Macroevolution of Early Palaeozoic Faunas and IGCP653 Workshop was held in Nanjing from May 16 to 17, 2017.  More than 60 participants from Nanjing University, Northwest University (China), Central South University (China), Institute of Geology Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, University of Erlangen (Germany), University of Brandon (Canada), Macquarie University (Australia) and Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS) attended the workshop. Prof. ZHANG Yuandong from NIGPAS hosted the Opening & Concluding ceremony .  

During the workshop, Prof. Thomas Servais from University of Lille, France made two acedmic reports about  "The GOBE: definition, conception and duration" and "Evolution of the phytoplankton and the marine food chains in the Lower Palaeozoic: Ordovician Plankton Revolution".  Prof. David Harper from Durham University, UK made three reports about "Evolution of the early metazoans in the Ediacaran and Early Palaeozoic" ,  "Lower Palaeozoic timescales and Ordovician stratigraphy" and "PAST Software: case history on heterochrony in trilobites and vertebrates" . As well as Prof. FAN Junxuan from NIGPAS made two reports about "An introduction to Paleobiology Database (PBDB) and Geobiodiversity Database (GBDB)" and "Guide to PBDB online system: structure, data and applications".