Аннотация:Features of Cambrian level-bottom communities that inhabited carbonate and siliciclastic substrates are outlined. A high diversity of level-bottom communities with multiple trophic guilds was established in the Early Cambrian, replacing largely microbial-dominated Vendian ecosystems. Taxonomic richness of Early Cambrian communities contrasts with relative impoverishment of their Middle and Late Cambrian counterparts. Displacement of communities was common, and entire commu- nities might migrate into areas with more favorable conditions if their original habitats suffered a crisis.