Glenn Brock

Biography

Professor at Macquarie University

Research Interest

My research activities focus on elucidating the evolution, phylogeny, biodiversity, ecology and biostratigraphy of the earliest (stem group) members of the three major supergroups of bilaterian animals (Ecdysozoa, Spiralia and Deuterostomia) that arose during the Cambrian Explosion. My work focuses on studying exceptionally preserved macro- and microfossils from a variety of localities in Australasia. I am particularly interested in the phylogenetic, ecological and biostratigraphic significance of early Cambrian "Small Shelly Fossils" (SSF). SSF is a descriptive term for a diverse collection of small (1-2 mm) conical, cap and spine shaped skeletal fossils that characterise the earliest part of the Cambrian Radiation bioevent. It is generally acknowledged that this informal group contains the remains of widely different and quite distantly related organisms that have little in common except their size and age. Yet it is likely that SSF are key to understanding the ecological and phylogenetic relationships of the earliest bilaterian animals. I am currently part of a research team excavating, investigating and conserving the globally important lower Cambrian Emu Bay Shale deposit containing fossils of exceptional preservation, evolutionary significance and vital natural heritage. I also have major research/teaching interests in extant and fossil tropical marine benthic ecosystems, especially the use of single celled Foraminifera as proxies for charting fluctuations in ecological and environmental systems through time. I have widespread experience with a number of extant and fossil invertebrate groups.