PhD: Eco-evolutionary dynamics of early animals

This project will use theoretical models of Ediacaran communities to investigate taxa life-history traits and use these traits to develop dynamic models of Ediacaran eco-evolutionary dynamics to investigate how difference processes influence Ediacaran evolution. In contrast to modern marine systems, the oldest Ediacaran benthic organisms do not interact much with each other, i.e. resource competition, facilitation and mutualisms are relatively limited. Instead, reproductive dynamics appears key to Ediacaran life. Mechanistic models can be used to investigate these different processes, with the outputs compared to the available data to determine which models best reflect observed diversity patterns, and so which processes are key.