What can distinguish ecostratigraphy from other stratigraphic concepts stems not so much from its specific methods as from the theoretical background proposed here and called the ecostratigraphic paradigm. This theory claims that the fossil record of evolution at the community, taxocoene, and/or species group level displays a more or less discrete pattern, with discontinuities imposed mostly by extrinsic, geologic events. This pattern may constitute a base for natural stratigraphic classification of rocks using coenozonal schemes. The ecostratigraphic paradigm may or may not refer to communities as distinct and real biologic units. The greatest advantage of the ecostratigraphic approach is that the resultant set of time‐planes is much more informative about the course of geobiologic evolution than the traditionally used chronostratigraphic one.Stratigraphial theory. ecostratigraphy. chronostratigraphy. paleoecology. coenozones. communities, evolutio