See more from this Division: Topical Sessions
See more from this Session: Field and Quantitative Paleontology, Micropaleontology, and Taxonomy: A Memorial to Roger L. Kaesler
Abstract:
Using Relative Sorensen distances, we performed Bray-Curtis (Polar) ordinations on different combinations of data-types (i.e., abundance or biomass, of genus or clade, for all genera or only brachiopods) to infer ecological gradients among taxa (R-mode) and among samples (Q-mode). Pearson's and Spearman's rank correlations between the Q-mode first axis scores, which account for 79%-91% of the variation in the data, yielded significant results (p<0.05) among the following: abundance and biomass, all taxa and brachiopods only, genus and clade.
These data suggest that within the larger size-fraction, certain brachiopods within each clade are driving the community structure at this particular locality. The above correlations and the strong separation between A) benthic molluscs+Crurithyris+Neochonetes, and B) other brachiopod taxa in R-mode ordinations support the primary role of brachiopods and molluscs in structuring benthic communities. However, these results are provisional, as the yet unstudied small size fraction (<2.8 mm) includes abundant fragments of the non-brachiopod and mollusc fauna.
See more from this Division: Topical Sessions
See more from this Session: Field and Quantitative Paleontology, Micropaleontology, and Taxonomy: A Memorial to Roger L. Kaesler