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This interdisciplinary forum will reexamine the role of stromatolites in Phanerozoic ecosystems, particularly the importance of post-Cryptozoic microbial communities; the biotic and abiotic agents that contributed to their development, decline, and preservation; and their co-evolutionary history with metazoans. Invited speakers and panelists will explore if stromatolites functioned primarily as "disaster" taxa following times of global ecologic crisis or as “survivor” species, which reflect community recovery and evolution after the Cambrian explosion rather than a resurgence of Precambrian-like “anachronistic facies.” Stromatolites represent the world’s oldest ecosystems. Understanding the implications of their evolutionary longevity will reveal important clues about global change on Earth.
Image Caption:
Microbial domes half buried by ooid sand in a tidal channel: 10 m. water depth, Lee Stocking Island, Exumas, Bahamas.
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