A geochemical, taxonomic, and phylogenetic investigation of Paleozoic arthropods : case studies on the Cambrian spice event and the Silurian Waukesha Lagerstatte
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This thesis details two stand-alone projects: Chapters 1 and 2 comprise a quantitative investigation of controls on the [delta]13C record of the Steptoean Positive Carbon Isotope Excursion (SPICE); Chapter 3 describes a taxonomic and phylogenetic assessment of a previously unnamed arthropod from the Silurian Waukesha Lagerstatte. Despite the disparate nature of these projects, they are united by an underpinning theme of Paleozoic arthropods. The SPICE event is a prominent, global disturbance in the [delta]13C record of the Cambrian that is temporally linked to trilobite biomere turnover at the Marjuman--Steptoean and equivalent Guzhangian--Paibian stage boundaries. The SPICE has been used as a tool for global chemostratigraphic correlation despite the fact that individual [delta]13C records display marked variability. To quantitatively evaluate its utility as a chemostratigraphic marker, we constructed the Steptoean Positive Carbon Isotope Excursion repository for quantitative analysis (the SPICEraq) containing [delta]13C values and associated metadata from known records of the SPICE. Results from Wilcoxon Rank Sum and x2 tests indicate that regional/local conditions do have a statistically significant impact on the expression of the SPICE, with paleolatitude and approximate water depth bearing the most appreciable impact. Furthermore, this investigation confirms that the SPICE event is immediately preceded by a short-lived negative [delta]13C excursion which potentially has bearing on the associated trilobite extinction event.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License. Copyright held by author.