Symposia

Talks and posters on any aspect of conodont related research are welcome, but in addition to open sessions the following thematic symposia are offered.

Pander's legacy, 150 years on

2006 marks the Sesquicentennial of Pander's monograph in which conodonts were described for the first time. This symposium will consider Pander and his scientific contribution, including his work on conodonts, other fossil vertebrates, and developmental biology.

Conodont phylogenies - alternative approaches, implications, and applications

Hypotheses of conodont phylogeny underpin many areas of conodont research, including taxonomy, biostratigraphic zonation, evolutionary palaeobiology, and analysis of the quality of the fossil record. This session will explore alternative approaches to reconstructing conodont phylogeny, their assumptions, implications and applications.

Conodonts, Palaeobiogeography and Palaeoceanography

Convened by Dick Aldridge. This session will cover all aspects of global influences on conodont distribution and the uses of conodonts in the investigation of palaeocontinental configurations, eustatic sea-level changes, climate models and the ocean/atmosphere system. Topics will include conodont biogeography, conodont geochemistry and the relationship between conodont distribution and sequence stratigraphy. Investigations of major patterns of extinction, radiation and faunal turnover will also be relevant.

Triassic Conodonts: Taxonomy and Time Scales

Convened by Mike Orchard. Conodonts play a primary role in Triassic biochronology and yet the taxonomic framework in which they are applied remains largely based on form taxonomic concepts. This symposium explores both the variability of taxonomic approaches currently in use in the study of Triassic conodonts, including their Permian forebears, and their application in biostratigraphy and time scales. Co-sponsored by IGCP 467, "Triassic Time and trans-Panthalassan correlations"

Constraining Conodont Palaeoecology

The classic work on conodont ecology, focussing primarily on patterns of distribution and pelagic versus benthic life habits, was largely conducted before we knew anything about the biology of conodonts. Is it time to reassess and constrain models of conodont ecology based on what we now know of their anatomy and physiology, and the nature of their fossil record?

'Coniform' conodont apparatuses and architecture - whence and whither?

The last two decades have seen a major leap forwards in the interpretation of more derived conodonts, with the elucidation of apparatus architectures using natural assemblages and the use of these architectural models as templates for apparatus reconstruction in taxa unrepresented by natural assemblages. In contrast, primitive conodonts with apparatuses composed of coniform elements are poorly represented by natural assemblages and it is clear that the record is replete with partial reconstructions, and limitations created by the unknown extent of morphologically similar elements within the apparatuses of individual conodonts. Even simple questions regarding the apparatuses of these taxa have uncertain answers. How many elements were there in conodonts with apparatuses of this type? How similar was the architecture to that of primitive prioniodontid conodonts? How much variation in architecture is there within primitive conodonts? Can consistent architectural models be developed with the available assemblage data? If so, can these be used to guide apparatus reconstruction in taxa represented only by collections of isolated elements? If the phylogeny of primitive conodonts, and other aspects of their palaeobiology, are to be investigated in a secure, reproducible and testable manner, then better constrained apparatus models are essential.

Devonian Conodont Biostratigraphy

Convened by Pierre Bultynck. The Devonian standard conodont zonation, mostly based on successions in deeper-water deposits, is widely used among conodont workers. However, some zones are not always easily accepted. This symposium will focus on the following topics:

• Constraints on the Devonian standard conodont zonation
• Alternative zonations in deeper-water facies
• Alternative zonations / faunas in shallower-water facies
• Graphic correlation