Paläoökologische Rekonstruktion von Wirbeltieren: Möglichkeiten und Grenzen

摘要

The constraints on paleoecological analyses of fossil vertebrates are discussed using the example of Permo-Carboniferous amphibians. Paleoecological interpretations based on the study of the vertebrates as well as the fossil-bearing de-posit are generally inexact and possibly even inaccurate. Thus as many aspects as possible must be examined — the animal with all of its anatomical components and the fossil-bearing deposit with all available Information concerning sedimentology and taphonomy. Comparisons based on constructional morphology permit ecomorphological characterization of a fossil organism, with an optional band width for different ecological parameters. Individual parameters can be further re-fined through a search for evidence regarding the actual ecological band width, specifically in terms of diet and habitat. Reliable, broadly based paleoecological analyses can only be done for fossil occurrences that preserve many, more or less articulated specimens of vertebrates, and, even in those in-stances, only for more or less aquatic forms. This is particularly applicable for higher-level studies at the level of “population” or ecosystem. The study of temporally much averaged “populations” can provide data concerning age distribution for and growth-related ecological changes in a particular species. Studies of an ecosystem aim to reconstruct the structure and functions of that System through a reconstruction of the food web. On this basis, evaluation of the ecological role of the species in the context of paleocommunities is possible.