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PROJECT IGCP 406 CIRCUM-ARCTIC PALAEOZOIC VERTEBRATES: BIOLOGICAL and GEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE. JULY 5th to 6th 1997 at BUCKOW, near BERLIN, GERMANY.
"Contributions deal with biostratigraphic palaeobiological themes and emphasise the importance of different
taxa of early vertebrates and associated plant and invertebrate fossils".
Participants of the meeting reported the results of their research on fossils from the Canadian, Danish,
Norwegian and Russian Arctic." Mark V.H. Wilson & Tiiu Marss 1997 - see Ichthyolith Issues Special
Publication no. 2.
Twenty participants attended the scientific meeting from 12 countries (Russia, Germany, France, Sweden,
China, Canada, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Netherlands, Scotland, England).
Fifteen scientific papers were presented, all of direct relevance to project IGCP 406.
(A further 11 authors, not attending the meeting contributed to presentations, including reports of progress of
research).
BUSINESS MEETING of PROJECT IGCP 406 - 6th JULY 1997:
The business meeting was well attended. The 19 participants originated from 12 countries including Russia,
Germany, France, Sweden, Canada, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Netherlands, England, China, Scotland. Project
leader Dr. Mark Wilson thanked the organisers of the meeting Drs Arratia and Schultze.
Subjects discussed included possible locations for future national or regional meetings, preliminary ideas for
future financial needs of the project and scientific plans, and preparation of national reports.
V.T. Young (U.K. national correspondent) presented a preliminary report of activities of U.K. participants of
project IGCP 406. She initially contacted 47 individuals inviting participation in project IGCP 406. Twenty two
people have shown interest in participating; two have offered help and or advice, but will not participate directly.
A further four people may be interested in participating in the project.
Main scientific interests in relation to the project include:
a taxonomic and biostratigraphic comparison of Middle and Late Devonian faunas of Scotland and the Baltic
areas; sequence stratigraphy, sedimentology, palaeoecology and interpretation of environments of Devonian
fish, particularly the Silurian and Devonian of Scotland; Devonian agnathans - their morphology, biostratigraphy,
distribution, palaeoenvironments and biogeography; Palaeozoic sharks, their morphology, biogeography,
biostratigraphy and palaeoenvironment; palaeontology, stratigraphy and sedimentology of a Famennian fish bed,
Somerset; Middle Palaeozoic biostratigraphy, particularly of the Devonian, elucidation of signatures of eustatic
sea level fluctuations; sedimentology and palaeontology of Welsh Borderlands; palynology and biostratigraphy
of Devonian and of Silurian sediments in Greenland and in Arctic Canada and Scotland; conodont biostratigraphy
of the Devonian including Arctic Canada; early Palaeozoic fishes of U.K., their morphology, biostratigraphy,
palaeoenvironments and biogeography.
Some of the work is done with participation from colleagues in Baltic countries, Russia, Canada and
Australia. Much of the work involving material from regions outside the Arctic will be valuable in correlating and
comparing various data with that from material from Arctic areas. Such data could include biostratigraphic,
morphologic, taxonomic, palaeogeographic, and palaeoenvironmental results.
Workshop meetings also took place and involved informal discussions, viewing of specimens and field
work pictures, sharing of preliminary results, and discussions of taxa new to science. Discussions included
comparisons of taxa, their taxonomic provenance, biostratigraphic correlation, environments of deposition,
preparation of specimens, and discussion of future meetings and funding needs.
Informal discussions also involved an imminent field trip and collecting visit to some of the classic Silurian and
Early Devonian fossil vertebrate localities of Scotland on which V.T. Young was earlier invited to participate, and
which she was very pleased to accept.
I found the meeting to be beneficial in many ways. I was able to meet many participants of project IGCP
406, including people from countries which may not be easy to visit. We were able discuss research topics such
as aspects of biostratigraphic correlation and the various kinds of palaeoenvironments associated with
particular fossil assemblages.
The meeting was beneficial to U.K. science and I believe it has helped to identify particular areas which
require further research or clarification, such as further investigation of the microscopic / histologic characters
of scales in relation to particular taxa. It is always beneficial to discuss the progress of a research project with
other people who have scientific experience in such work and I believe it helps to produce new ideas. It was
useful also to discuss some of the logistics of organising future meetings.
I wish to thank The Royal Society for awarding me a grant towards the costs of attending this meeting.
The Scottish Workshop 1997
Field work to collect vertebrate and invertebrate fossils from Palaeozoic localities in Scotland took place from
16th to 24th July 1997. The meeting was arranged by project leaders Dr. M. Wilson and Dr. T. Märss and by Dr. R.
(Bobbie) Paton of the Royal Museums of Scotland, and I wish to thank them for organising the visit. Participation
involved 14 people from 5 countries including: M. Wilson (project leader) and C. Wilson (Canada); T. Märss
(project leader, Estonia); H. Blom (national correspondent, Sweden); G. Hanke (Canada); S.V.T. Young
(England); R. Paton, E. Hide, S. Miller (Royal Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh); E. Clarkson (Edinburgh
University), and Mrs. C. M. Taylor (Scotland); N. Trewin (Aberdeen University), R. Davidson, M. Newman
(Scotland). Localities were of Silurian and Early Devonian sediments in the Hagshaw Hills, Lesmahagow,
9