BIOTIC INTERACTIONS IN DEEP TIME (BITE): DEVELOPING A SPECIMEN-LEVEL DATABASE TO ADDRESS FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION

Interactions among organisms, whether positive, negative, or neutral, reflect the struggle for life, resources, and successful reproduction. It is widely thought that biotic interactions play an important role in the evolution of taxa and ecosystems through time but many fundamental questions remain open. When did these interactions originate and how did their frequency change through geologic time? What is their relationship with biodiversity and climate? Paleontologists have made great advancements in addressing these questions over the last few decades. Here, through the support of the PaleoSynthesis Project, we build on these successes by developing a unified specimen-level database that documents biotic interactions of all types from continental and marine settings that will be integrated with geological data including geographic, stratigraphic, and geochronological context. Data at this resolution are key to quantitatively evaluate the relative roles of biotic and abiotic drivers of biological evolution through time. Moreover, these data will inform modern conservation efforts by enabling more reliable forecasting of the response of biotic interactions to climatic fluctuations and environmental change. This is an international collaborative endeavor that aims to broaden perspectives by including scientists from diverse backgrounds, different genders, and countries representing five continents of the world. As it is developed, the database will be publicly accessible and open for contributions from the broader scientific community. The diverse and inclusive design of the BITE working group to answer fundamental ecological and evolutionary questions surrounding biotic interactions build directly on Patricia Kelley’s substantial contributions in these areas.