How do we observe behavioural interactions in palaeoecosystems? This has been a difficult question for palaeontologists to answer since such data is rare in the fossil record. Recent renewed interest in coprolites, fossil faeces, by many scientists, including myself, has highlighted that they directly preserve information on trophic interactions and feeding behaviour that is otherwise lost.
A fundamental component of my interest stems from being able to gain a deeper understanding of how palaeoecosystems recovered from mass death events. I believe that this is essential for accurately predicting how modern ecosystems will recover from a drop in biodiversity and how it will affect humans. My research, therefore, focuses on using coprolites from an understudied Early Triassic microfossil site in South Africa to further our knowledge of the microfossils that survived the Permo-Triassic extinction event, their feeding behaviours and how these ecosystems were structured.
My name is Chandelé Montgomery, I am a micropaleontologist, palaeoecologist and data analyst at GENUS who is passionate about nature and the beauty it holds. Specifically, I am passionate about sharing this love and wonder with the public in the hopes that we can help preserve our natural spaces and the creatures that inhabit them.