2026/05/16 by Maria Aleksandra Bitner, Sandra J. Carlson, Elizabeth M. Harper
Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils #Ocean Acidification Effects and Responses #Marine Biology and Ecology Research
paper · doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2026.113898
This Virtual Special Issue (VSI) entitled Brachiopods: Sentinels of the marine Phanerozoic comprises a diverse set of 15 studies that collectively illuminate the evolutionary, palaeobiological, palaeoecological, and palaeobiogeographical history of brachiopods across more than half a billion years. The VSI arose out of the successful 9th International Brachiopod Congress (IBC/CIB) held at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, from 24th to 27th June 2024. Papers were invited from the 45 participants (representing 13 countries) and through open call to the global brachiopod community. The major themes of this VSI encompass the topics central to the disciplines that this journal best represents: palaeogeography, palaeoclimatology, and palaeoecology, in addition to palaeobiology, biostratigraphy, and palaeobiogeochemistry. Together, these research papers have a global reach and span the Paleozoic and Mesozoic Eras. We are confident that the papers combined in this VSI will have enduring value, not only to current brachiopodologists, but in their ability to inspire the next generations of brachiopod paleontologists and earth scientists, as well as brachiopod paleobiologists and evolutionary biologists.