A typology of the stromatopores in terms of their environments was thus identified:
•    In the lagoonal area, which was shallow and close to the continent where there was little current and few waves, branched and domical stromatoporoids were found;
•    In the reef area, between the lagoon and the deep area where most stromatopores were concentrated, laminar or domical forms were found;
•    In the deep area, stromatoporoids were either laminar or branched in shape and were rarer: the supply of fine particles increases further from the land. Stromatoporoids, which do not like clays, are therefore few and far between. In contrast, numerous strompatoporoids can be found in mud mounds. Their distribution within these carbonate buildups follows the same general reasoning applied to isolated systems.

"Regardless of the environment, whether deep or shallow, it appears that agitation, the force of the waves, and the presence of clay controls the morphology of stromatoporoids," specifies Da Silva. She adds: "because reefs are structures which interact closely with their environment, the variations to which they are subject are recorded by the organisms which make them up. Because the external morphology of stromatoporoids varies with their environment, they can thus be used as an indicator within a comprehensive approach to how reef environments functioned and evolved."

Additional references

By proposing new connections between stromatoporoids and the environment, Da Silva's work gives yet another dimension to stromatoporoids which may now be used as environmental markers. Such results, without a shadow of a doubt, bring a wealth of precious knowledge to geologists around the world. Frasnian carbonate platforms which are similar to ours can be found in Canada, China, Spain, and Poland. Da Silva's conclusions will therefore enable many of her peers overseas to more quickly identify the type of environment with which they are dealing. It didn't take long for fellow researchers who were interested in her articles to contact her. "Researchers from Canada who work with oil companies contacted me recently. The Frasnian stage in Canada holds significant oil reserves. It is therefore of interest to them to be able to identify as easily as possible the environments corresponding to this time period." This, the first in what will undoubtedly be a long list of approaches from fellow researchers, highlights even further the recognition which this work has achieved.