Environmental Engineering Reference
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integrated with physical sedimentological characteristics, allow the specific
paleoenvironment to be identified.
The ichnofacies paradigm's strength lies in the environmental validity of its
behavioral and trophic groupings. Assigning a trace-fossil suite to a particular
ichnofacies does not lead to identification of a particular depositional environ-
ment. Rather, the paradigm specifies the depositional parameters necessary to
produce such suites. Whether a worker employs trace-fossil suites integrated
with lithofacies analysis and genetic stratigraphic frameworks, or ichnofabric
analysis, the ultimate paleoenvironmental interpretation of the ichnological
data requires an understanding of animal/sediment interactions as constrained
by the environment. The ability to understand and therefore apply ichnology in
sedimentology and stratigraphy is contingent upon the unifying paradigm of the
Seilacherian ichnofacies.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors would like to thank the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of
Canada (NSERC) for research funding; Discovery Grant 184293 to J. A. M., Discovery Grant
238530 to M. K. G., Discovery Grant (PRG) 341789 to S. E. D., Discovery Grant 371662 to
J.-P. Z., and Operating Grant A0816 to S. G. P. Pemberton would like to thank the Canada
Research Chairs program for their support of his research. This chapter benefited greatly from
the excellent review of Luis Buatois and insights provided by Dirk Knaust and Richard Brom-
ley. Gabriela M
´
ngano and Luis Buatois kindly responded to our numerous questions during
the revision process.
REFERENCES
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