Species Diversity, Distribution, and Abundance in the Liberty Formation

This topic submitted by Andy Kuss, Hadley Eblen, Eric Shultz ( haysc@muohio.edu) at 11:58 AM on 12/11/02.

A view of the Mt. Kilimanjaro volcano Ice core from the Ohio State Byrd Polar Research Center. Quicktime Movie! (~19mb)

Earth Systems Syllabus -Western Program-Miami University




Species Diversity,  Distribution,  and Abundance  in the Liberty Formation Brookville, Indiana

Andy Kuss, Hadley Eblen, Eric Shultz


The purpose of this study is to look at the distribution of various marine organisms through space and time in fossiliferous limestone beds of the upper Ordivician to better understand the environment in which these organisms were deposited. The rocks of the Ordivician were deposited in a topical sea environment. There is much evidence that supports the idea that shoreline fluctuation affects the distribution of marine organisms. The main process that effects distibution of species is wave base/seafloor interaction. Areas where wavebase is interacting with the seafloor areareas where water is churning up sediment on the ocean floor and thus making survival a little more difficult for certain organisms. In keeping with the readings in this class, this study looks at environmental, climatic, and geologic change and tries to link these concepts to a change in species diversity, and abundance. We used a 9 x 9 meter square grid and took samples at 3 meter intervals laterally (through space in a given bed) and vertical (through time, going into younger rocks as we go up). We analyzed these samples to determine how many different fossils were in each sample. With the numbers we arrived at we created a master species list for all the samples and compared them. Our findings showed that within our grid there was not a significant amount of change in depositional environments , and thus, we found a rather narrow range of species.



Results


For Further Info on this Topic, Check out this WWW Site: http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/ordovician/ordivician.html . Next Article
Previous Article
Return to the Topic Menu

Here is a list of responses that have been posted to this Study...

Important: Press the Browser Reload button to view the latest contribution.

If you would like to post a response to this topic, fill out this form completely...

IMPORTANT: For each Response, make sure the title of the response is different than previous titles shown above!

Response Title:
Author(s):

E-Mail:
Optional: For Further Info on this Topic, Check out this WWW Site:
Response Text:


Article complete. Click HERE to return to the Evolution and Earth Systems Menu. Or, return to the Earth Systems course syllabus.

DOWNLOAD the Paper Posting HTML Formating HELP SHEET!

We also have a GUIDE for depositing articles, images, data, etc in your research folders.

Visit the rest of the site!

Site NAVIGATION--Table of Contents

Listen to a "Voice Navigation" Intro! (Quicktime or MP3)

Google
Search WWW WITHIN-SITE Keyword Search!!

WEATHER & EARTH SCIENCE RESOURCES

TROPICAL ECOSYSTEM FIELD COURSES

Hays' Marine Ecology Images and Movies Ohio Bird Photo Collection | Tropical Bird Collection | Costa Rica Image Collection | Edge of the Farm Conservation Area | Hays' Tarantula Page | Local Watershed Fish Studies| Wildflowers, Arthropods, ETC in SW Ohio | Earth Science Resources | Astronomy Links | Global Change | Marine Ecology "Creature Study Guide" |

OTHER ACADEMIC COURSES, STUDENT RESEARCH, OTHER STUFF

| Educational Philosophy | Discovery Labs: Moon, Geologic Time, Sun, Taxonomy, Frisbee | Project Dragonfly | Vita |Field Course Postings | Student Research Postings | Nature/Science Autobiography | Environmental Programs at Miami University

TEACHING TOOLS & OTHER STUFF

Daily Necessities: Macintosh Resources |Search Engines | Library Resources|Server Stats| Family Album | View My Schedule | View Guestbook | Western College "Multimedia Potpourri"