Professor, Department of Earth Sciences , St. Francis Xavier University.
This image shows two specimens of graptolites, fossils of a group of extinct invertebrate organisms. The branching spiral form is Cyrtograptus sakmaricus and the straight form is Pristiograptus nudus. The straight specimen is 4 cm long. These specimens were collected from Bathurst Island in Arctic Canada and they are Silurian in age, approximately 430 million years old.
My research interests are primarily in the areas of Invertebrate Paleontology and Stratigraphy. In particular, my focus is the study of graptolites and their associated carbonate/shale sequences. I am interested in all aspects of graptolites including their biostratigraphy, paleobiology, evolution and systematics.
I received my B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees at
University of Waterloo and my Ph.D. at University of Western Ontario. In
addition to my faculty position at
Global Analysis of Graptolite
Biodiversity Dynamics and Paleonenvironmental Changes
Through the Late Ordovician Mass Extinction Event and
Early Silurian Cycles of Recovery and Extinction. I am working with
colleagues in
Morphometric, phylogenetic
and paleobiological study of uncompressed graptolites
from the
Graptolite Taphonomy and Population Structure. Layer-by-layer dissolution of graptolite-bearing concretions permits observation of undistorted orientation of graptolite specimens in situ in the sediments through a succession of strata. Numbers, orientation and composition of the graptolites from each layer can be related to lithology of the laminae. The diversity, abundances and sedimentological properties of each layer can then be related to the paleoecological and taphonomic processes that acted on graptolites. Distinct graptolite taphofacies should be recognisable that can be related to these processes. In addition, the graptolite specimens isolated by layer-by-layer dissolution can be studied and compared for short-term changes in individual species or assemblage composition.
Treatise of Invertebrate Paleontology. I am currently working as one of the co-ordinating authors on the 3rd edition of the graptolite volume of the Treatise of Invertebrate Paleontology. In addition to summarizing the previous work done related to the systematics, phylogeny, paleobiology and biostratigraphy of graptolites and related taxa, this work is requiring considerable new research, especially into their phylogeny and systematics.
A useful jumping point into the paleontological resources on Internet is The Paleonet Pages
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