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Hierarchical Genetic Stratigraphy and Marine Paleoecology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 July 2017

Harold B. Rollins
Affiliation:
Department of Geology and Planetary Science, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Ronald R. West
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506
Richard M. Busch
Affiliation:
Department of Geology and Astronomy, West Chester University, West Chester, PA 19383
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Extract

Stratigraphy provides a basic temporal and spatial framework for all studies of earth history. The foundations of stratigraphy were built in the 17th and 18th centuries through the efforts of Steno and Smith. Formalization of the principles of organic evolution followed closely in the mid-19th century with the publication of the Origin of Species. Although paleoecological observations span centuries, the establishment of paleoecology as a scientific discipline is a 20th century phenomenon. Initially, paleontology (paleobiology) was an integral part of stratigraphy and housed the subdisciplinary studies of evolution and paleoecology. Retention of a stratigraphic framework soon became difficult, perhaps due to the potential for circular reasoning in the evolutionary study of fossils. If the rock record was subdivided on the basis of fossils, how could the evolutionary relationships of these organisms be evaluated when they, or related forms, had been used to construct the temporal framework?

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Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © 1990 Paleontological Society 

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