PhD: Terrestrialization Tipping Points: A Statistical and Sedimentary Geological Analyses of Trace Fossils, Ichnofabrics and Lithological Materials of the Devonian Critical Zone

The Devonian is a key interval of terrestrialization and sedimentary rocks of this age are well represented in the region of NW Europe, rendering it a perfect natural laboratory to assess animal impacts in different environments. Three sites act as case studies (North Devon Basin, England; Orcadian Basin, Scotland; Hornelen Basin, Norway) where underexplored records of trace fossils (burrows, trackways, etc) occur in strata deposited in shallow marine, lacustrine, floodplain soil, and alluvial environments. Detailed documentation of the size, diversity and disparity of traces, anchored in a robust sedimentary geological framework and subjected to statistical analyses, will shed light on the Devonian critical zone and identify the role of pioneer animals as ecosystem engineers impacting geomorphology and weathering processes on scales from the local to global.