Life and death beneath the Ordovician seafloor: synchrotron light on the unique ‘Rokycany ball’ type of fossil preservation

The aim of the proposal is to carry out propagation phase contrast synchrotron microtomography to investigate a diversified association of fossils with the unique ‘Rokycany ball’ type of preservation. Rokycany balls are siliceous nodules found in the Middle Ordovician of the Prague Basin (Czech Republic). The purpose of the study is to cast light on biotic interactions of extinct life forms in this ecosystem by incorporating indications of soft tissue decay products, trace fossils, or evidence of palaeophysiology and behaviour in selected specimens, captured by a specific taphonomic process of rapid nodule formation. The project will consist of several case studies highlighting different aspects of the Rokycany ball type of preservation, deciphering phenomena that modern biology cannot study or that have no recent equivalents, through a ‘palaeontology for biologists’ approach. We anticipate the results to be published in high-profile journals, similar to our recent work.