Paleoecology and paleoenvironments of early Triassic mass extinction biotic recovery faunas, Sinbad Limestone Member, Moenkopi Formation, south-central Utah

It is proposed that a variety of survivors during the biotic recovery from the End-Permian mass extinction exhibited opportunistic behavior. The paleoecology and paleoenvironments of the Lower Triassic (Nammalian) Sinbad Limestone Member were analyzed in detail in order to test this hypothesis. It was determined that the Sinbad is overwhelmingly dominated by bivalves and microgastropods. Furthermore, the combination of their occurrence as ecological dominants in a variety of nearshore carbonate environments in the Lower Triassic Sinbad Limestone Member, along with their abundant distribution throughout Lower Triassic strata around the world demonstrates that microgastropods acted as biotic recovery opportunists during the recovery from the end-Permian mass extinction.