Marine ecosystem change in southwest UK during the Late Devonian mass extinction

Project overview

The Devonian-Carboniferous transition was a time of substantial climatic, environmental and biotic change, with the Late Devonian being recognised as one of the ‘Big 5’ mass extinction intervals of the Phanerozoic.

Marine ecosystems of the time were affected by two major crises, known as the Kellwasser and Hangenberg events, which occurred within the Late Devonian and at the end of the Devonian period respectively. Although much is known about global changes in climate and environment and responses of individual marine groups, such as fish, cephalopods and trilobites, there are few local or regional studies of whole-ecosystem response and resilience to these events, including ecological interactions between different components of the biota and the influence of environment and climate on those communities.  

This project aims to study palaeoecological change in marine ecosystems through the Devonian-Carboniferous transition in southwest UK.

The stratigraphic framework of the region is well known but despite more than 200 years of study, fossil assemblages of that age are still relatively poorly understood. Largely this is due to a long-held misconception that fossils are absent or poorly preserved in those rocks.

Recent discoveries of abundant, diverse and well-preserved marine fossils, including fish and invertebrates, from Devonian-Carboniferous rocks that were previously thought to be barren, demonstrate that rather than being absent, the fossils have simply been overlooked. Moreover, abundant conodonts present in these assemblages enable the successions to be accurately dated. 

Through targeted fieldwork in southwest UK and analysis of museum specimens, the successful student will collect quantitative palaeoecological data from fossil marine assemblages, including species abundance, diversity, morphometric and functional trait data, along with sedimentological, geochemical and other palaeoenvironmental proxy data.

Quantitative analyses of these assemblages will be further augmented by the application of modern imaging techniques, including CT scanning.

Given the pioneering nature of the project, there are genuine opportunities to make new fossil discoveries. The data will be used to test hypotheses of marine ecosystem response to environmental change, and to test whether Late Devonian marine ecosystems of the southwest UK responded in similar ways to those of other regions and other mass extinction intervals. 

Application Process

Applications need to be submitted here.

Candidates are required to submit a CV and cover letter to apply (each 2 pages max). In your CV, we ask that you do not include information such as age and gender. If you are successful in the next stage, your CV will also need to be submitted with your name extracted or replaced with initials/unique identifier number.

In your cover letter, you should highlight your reasons for applying to this project and highlight any of your specialist skills which make you a suitable candidate. When asked for references (required later in the process and as directed by the supervisor and their department), please ask your referee to use initials instead of your name and ensure the language is gender-neutral.

Visit the Imperial website for some top tips on your application PhD-Application---top-tips-2023.pdf.

Visit the SSCP website for more information about eligibility: Studentship opportunities | Grantham Institute – Climate Change and the Environment | Imperial College London

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