16 Paleontology of North America

Added from Discipline submissions.

Monday, 9 March 2026
1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
RCC, 106

Selecting Functional Traits for Functional Diversity Analysis: A Case study using shallow marine ecosystems from the Late Ordovician and the Mesozoic

Paper number: 16-4
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 2:30 PM – 2:45 PM

Authors

Abstract

The use of functional traits has become widespread in ecology and paleoecology, providing valuable insights into the underlying mechanisms affecting variation in species distributions and community assembly. However, there is no consistent approach to trait selection, nor guidelines specific to paleoecology, particularly for marine invertebrates. This makes it challenging to apply functional approaches to fossil data and hampers the ability of researchers to make meaningful functional comparisons across the vastness of evolutionary time. Here, we employ a case study wherein we vary both temporal and spatial resolution to test whether the number of traits or trait resolution (the level of trait detail), has an effect on quantitative measures of functional diversity using fossil data. We used  paleocommunity datasets assembled from shallow constrained marine basins: the Late Ordovician Richmondian Invasion (Cincinnati Arch), spans approximately seven million years, and the Mesozoic Marine Revolution, including five stages in the western Tethys. The number of traits and the trait resolution affected both the magnitude of functional diversity measures and trends detected. Three widely used traits (feeding, motility, and tiering) applied on a macroevolutionary timescale to the Late Ordovician data, were insufficient to capture nuanced changes in functional diversity, including the number of functions, functional redundancy, and over-redundancy. The situation was improved when the traits were applied more narrowly to the Richmondian Invasion. Similar results were found when using the Mesozoic data set which covers a much larger temporal and spatial scale. That is, more traits with higher resolution proved more effective at capturing nuanced changes over smaller temporal and spatial scales. However, three traits may be sufficient when examining very broad temporal patterns, such as the difference between Paleozoic to Mesozoic faunas. Therefore, we emphasize that both trait selection and trait resolution require careful consideration when designing studies of functional diversity in the fossil record, and we recommend that studies with high spatial and temporal resolution employ additional traits and higher trait resolution (particularly continuous variables). This emphasizes the importance of developing a community standard for functional diversity trait analyses in paleontology, particularly  given the potential for the use of traits and functional diversity in conservation paleobiology.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 1

doi: 10.1130/abs/2026SE-411787

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