quantitative analysis of drilling predation patterns in

QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF DRILLING PREDATION PATTERNS IN THE FOSSIL RECORD: ECOLOGICAL AND EVOLUTIONARY IMPLICATIONS by ALAN P. HOFFMEISTER Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Michal Kowalewski (chair) Richard K. Bambach Patricia H. Kelley J. Fred Read Stephen E. Scheckler

March 13, 2002 Blacksburg, Virginia Keywords: Drilling Predation, Paleozoic, Cenozoic, Brachiopods, Mollusks Copyright 2002, Alan P. Hoffmeister

QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF DRILLING PREDATION PATTERNS IN THE FOSSIL RECORD: ECOLOGICAL AND EVOLUTIONARY IMPLICATIONS by ALAN P. HOFFMEISTER Michal Kowalewski, Chair Department of Geological Sciences, Virginia Tech ABSTRACT Drilling predation presents a rare opportunity to quantify ecological and evolutionary interactions in the fossil record. To date, most of this research has been done on Late Mesozoic and Cenozoic deposits, and large-scale studies have focused on temporal rather than spatial patterns. However, drilling predation occurs throughout the entire Phanerozoic, and patterns in spatial variability may mask secular trends. These issues are addressed in a series of projects presented here. An extensive survey of museum specimens and bulk materials indicate that drilling predation in Late Paleozoic brachiopod prey is relatively rare (