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Babcock LE. Replacement names for two species of Orthacanthus Agassiz, 1843 (Chondrichthyes, Xenacanthiformes), and discussion of Giebelodus Whitley, 1940, replacement name for Chilodus Giebel, 1848 (Chondrichthyes, Xenacanthiformes), preoccupied by Chilodus Müller & Troschel, 1844 (Actinopterygii, Characiformes). Zookeys 2024; 1188:219-226. [PMID: 38230382 PMCID: PMC10790574 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1188.108571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Three species assigned to the same nominal genus of Paleozoic xenacanthiform shark have been combined with the name Orthacanthusgracilis (Chondrichthyes, Xenacanthiformes, Orthacanthidae). Orthacanthusgracilis (Giebel, 1848), which was originally combined as Chilodusgracilis Giebel, 1848, is the senior synonym; it has priority over both Orthacanthusgracilis (Newberry, 1857), which was originally combined as Diplodusgracilis Newberry, 1857, and Orthacanthusgracilis Newberry, 1875a. Proposed species-group replacement names are Orthacanthuslintonensisnom. nov. for O.gracilis (Newberry, 1857) and Orthacanthusadamasnom. nov. for O.gracilis Newberry, 1875a. Chilodusgracilis Giebel, 1848 is designated as the type species of Chilodus Giebel, 1848; this species becomes the type species for Giebelodus Whitley, 1940, which is a replacement name for Chilodus Giebel, 1848 (preoccupied by Chilodus Müller & Troschel, 1844, Actinopterygii). Giebelodus Whitley, 1940 is a junior subjective synonym of Orthacanthus Agassiz, 1843.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loren E. Babcock
- School of Earth Sciences, Orton Geological Museum, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USAThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusUnited States of America
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Lakeram SR, Elrick S, Punyasena SW. Review of the cellulose acetate peel method and the physical and digital curation of coal balls. Appl Plant Sci 2023; 11:e11556. [PMID: 38106537 PMCID: PMC10719873 DOI: 10.1002/aps3.11556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Coal balls, in which fossil plants are preserved in permineralized peat deposits, have widely been described from coal deposits representing the tropical forest of the Carboniferous. Coal ball preparation techniques have evolved over the past century, with the cellulose acetate peel method becoming the standard in the 1950s. While coal ball research is not as active as it has been in the past, large collections of coal balls and their respective peels still form a large part of many museum and university collections. This contribution aims to review coal ball preparation methods, curation, and the digital archiving of peels to create a cohesive guide for researchers working with coal balls and other petrified plant material. The physical and digital curation of cellulose acetate peels and other types of coal ball specimens is critical for long-term preservation and accessibility. Physical curation involves embedding coal balls in media to slow pyrite deterioration. Digital curation creates high-resolution scans of peels, which can be shared and accessed online. Cellulose acetate peels and their digital curation are a valuable and accessible technique for the analysis of coal balls, and physical and digital curation ensures long-term preservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott R. Lakeram
- Department of Plant BiologyUniversity of Illinois Urbana‐Champaign505 S. Goodwin Ave.UrbanaIllinois61801USA
| | - Scott Elrick
- Illinois State Geological Survey615 E. Peabody DriveChampaignIllinois61820USA
| | - Surangi W. Punyasena
- Department of Plant BiologyUniversity of Illinois Urbana‐Champaign505 S. Goodwin Ave.UrbanaIllinois61801USA
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Saleh F, Clements T, Perrier V, Daley AC, Antcliffe JB. Variations in preservation of exceptional fossils within concretions. Swiss J Palaeontol 2023; 142:20. [PMID: 37719137 PMCID: PMC10501951 DOI: 10.1186/s13358-023-00284-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
Concretions are an interesting mode of preservation that can occasionally yield fossils with soft tissues. To properly interpret these fossils, an understanding of their fossilization is required. Probabilistic models are useful tools to identify variations between different Konservat-Lagerstätten that are separated spatially and temporally. However, the application of probabilistic modeling has been limited to Early Paleozoic Konservat-Lagerstätten preserved in shales. In this paper, the patterns of preservation of three concretionary Konservat-Lagerstätten-the Carboniferous Mazon Creek (USA) and Montceau-les-Mines (France), and the Silurian Herefordshire Lagerstätte (UK)-are analyzed using a statistical approach. It is demonstrated that the degree of biotic involvement, i.e., the degree to which a carcass dictates its own preservation, is connected to internal organ conditional probabilities-the probabilities of finding an internal organ associated with another structure such as biomineralized, sclerotized, cuticularized, or cellular body walls. In concretions that are externally forced with little biological mediation (e.g., Herefordshire), all internal organ conditional probabilities are uniform. As biological mediation in concretion formation becomes more pronounced, heterogeneities in conditional probabilities are introduced (e.g., Montceau-les-Mines and Mazon Creek). The three concretionary sites were also compared with previously investigated Konservat-Lagerstätten preserving fossils in shales to demonstrate how the developed probability framework aids in understanding the broad-scale functioning of preservation in Konservat-Lagerstätten. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13358-023-00284-4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farid Saleh
