Recognition and interpretation of predatory traces in echinoid skeletons: towards the evolution of predator-prey systems in ecologically important echinoid taxa

• Applicant: Dr. Tobias Grun
• Subject Area: Evolution, Anthropology ; Palaeontology ; Oceanography
• Term: from 2019 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 423142648

Echinoids are an important ecological component of marine benthic ecosystems. In particular, the irregular echinoid taxa of clypeasteroids and spatangoids play a significant role in many shallow-water habitats. These abundant deposit feeders act as ecosystem engineers by recycling and ventilating the upper sediment layers and thus creating an oxygenated sediments for infaunal organisms. In addition, clypeasteroids and spatangoids are both ecologically important by representing a major food source for diverse vertebrates and invertebrates. However, despite the high preservation potential of echinoid remains and the ecological importance of clypeasteroids and spatangoids in soft-bottom environments, their predator-prey relationships remain underexplored. The limited understanding of echinoid-predator interactions hampers our ability to fully assess their ecological relevance in modern ecosystems and evaluate the importance of biotic interactions through their evolutionary history.The proposed project aims to investigate echinoid communities from shallow-water habitats in tropical and subtropical settings focusing on (1) predator and prey spectra, (2) predator-associated traces, and (3) modeling of predator populations based on traces they leave in the echinoid remains. An integral part of the project is thus the identification, recognition and cataloging of predator-echinoid interactions and associated traces. The gained findings will improve our ability to interpret the ecological role of echinoids and enable us to investigate more reliably the evolutionary and macroecological aspects of biotic interactions through the geological history of these echinoids. Moreover, because many echinoid predators are cryptic or rarely preserve as fossils, recorded traces produced by echinoid predators may allow us to detect their presence in ancient and present-day ecosystems. This basic research will provide a methodological foundation for independent, echinoid-based tests of two major conceptual hypotheses, “Escalation Hypothesis” and “Mesozoic Marine Revolution Hypothesis”, originally developed and tested using mollusks.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: USA
• Host: Professor Dr. Michal Kowalewski