Determining the mode of life of Ediacaran rangeomorphs in deep marine settings of Peri-Gondwanan Avalonia

As we continue to explore the early evolution of the Eumetazoa, important evidence is coming from the oldest Ediacaran biotas of Avalonia. Fundamental to understanding the ecology an evolution of the earliest soft-bodied complex animals is an understanding of their paleobiology and paleoecology. The paleobiology and mode of life of the extinct pseudofractal clade Rangeomorpha is an ongoing challenge. We have made significant progress in understanding aspects of their growth and branching, but determining their life attitude is difficult and requires consideration of a range of data types summarized herein. The importance of the mode of life stems from a need to know their spatial distributions and height in the water column as we try to determine how the first complex epibenthic communities interacted with their environment.