- Institute of Earth Sciences (ISTE), University of Lausanne, Geopolis, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Clements
- GeoZentrum Nordbayern, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Loewenichstrasse 28, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Vincent Perrier
- Université de Lyon, UCBL, ENSL, CNRS, UMR 5276 LGL-TPE, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Allison C Daley
- Institute of Earth Sciences (ISTE), University of Lausanne, Geopolis, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jonathan B Antcliffe
- Institute of Earth Sciences (ISTE), University of Lausanne, Geopolis, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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Dearden RP, Herrel A, Pradel A. Evidence for high-performance suction feeding in the Pennsylvanian stem-group holocephalan Iniopera. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2207854119. [PMID: 36649436 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2207854119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The Carboniferous (358.9 to 298.9 Ma) saw the emergence of marine ecosystems dominated by modern vertebrate groups, including abundant stem-group holocephalans (chimaeras and relatives). Compared with the handful of anatomically conservative holocephalan genera alive today-demersal durophages all-these animals were astonishingly morphologically diverse, and bizarre anatomies in groups such as iniopterygians hint at specialized ecological roles foreshadowing those of the later, suction-feeding neopterygians. However, flattened fossils usually obscure these animals' functional morphologies and how they fitted into these important early ecosystems. Here, we use three-dimensional (3D) methods to show that the musculoskeletal anatomy of the uniquely 3D-preserved iniopterygian Iniopera can be best interpreted as being similar to that of living holocephalans rather than elasmobranchs but that it was mechanically unsuited to durophagy. Rather, Iniopera had a small, anteriorly oriented mouth aperture, expandable pharynx, and strong muscular links among the pectoral girdle, neurocranium, and ventral pharynx consistent with high-performance suction feeding, something exhibited by no living holocephalan and never clearly characterized in any of the extinct members of the holocephalan stem-group. Remarkably, in adapting a distinctly holocephalan anatomy to suction feeding, Iniopera is more comparable to modern tetrapod suction feeders than to the more closely related high-performance suction-feeding elasmobranchs. This raises questions about the assumed role of durophagy in the evolution of holocephalans' distinctive anatomy and offers a rare glimpse into the breadth of ecological niches filled by holocephalans in a pre-neopterygian world.
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Sarrionandia F, Errandonea-Martin J, Larrondo E, Carracedo-Sánchez M, Ábalos B, Gil-Ibarguchi J. Mineral chemistry dataset of the Tournaisian - Lower Viséan submarine basaltic volcanism of the Matachel Basin (SW Iberian Massif). Data Brief 2022; 46:108826. [PMID: 36591386 PMCID: PMC9801079 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2022.108826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The Matachel Basin is a tectono-stratigraphic unit of Ossa-Morena Zone (southern Iberian Massif) that encompasses an Upper Tournaisian - Viséan basaltic sequence, generated by effusive and explosive eruptions in a shallow submarine setting. A collection of 23 basaltic and gabbroic samples were selected for detailed petrographic descriptions, which included a mineral chemistry characterization by means of Electron Microprobe analysis in 9 rock samples. In this contribution a total of 501 mineral chemical data are presented, which correspond to plagioclase (208 analysis), clinopyroxene (202 analysis), amphibole (64 analysis), opaque minerals (18 analysis), and alkali feldspar (9 analysis). According to mineral classification diagrams analyzed rock samples are composed by albite-labradorite (An01-66), augite (Wo31-41En32-49Fs7-22), magnesiohornblende, ferrohornblende, ferropargasite, titanian magnesiohastingsite, orthoclase (Or93-97), titanomagnetite, and ilmenite. Presented dataset provides a robust information of the nature of the outpouring lava emissions in shallow-marine intra-continental basins, and would enhance a better understanding of eruptive dynamics in this type of tectonic settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- F. Sarrionandia
