Research interests

South Africa

All photos copyright of Baptiste Coutret except where noted.

Ediacaran microbialite reefs

Microbialites dominated shallow marine ecosystems throughout much of the Precambrian and remained widespread during the Late Ediacaran. The Byng Formation in the Canadian Rockies preserves exquisite stromatolites, together with early skeletal fossils such as Cloudina and Namacalathus. These deposits provide a key record for investigating interactions between microbial ecosystems, seawater chemistry, and the earliest biomineralized animals.

The role of microbial mats in animal life

Animals such as burrowing or sessile invertebrates have been observed living in microbial mats and microbialites, often in oxygen-depleted environments such as hypersaline lagoons, anoxic lakes, or microbialite pools. The association between these animals and microbial mats highlights their ability to flourish under challenging conditions and emphasizes the importance of these mats as ecological niches for diverse organisms. Notably, these animals can survive by living within the mat and microbialite communities.

The trace fossil
record

The evolution of the earliest animals and a comprehensive of the environmental and ecological drivers that led to their success are still shrouded by a dearth of fossil evidence and a limited number of fossil sites. Trace fossils from the Ediacaran–Cambrian period are critical for understanding early animal evolution and diversification. These fossils, including burrows and trails, record the colonization of sediments by early animals. By analyzing their morphology and distribution in sedimentary rocks, we aim to reconstruct the behaviors of ancient animals and better understand how they adapted to their environments.

Trace fossils preserved on top of the bedding planes from Le Rozel Formation