Stratigraphic paleoecology of the Valle di Manche section (Crotone Basin, Italy): A candidate GSSP of the Middle Pleistocene

• Stratigraphic paleoecology of Valle di Manche—a candidate Middle Pleistocene GSSP.
• Multivariate macrofaunal stratigraphic trends parallel oxygen isotope stratigraphy.
• Multivariate paleoecology: an effective tool for sequence-stratigraphic analysis.

Macro-benthic assemblages from the Lower to Middle Pleistocene of the Valle di Manche (VdM) section (Crotone Basin, Southern Italy) were used to assess the value of merging paleoecological quantitative patterns into a sequence stratigraphic framework. Two-way cluster and detrended correspondence (DCA) analyses were applied to the macrofossil data matrix comprising 22 samples, 157 species and 5761 specimens. Specifically, two-way cluster analysis allowed for the characterization of five shelf-related biofacies and four sub-biofacies along section. Biofacies change along the VdM generally supported previous sequence stratigraphic interpretations and suggests that faunal turnover is the result of habitat tracking. DCA stratigraphic curves (= DC1 sample scores), calibrated to the depth preferences of extant species, provided quantitative estimates of bathymetry and the assessment of related parameters (e.g., grain-size, sedimentation/turbidity). When plotted stratigraphically, calibrated DC1 scores highlight the magnitude of relative sea-level fluctuations at the scale of the section as well as individual sequences and systems tracts.Additionally, DCA-derived paleobathymetric trends track the oscillations of the δ18O record, indicative of global sea-level change. Based on this comparison, it is held that macro-benthic assemblages, once supported by a robust statistical interpretation, can be employed successfully as a proxy for δ18O, depicting the variability in local water depths. The potential of this approach is especially high for studies in shallow-water depositional settings where dependable δ18O data are typically difficult to obtain.