Bryozoan carbonates through time and space

Abstract

Research Article| May 01, 1998 Bryozoan carbonates through time and space Paul D. Taylor; Paul D. Taylor 1Department of Palaeontology, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Peter A. Allison Peter A. Allison 1Department of Palaeontology, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom2Department of Geology, Imperial College, London SW7 2BP Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Paul D. Taylor 1Department of Palaeontology, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom Peter A. Allison 1Department of Palaeontology, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom2Department of Geology, Imperial College, London SW7 2BP Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1998) 26 (5): 459–462. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1998)026<0459:BCTTAS>2.3.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Paul D. Taylor, Peter A. Allison; Bryozoan carbonates through time and space. Geology 1998;; 26 (5): 459–462. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1998)026<0459:BCTTAS>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract The calcareous skeletons of modern bryozoans are major contributors to sediments only outside the tropics, and many temperate limestones are dominated by bryozoans, often in conjunction with mollusks in the so-called "bryomol" grain association. Can the presence of rock-forming abundances of bryozoans be used to recognize nontropical sediments in the geologic past? We have addressed this question by assembling a database of 176 Ordovician-Pleistocene bryozoan-rich deposits and plotting them on paleogeographical maps to obtain their latitudes of formation. The results reveal a striking difference between post-Paleozoic and Paleozoic latitudinal distributions. Whereas the great majority (94%) of post-Paleozoic bryozoan-rich deposits formed outside the tropics, Paleozoic bryozoan-rich deposits have a more variable latitudinal distribution, most (68%) having formed within the tropics. The presence of rock-forming abundances of bryozoans in Paleozoic sediments should not, therefore, be used to infer nontropical carbonate deposition. The change in latitudinal distribution between the Paleozoic and post-Paleozoic corresponds with a major taxonomic turnover in bryozoan faunas. Biotic interactions, especially with predators, may have led to the exclusion of sediment-producing bryozoans from the post-Paleozoic tropics. These evolutionary changes have had a more profound effect on carbonate platforms than has been previously appreciated. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.