Paleoichnology

The evolutionary aspect of ecology which has started to develop due to studies of trace fossils will stay long the privilege of paleoichnology.

Paleoichnology is their historic equivalent—the study of ichnological evidence of animals of the past.

As far as I can discern for now, only a few of the lessons learned were readily applicable to mainstream neoichnology and paleoichnology, but no matter.

This field is called paleoichnology, which means the study (ology) of ancient (paleo) footprints (ichnos). Despite its name, there's more to paleoichnology than footprints.

The subjects of paleoichnology are trace fossils (also called ichnofossils), which are fossilized structures produced in substrates ranging from unlithified sediment to sedimentary rock or organic matter (including shell, bone, wood and peat) by the activity of organisms.