- Departamento de Geología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, 01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain,Corresponding author:
| | - J. Errandonea-Martin
- Departamento de Geología, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, P.O.Box 644, E-48080 Bilbao, Spain
| | - E. Larrondo
- Team Ingeniería y Consultoría S.L., Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Bizkaia, 207C, 48170, Zamudio, Spain
| | - M. Carracedo-Sánchez
- Departamento de Geología, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, P.O.Box 644, E-48080 Bilbao, Spain
| | - B. Ábalos
- Departamento de Geología, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, P.O.Box 644, E-48080 Bilbao, Spain
| | - J.I. Gil-Ibarguchi
- Departamento de Geología, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, P.O.Box 644, E-48080 Bilbao, Spain
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Nel A, Santos AA, Hernández-Orúe A, Wappler T, Diez JB, Peñalver E. The First Representative of the Roachoid Family Spiloblattinidae (Insecta, Dictyoptera) from the Late Pennsylvanian of the Iberian Peninsula. Insects 2022; 13:828. [PMID: 36135529 PMCID: PMC9505066 DOI: 10.3390/insects13090828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Sysciophlebia 'sp. form Villablino', the first Iberian representative of the Palaeozoic-Early Mesozoic family Spiloblattinidae, is described and illustrated. Its forewing colour pattern is strongly similar to those of the Gzhelian-early-middle Asselian species Sysciophlebia euglyptica, Sysciophlebia ilfeldensis, Sysciophlebia rubida, and 'Sysciophlebia sp. form KBQ', supporting the currently proposed Gzhelian age for its type locality. It supports the use of the representatives of the Spiloblattinidae for stratigraphic purposes. The diagnoses and limits of the families Subioblattidae, Phyloblattidae, Compsoblattidae, Spiloblattinidae, and of the spiloblattinid genera are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Nel
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université des Antilles, EPHE, 57 Rue Cuvier, CP 50, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Artai A. Santos
- Departamento de Xeociencias Mariñas e Ordenación do Territorio, Facultade de Ciencias do Mar, Universidade de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Mariña, Universidade de Vigo (CIM-UVIGO), 36310 Vigo, Spain
| | - Antonio Hernández-Orúe
- Departamento de Geología, Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU), Part 644, 48080 Bilbao, Spain
| | - Torsten Wappler
- Department of Natural History, Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, Friedensplatz 1, 64283 Darmstadt, Germany
- Department of Palaeontology, Institute of Geosciences, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Nussallee 8, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - José B. Diez
- Departamento de Xeociencias Mariñas e Ordenación do Territorio, Facultade de Ciencias do Mar, Universidade de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Mariña, Universidade de Vigo (CIM-UVIGO), 36310 Vigo, Spain
| | - Enrique Peñalver
- Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME), CSIC, C/Cirilo Amorós 42, 46004 Valencia, Spain
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Conway Morris S, Caron JB. A possible home for a bizarre Carboniferous animal: is Typhloesus a pelagic gastropod? Biol Lett 2022; 18:20220179. [PMID: 36126687 PMCID: PMC9489302 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2022.0179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
By contrast to many previously enigmatic Palaeozoic fossils, the Carboniferous metazoan Typhloesus has defied phylogenetic placement. Here, we document new features, including possible phosphatized muscle tissues and a hitherto unrecognized feeding apparatus with two sets of ca 20 spinose teeth whose closest similarities appear to lie with the molluscan radula. The ribbon-like structure, located well behind the mouth area and deep into the anterior part of the body, is interpreted as being in an inverted proboscis configuration. Gut contents, mostly conodonts, in the midgut area demonstrate that Typhloesus was an active predator. This animal was capable of propelling itself in the water column using its flexible body and a prominent posterior fin. The affinity of Typhloesus as a pelagic mollusc remains problematic but may lie more closely with the gastropods. Heteropod gastropods share with Typhloesus an active predatory lifestyle and have a comparable general body organization, albeit they possess characteristic aragonitic shells and their origins in the Jurassic post-date Typhloesus. Typhloesus may represent an independent radiation of Mid-Palaeozoic pelagic gastropods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Conway Morris
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK
| | - Jean-Bernard Caron
- Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 2C6.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3B2.,Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, 22 Russell Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3B1
