Paleoecology of a Pennsylvanian encrusting colonial rugose coral in south Guizhou, China

The well-preserved Pennsylvanian encrusting colonial rugose coral Ivanovia is widespread and easily observed in south Guizhou, China. There are three common types of hard substrate encrusted by Ivanovia: in situ carbonate hardgrounds, carbonate hardground clasts, and calcareous bioclasts. Thin, spreading sheets are the most common growth form of Ivanovia in the study region. Ivanovia employed peripheral, medial and mixed growth strategies to occupy a sufficient living space on the substrate. It favored a shallow, warm, and clear marine environment within the photic zone and had a high tolerance of water movement. Ivanovia was generally smothered and covered by mud in the studied area. The Ivanovia fossil communities in south Guizhou are characterized by a low species diversity conforming to the typical evolutionary pattern of hard substrate marine communities in the Carboniferous.