Metacommunity analyses show an increase in ecological specialisation throughout the Ediacaran period
Fig 4
Reconstructions of the Avalon, White Sea, and Nama metacommunities.
(A) A reconstruction of the Avalon assemblage showing the proposed stages of a community succession with the actual composition of several surfaces in boxes above. (a) Pectinifrons; (b) Beothukis; (c) Fractofusus; (d) Bradgatia; (e) Primocandelabrum; (f) Charnia; (g) Charniodiscus; (h) Culmofrons; (i) Trepassia. (B) A reconstruction of the White Sea assemblage showing some endemism of taxa to the Russian or Australian sites. (a) Charniodiscus; (b) Inaria; (c) Rangea; (d) Funisia; (e) Charnia; (f) Pteridinium; (g) Dickinsonia; (h) Rangea; (i) Tribrachidium; (j) Palaeopaschinus; (k) Coronacollina; (l) Albumares; (m) Kimberella; (n) Spriggina; (o) Parvancorina; (p) Rugoconites; (q) Eoandromeda; (r) Cyanorus; (s) Onega; (t) Armillifera; (u) Andiva; (v) Yorgia; (w) Temnoxa. (C) A reconstruction of the Nama assemblage showing the palaeoenvironmental separation of biomineralising and soft-bodied taxa across a depth profile. (a) Cloudina; (b) Namacalthus; (c) Ernietta; (d) Swartpuntia; (e) Nimbia; (f) Pteridinium; (g) Rangea. Taxa and environmental separation are not to scale. LMP, Lower Mistaken Point surface.