Corallite size and spacing as an aspect of niche‐partitioning in tabulate corals of Silurian reefs, Racine Formation, North America

Abstract

Tabulate corals are common in reefs of the Silurian (Wenlockian) Racine Formation in Wisconsin and Illinois, North America. Variation in size and spacing of corallites in this fauna represents an aspect of niche-partitioning that is probably related to feeding. Corallite morphospace, represented by a plot of corallite diameter versus number of corallites per square cm, is characteristically partitioned among favositines, alveolitines, halysitines, syringoporids, and heliolitines, usually with minimal overlap between these major taxonomic groups. Within all groups except alveolitines, morphospace occupied by each major taxon is partitioned further between forms with small corallites and forms with larger corallites. This is probably related to differences in feeding, with ­larger corallite forms specializing in tentacular capture of larger prey, and smaller ­corallite forms specializing in smaller prey involving capture by cilia-directed sheets of mucus as well as by tentacles. Feeding-based differences among tabulates augmented niche-partitioning effected by colony form and relation to substrate. Cerioid, cateniform, coenenchymal, and fasciculate colony types in the Racine fauna were primarily adapted to a soft substrate. Ragged edges of colonies indicate growth during episodic sedimentation, and colonies were partially buried during life. Most tabulates are ­scattered through wackestone and packstone and were not major contributors to reef growth.