The influence of collection method on paleoecological datasets: In-place versus surface-collected fossil samples in the Pennsylvanian Finis Shale, Texas, USA.

There are multiple common methods for collecting fossil material in the field for paleoecological analyses, so it is important to determine if and how different methods may affect the similarities and differences among taxonomic samples. Here, we evaluate the influence of two fossil collection field methods (stratigraphically in-place bulk-sediment versus picking up weathered-out fossils from the ground surface) on paleoecological results, using the Pennsylvanian marine invertebrate assemblages of the Finis Shale in Texas. Based on an informal review of recent paleoecology papers, we observed that the lithology of the study material and the nature of the research question correspond to choice of field collection protocols; however, collection protocols are not always clearly explained or justified in the text of the papers.

Reexamining Sample Size Requirements for Multivariate, Abundance-Based Community Research: When Resources are Limited, the Research Does Not Have to Be.

Community ecologists commonly perform multivariate techniques (e.g., ordination, cluster analysis) to assess patterns and gradients of taxonomic variation.