key biostratigraphic taxa\,
  including Corrumbella\, which may aid in subdividing the Ediacaran period
 . Notably\, our findings reveal a rapid increase in animal behaviors\, evi
 denced by trace fossils\, coinciding with a significant decline in Ediacar
 an diversity.\n\n\nBIO: \nProf. Marc Laflamme's research interests center 
 on the classification and preservation of the Ediacara biota\, which repre
 sent the oldest large and complex organisms in the rock record. These glob
 ally distributed\, soft-bodied organisms made a sudden appearance in the f
 ossil record approximately 578 million years ago\, dominating early ecosys
 tems until their demise in response to the Cambrian explosion of animals.\
 n\nProf. Laflamme's work delves into the evolutionary hierarchy and relati
 onships among the Ediacara biota and their relationship to animals. His st
 udies focus on the growth and function in closely related species\, while 
 also applying modeling techniques to assess feeding strategies in these en
 igmatic organisms. His research further concerns the geobiological interac
 tions that allow for the fossilization of soft tissues\, integrating labor
 atory decay experiments with extensive field studies in Newfoundland\, Sou
 th Australia\, Namibia\, and Iran. This fieldwork highlights how growth\, 
 feeding\, reproduction\, and inter-species competition can be elucidated t
 hrough the examination of the oldest animal communities.
LOCATION:Battcock\, Room F17
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