Such clusters are widely reported in the literature, but may be frequently misinterpreted as reflecting true evolutionary or ecological changes. We are using these models to test several biostratigraphic methods of correlation. We hope to determine which methods are most likely to produce accurate correlations despite problems of incompleteness of the fossil record and facies control of species. We also hope to determine if there are typical sequence-stratigraphic positions that promote success of these methods or cause them to fail. From this, we would be able to better reconcile biostratigraphic and sequence stratigraphic correlations that are at odds with one another.
Biotic invasions are major episodes of immigration of exotic species.
A central question regarding invasions is what their long-term biotic effects are. Mark and I will be addressing this by examining changes in diversity during the Late Ordovician Richmondian invasion of the eastern United States. We will use a sequence stratigraphic framework to design our sampling strategy in terms of correlatable packages of rock and a consistent set of paleoenvironmental divisions. I'm also working on high-resolution correlation techniques using a combination of paleoecology and sequence stratigraphy. This work is in collaboration with Arnie Miller and Dave Meyer of the University of Cincinnati, and Ben Dattilo of Weber State University.