Our group engages in a wide array of research projects that span the earth sciences. We use a combination of field work, laboratory methods, microscopy and imaging to accomplish our research goals. Below is a list of current and former research projects and related papers.
Morphometric analysis of fossil foraminifera
We are interested in documenting how fossil foraminifera change the shape and size of their calcareous tests (shells) in response to environmental change. We are most curious about how foram morphometrics change in response to changing oxygenation and trophic conditions in the marine realm.
Spatial analysis of fossil foram assemblages
To leverage the vast fossil record of benthic forams, we are interested in amalgamating existing records of benthic foram occurrences and abundances via multivariate methods. We can then compare environmental change between localities on a common scale and elucidate regional ecological trends over broad temporal and spatial ranges.
Relevant papers: Bryant and Belanger, 2023 in Paleobiology; Bryant et al., 2023 in Cretaceous Research
Integrated microfossil and geochemical records
To understand sensitive earth system interactions over geologic time, we aim to create integrative microfossil and geochemical records to reconstruct paleoenvironments. Specifically, our group focuses on generating records that aid in constraining the timing of global events and reconstructing the oxygen and trophic conditions of ancient, marine environments.
Relevant papers: Bryant et al., 2021 in Palaeo3
