PI and associate will search for fossil echinoderms in targeted Upper Cambrian strata. Late Cambrian time is critical in echinoderm evolution because it marked the transition between the archaic Cambrian fauna and the newly appearing "Paleozoic" fauna. Results from this work with be used to reconstruct phylogeny and evolutionary history of the echinoderms, determine their paleoecologic settings, and test for possible environmental controls on their history.
