Search results for "PALEOECOLOGY"

A relict tropical forest bat assemblage from the early Miocene of the Ribesalbes-Alcora Basin (Castelló, Spain)

2020

ABSTRACTWe present the bat assemblage from the early Miocene (MN4, 16.9–15.95 MY) basin of Ribesalbes-Alcora, which has yielded the remains of ten chiropteran taxa. Bat assemblages are rarely recovered in the fluvio-lacustrine fossil record. A bat species described in this work,Cuvierimops penalverisp. nov., is a new form of a typically Oligocene free-tailed bat. In addition, the other molossidsHydromops helveticus,Rhizomops cf.brasiliensis,Chaerephonsp.,Tadaridasp., and the vespertilionidsMyotis cf.intermediusandMiostrellusaff.petersbuchensis, as well as undetermined fossils ascribed to the generaSubmyotodon,Plecotus, andRhinolophusare described. This is the first record of the genusRhizom…

Late-Holocene variability in chironomid functional assemblages and carbon utilization in a tundra lake food web

2020

AbstractHigh latitude freshwater systems are facing changes in catchment-mediated allochthonous input, as well as physical and chemical controls triggered by on-going climate change, which may alter their carbon processing and ecological characteristics. To explore changes in chironomid functional responses and carbon utilization in relation to long-term environmental change, we studied a sediment core covering ca. 2000 years from a tundra lake in northern Finland, which was analysed for sediment geochemistry, isotopic composition of chironomid remains and their functional assemblages. We aimed to relate changes in chironomid functional feeding assemblages and resource utilization, based on…

Microwear and isotopic analyses on cave bear remains from Toll Cave reveal both short-term and long-term dietary habits

2019

Dietary habits of the extinct Ursus spelaeus have always been a controversial topic in paleontological studies. In this work, we investigate carbon and nitrogen values in the bone collagen and dental microwear of U. spelaeus specimens recovered in Level 4 from Toll Cave (Moia, Catalonia, NE Iberian Peninsula). These remains have been dated to > 49,000 C-14 BP. The ability of both proxies to provide data on the diet of U. spelaeus at different times in the life-history (isotopes: average diet of life; microwear: last days/weeks before death), allows us to generate high-resolution and complementary data. Our results show lower values (delta C-13 & delta N-15) in cave bears than in strict herb…

2012

Hunter-gatherers living in Europe during the transition from the late Pleistocene to the Holocene intensified food acquisition by broadening the range of resources exploited to include marine taxa. However, little is known on the nature of this dietary change in the Mediterranean Basin. A key area to investigate this issue is the archipelago of the Egadi Islands, most of which were connected to Sicily until the early Holocene. The site of Grotta d’Oriente, on the present-day island of Favignana, was occupied by hunter-gatherers when Postglacial environmental changes were taking place (14,000-7,500 cal BP). Here we present the results of AMS radiocarbon dating, palaeogenetic and isotopic ana…

Preliminary assessment of coupling the analysis of shell microstructures and microtextures as palaeoecological indicator in fossil brachiopods

2018

Brachiopods are one of the most successful groups of marine invertebrates throughout the Phanerozoic. Despite their abundance and importance in the fossil record, there are numerous gaps in our understanding of their palaeoecology. In particular, there is little information about their mode of life in relation to the substrate, which can be important in palaeontological and sedimentological studies involving brachiopod faunas. The aim of this study is to test the combination of analyzing shell microstructures (with SEM) and microtextures (with EBSD) to elucidate palaeoecological aspects for three extinct species belonging to the Order Athyridida. Results indicate that Athyris spiriferoides …

Distansescharella seguenzai Cipolla, 1921 (Bryozoa, Cheilostomata),nouvelles données morphologiques et écologiques tirées de spécimens fossiles (Mioc…

1989

The cribrimorph Distansescharella seguenzai Cipolla,,1921, described from the Pliocene of Sicily has been rediscovered in fossil deposits (Messinian of Western Algeria, and Lower Pliocene of Calabria, Southern Italy) and in Recent Mediterranean material (Straits of Gibraltar, Alboran Sea, Gulf of Tripoli). Its morphology is demonstrated by SEM study of living specimens. In spite of some differences with the type-species of Distansescharella D'Orbigny revealed by examination of its neotype, the generic status of D. seguenzai is confirmed. An ecological analysis of the Recent and fossil assemblages including D. seguenzai is made by considering the zoarial growth forms and the potential habita…

A taphonomic investigation of small vertebrate accumulations produced by the snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) and its implications for fossil studies

2019

17 pages; International audience; The action of predators, such as diurnal raptors, owls, mammals or humans, influence the nature of smallvertebrate fossil assemblages but currently their taphonomic features are still poorly understood. In this study,we investigate the taphonomic signature of the snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) based on an analysis of pelletscollected at breeding sites located in Greenland and the Canadian Arctic. This taxon is widely distributedthrough the North Hemisphere and was an important predator in Pleistocene times. Taphonomic parameterssuggest that, contrary to previous assumptions, B. scandiacus produces, on average, moderate digestion of incisors,molars and post-cra…

Tithonia oxfordiana, a new irregular echinoid associated with Jurassic seep deposits in south-east France

2011

The infaunal irregular echinoid, Tithonia oxfordiana, is described and compared to congeneric species previously described from Upper Jurassic and lowermost Cretaceous strata. This new species characterizes a monospecific echinoid assemblage, which occurs only in some places where deep-marine middle Oxfordian deposits are exposed in south-east France. Specimens are closely packed and clearly concentrated at the top of small carbonate chemoherms; a close connection of the echinoids with the emission of reduced chemicals, which were oxidized by chemoautotrophic bacteria, is highly probable. Based on general test shape and plate architecture, T. oxfordiana probably was a deposit feeder on chem…

Multiproxy dietary trait reconstruction in Pleistocene Hippopotamidae from the Mediterranean islands

2019

Abstract Geographically isolated insular species face energetic restrictions and commonly evolve adaptations that distinguish them from their mainland ancestors. During the Pleistocene, several Mediterranean islands were inhabited by now extinct Hippopotamidae. They underwent diverse changes in locomotion, dentition and body size. Based on these differences, it is supposed that they occupied different ecological niches depending on their respective faunal complexes and available resources. In this paper, we assess the paleoecology of dwarfed hippopotami from Crete, Malta, Sicily and Cyprus using a novel dental multiproxy approach. We applied dental topography analysis (SAGA-GIS) to measure …

Comprehensive database on Induan (Lower Triassic) to Sinemurian (Lower Jurassic) marine bivalve genera and their paleobiogeographic record

2014

Marine bivalve genera that were described or mentioned for Triassic and Lower Jurassic deposits worldwide are reviewed in terms of their validity, stratigraphic range, paleogeographic distribution, paleoautoecology and shell mineralogy. Data were originally compiled at species level and are arranged systematically. A brief discussion for each genus includes synonymy, taxonomic status and included subgenera, as well as current uncertainties about their validity and range. The distribution of each genus is also shown on paleogeographic maps. Type species and first and last appearances of each genus are also mentioned. We recognize as valid 280 genera and their included subgenera, and we furth…