Relationships between the marine environment, predation intensity, and bivalve community diversity from the late Cenozoic Tamiami, Chipola, Jackson Bluff, and Bermont formations of Florida, U.S.A.
Thompson, D.C. (2022). Relationships between the marine environment, predation intensity, and bivalve community diversity from the late Cenozoic Tamiami, Chipola, Jackson Bluff, and Bermont formations of Florida, U.S.A. MSc Thesis. Kent State University: Kent. 64 pp.
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Document type: Dissertation
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| Abstract |
This study evaluated the trends in both predation and biodiversity of bivalves during the dynamic late Cenozoic record within the Chipola, Tamiami, Jackson Bluff, and Bermont formations in northwest and central Florida. Shifts in predation rates and bivalve diversity were evaluated over short timescales within the Bermont Formation and over longer timescales in the Chipola, Tamiami, and Jackson Bluff formations. Shifts in diversity and predation on very short timescales were reflected in bivalve assemblages within different beds of the Bermont Formation. Long and short term changes in bivalve faunal composition and predation rates were evaluated in the context of climate change and sedimentary environment. The relationships between predation and diversity shifts within the Bermont Formation are reflected in diversity, abundance, and rate of boring. There were measurable differences in faunal abundances, greater diversity, and changes correlated with climatic shifts as well as overall variations in predation intensities. The Tamiami Formation preserved lower overall abundances, higher levels of diversity, and low predation within each bivalve species. However, the lower Bermont Formation exhibited higher abundances, lower overall diversity, but moderate predation on bivalve species. The Jackson Bluff Formation expressed high abundances, low diversity, and high levels of predation. The Chipola Formation contained high abundances, moderate diversity, but very low predation. |
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