The abundance of reefs and
the biota that they include vary through geologic time, punctuated by periods
of rapid change. To understand the dynamics of such change, Matysik et al.
document the structure, dimensions, and spatial patterns of microbial-dominated
patch reefs in mixed carbonate-siliciclastic environments on the northern
margin of Gondwana during the Early Devonian “crisis” in metazoan reef
development. Despite different composition, these reefs show close similarities
in shape and spatial arrangement with present-day coral patch reefs, suggesting
comparable controls. Additionally, the strata show a close relation between
metazoans and microbialites in reefs and reef-associated strata, illustrating
that microbialites can compete successfully, even in the presence of metazoans,
given elevated nutrient supply and elevated temperatures.
Composition and morphology of Early Devonian microbial and metazoan patch reefs: Qasr Member of the Jauf Formation, northwestern Saudi Arabia by Michał Matysik, Khalid Al-Ramadan, and
Robert Riding
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