The proposed work would investigate the underexplored record of early animals from the canadian cordillera by completing three main objectives. The first two objectives included searches for, and…

This is a $741,131 grant awarded by the Shared Services Center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to Florida State University (FSU) for a research project investigating the early record of animal life in the Canadian Cordillera region. The proposed work has three main objectives: 1) searching for and documenting paleontological, sedimentological, and stratigraphic information in multiple field sites, 2) integrating these local studies into a regional framework to evaluate factors controlling the distribution of Ediacaran fossils, and 3) placing the findings in a global context to provide new insights on the evolution, diversification, and demise of the first animal communities on Earth. This grant does not have a set-aside designation. FSU, a non-profit educational institution, will be the prime contractor conducting this research project, which is expected to be completed by December 31, 2027.

The proposed work would investigate the underexplored record of early animals from the canadian cordillera by completing three main objectives. The first two objectives included searches for, and documentation of, paleontological, sedimentological and stratigraphic information preserved within three shelf-to-slope transects at multiple field sites. These local studies would then be integrated into a regional stratigraphic and geochronological framework from which the proponents could evaluate potential factors controlling the distribution of ediacaran fossils by testing the hypothesis that varying faunal composition is entirely the result of evolutionary change with time. A third objective would aim to place these proposed findings within a global context, intended to provide new constraints on the timing and environmental setting of the evolution, diversification, and subsequent demise of the first animal communities on earth.