THE ECHINOID ASSOCIATED TRACES (EAT) DATABASE: A GLOBAL REPOSITORY FOR IMAGES AND QUANTITATIVE DATA OF TRACES OF BIOTIC INTERACTIONS RECORDED ON ECHINOID TESTS

Predatory cassid and parasitic eulimid gastropods are widely known to produce characteristic traces on modern echinoids, however, these interactions are relatively understudied in the fossil record. The newly established Echinoid-Associated Traces (EAT) Database aims to elucidate macroevolutionary and macroecological trends in behaviors resulting in traces on echinoid tests, such as those by cassids and eulimids, by developing a global reference system for identifying and documenting traces on echinoids.

The EAT Database serves as a free centralized online repository for images documenting traces and interactions, and will ultimately house data on the frequency, morphology, size, location, selectivity, and ecology of biotic traces, such as drill holes, found on both modern and fossil echinoid tests. A phased release of data types is planned to ensure the usability of each aspect of EAT. In the current public version, users can view images of various trace morphologies documenting a range of interaction types both modern and fossil, including photographs, SEM micrographs, and micro-CT scans. Users can also upload images, which will be vetted by the authors before being incorporated. Later updates will include the ability to access and upload measurements and trace frequency data. More information can be found on the project home page at eat-project dot org. The complete Database includes >500 traces identified with systematic surveys of ~9,600 specimens spanning from the Jurassic to the Recent. The majority of specimens represent echinoids from the South and Southeastern US (Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, North Carolina), reflecting museum holdings and field collections by the authors. However, EAT includes a significant effort beyond the US, with >3,000 specimens from 19 other countries. As EAT becomes available to the public, we expect an improvement in the global coverage of the data, as others contribute new records.

We encourage submissions to EAT, and hope that the public release of the EAT Database will stimulate both modern and ancient echinoid research. Documentation of the morphology and distribution of traces on echinoids should facilitate assessments of the ecological and evolutionary importance of biotic interactions in marine benthic ecosystems.