Karen Chin

My research investigates the structure and dynamics of ancient ecosystems--particularly those of the Mesozoic Era (about 65 to 250 million years ago).   I am interested in how ancient communities of organisms differed from modern ecosystems in composition and organization.  Much of my work focuses on tapping information available in permineralized coprolites (fossil feces), but I also examine other trace and body fossils.  My work focuses on understanding interactions among ancient organisms, and deducing the environmental conditions in which these organisms lived and were fossilized.  I use a multidisciplinary approach by examining geological, biological, and chemical characteristics of fossils and compare the fossil evidence with modern ecosystems to derive paleoecological interpretations.