The trace-fossil record provides a wealth of information to track the rise and early evolution of animals. It comprises the activity of both hard- and soft-bodied organisms, is continuous through the Ediacaran (635–539 Ma)– Cambrian (539–485 Ma) transition, yields insights into animal behaviour and their role as ecosystem engineers, and allows for a more refined characterization of palaeoenvironmental context. In order to unravel macroevolutionary signals from the trace-fossil record, a variety of approaches is available, including not only estimation of degree of bioturbation, but also analysis of ichnodiversity and ichnodisparity trajectories, and evaluation of the occupation of infaunal ecospace and styles of ecosystem engineering. Analysis of the trace-fossil record demonstrates the presence of motile benthic bilaterians in the Ediacaran, mostly feeding from biofilms. Although Ediacaran trace fossils are simple and emplaced at or immediately below the sediment surface, an increase in ichnofossil complexity, predation pressure, sediment disturbance and penetration depth is apparent during the terminal Ediacaran. Regardless of this increase, a dramatic rise in trace fossil diversity and disparity took place during the earliest Cambrian, underscoring that the novelty of the Fortunian (539–529 Ma) cannot be underestimated. The Fortunian still shows the persistence of an Ediacaran-style matground ecology, but is fundamentally characterized by the appearance of new trace-fossil architectural plans reflecting novel ways of interacting with the substrate. The appearance of Phanerozoic-style benthic ecosystems attests to an increased length and connectivity of the food web and improved efficiency in organic carbon transfer and nutrient recycling. A profound reorganization of the infaunal ecospace is recorded in both high-energy sand-dominated nearshore areas and low-energy mud-dominated offshore environments, during the early Cambrian, starting approximately during Cambrian Age 2 (529–521 Ma), but continuing during the rest of the early Cambrian. A model comprising four evolutionary phases is proposed to synthetize information from the Ediacaran–Cambrian trace-fossil record. The use of a rich ichnological toolbox; critical, systematic and comprehensive evaluation of the Ediacaran–Cambrian trace-fossil record; and high-resolution integration of the ichnological dataset and sedimentological information show that the advent of biogenic mixing was an important factor in fully marine environments at the dawn of the Phanerozoic.

踪迹化石记录提供了丰富的信息来追踪动物的兴起和早期进化。它包括硬体和软体生物的活动，在埃迪卡拉纪（635-539 Ma）-寒武纪（539-485 Ma）过渡期间持续进行，深入了解动物行为及其作为生态系统工程师的作用，并允许对古环境背景的更精细表征。为了从微量化石记录中解开宏观进化信号，可以使用多种方法，不仅包括生物扰动程度的估计，还包括鱼类多样性和鱼类差异轨迹的分析，以及对底栖生态空间和生态系统样式的占领的评估工程。对微量化石记录的分析表明，埃迪卡拉纪中存在能动的底栖双侧动物，主要以生物膜为食。尽管埃迪卡拉纪的痕迹化石很简单，并且位于沉积物表面或紧邻沉积物表面之下，但在埃迪卡拉纪末期，地层化石的复杂性、捕食压力、沉积物扰动和穿透深度明显增加。不管这种增加如何，在最早的寒武纪期间，痕迹化石的多样性和差异都发生了急剧增加，强调不能低估福尔图纪（539-529 Ma）的新颖性。Fortunian 仍然显示出埃迪卡拉时期风格的 matground 生态的持久性，但其根本特征是新的微量化石建筑计划的出现，反映了与基质相互作用的新方式。显生宙型底栖生态系统的出现证明了食物网的长度和连通性的增加以及有机碳转移和养分循环效率的提高。在寒武纪早期，在高能以沙为主的近岸地区和以低能以泥为主的近海环境中，都记录了底栖生态空间的深刻重组，大约在寒武纪 2 期（529-521 Ma）期间开始，但在其余寒武纪早期。提出了一个包含四个进化阶段的模型来综合来自埃迪卡拉纪-寒武纪遗迹化石记录的信息。丰富的技术工具箱的使用；对埃迪卡拉纪-寒武纪遗迹化石记录的批判性、系统性和综合性评价；