The Ecology of Ostracoda Across Levels of Biological Organisation from Individual to Ecosystem

Abstract Palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic applications of fossil ostracods rely on a uniformitarian approach underpinned by knowledge of the biology and ecology of living species. This review reveals that in recent decades, major advances have been made in the understanding of species’ abiotic niches in relation to their preferences for different water chemistries and temperatures. However, the underlying ecophysiological mechanisms for such preferences are still largely unknown. Only a few works analyse in detail aspects of population growth or species interactions (competition, predation) in the framework of classical ecological theories. Similarly, the role of Ostracoda in the asse…