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Hedhli M, Dewing K, Beauchamp B, Grasby SE, Meyer R. Devonian to Carboniferous continental-scale carbonate turnover in Western Laurentia (North America): upwelling or climate cooling? Facies 2022; 68:15. [PMID: 35910009 PMCID: PMC9314305 DOI: 10.1007/s10347-022-00653-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED The Devonian to Carboniferous (DC) transition coincided with a green-to-ice house climatic shift, anoxia, disappearance of lower latitude carbonate banks, and turnover from warm-to-cool water carbonate factories. In western Laurentia, the switch to carbonate factories dominated by cool-water biota was contemporaneous with a tectonically driven palaeogeographic change. To investigate this depositional shift and infer the relative impact of climate vs tectonics, a continental-scale sedimentological and geochemical study was conducted on twelve stratigraphic sections of DC strata from western Canada to southern Nevada (USA). The spatial-temporal distribution of microfacies records the turnover from [i] a Famennian lime mud-rich, shallow warm-water carbonate ramp with low sedimentation rates, mesotrophic conditions and tabular geometry to [ii] Tournaisian to Viséan lime mud-depleted and grainstone dominated cool-water carbonate ramp with anomalous high sedimentation rates, oligotrophic conditions and a pronounced slope. Positive excursions of δ 18Ocarb (+ 2‰ V-PDB) and δ 13Ccarb (+ 4‰ V-PDB) of Lower Mississippian carbonates likely correspond to the first cooling peak of the Carboniferous-Permian icehouse climate, following carbon withdrawal during black shale deposition during the late Famennian and early Tournaisian. However, late Tournaisian return of photozoan elements and their persistence throughout the Viséan suggests that warmer surface water existed, revealing a decoupling of the lower latitude ocean and the atmosphere. Shoaling of the thermocline was likely a result of cold-water upwelling along an open coast, as the Antler orogen no longer provided an oceanic obstruction to the west. This study shows that carbonate platforms are more susceptible to regional changes than global shifts. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10347-022-00653-4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makram Hedhli
- Geological Survey of Canada, 3303-33rd Street NW, Calgary, AB T2L 2A7 Canada
- Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4 Canada
| | - Keith Dewing
- Geological Survey of Canada, 3303-33rd Street NW, Calgary, AB T2L 2A7 Canada
| | - Benoit Beauchamp
- Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4 Canada
| | - Stephen E. Grasby
- Geological Survey of Canada, 3303-33rd Street NW, Calgary, AB T2L 2A7 Canada
- Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4 Canada
| | - Rudi Meyer
- Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4 Canada
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Zhou H, Zhao G, Han Y, Zhang D, Wang M, Pei X, Tserendash N, Zhao Q, Orsoo EO. Carboniferous slab-retreating subduction of backarc oceans: the final large-scale lateral accretion of the southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2022; 67:1388-98. [PMID: 36546270 DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2022.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
During Carboniferous time, tremendous juvenile arc crust was formed in the southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), although its origin remains unclear. Herein, we presented zircon U-Pb-Hf and whole-rock geochemical and Sr-Nd isotopic data for a suite of volcanic and pyroclastic rocks from the Khan-Bogd area in southern Mongolia. These Carboniferous pyroclastic rocks generally have some early Paleozoic zircons, probably derived from the granitic and sedimentary rocks of the Lake Zone and the Gobi-Altai Zone to the north, indicative of a continental arc nature. In addition, they have a main zircon U-Pb age of ca. 370-330 Ma, positive Hf and Nd isotopes, and mafic-intermediate arc affinity, similar to the coeval arc magmatism. Moreover, the pyroclastic rocks of the northern area have more mafic and older volcanic components with depositional time (ca. 350-370 Ma; Visean and Bashkirian stages) earlier than that in the southern area (mainly ca. 350-315 Ma; Serpukhovian and Bashkirian stages). Combining a preexisting northward subduction supported by the available magnetotelluric data with a slab rollback model of the main oceanic basin of the Paleo-Asian Ocean (PAO) during Carboniferous and Triassic times, we infer that the Carboniferous arc magmatism was probably derived from a backarc ocean triggered by slab rollback. Thus, the juvenile arc volcanism of Mongolia, together with other areas (e.g., Junggar) in the southern CAOB, represented a significant lateral accretion that terminated after the Carboniferous due to a significant contraction of the PAO.
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Clement AM, Cloutier R, Lu J, Perilli E, Maksimenko A, Long J. A fresh look at Cladarosymblema narrienense, a tetrapodomorph fish (Sarcopterygii: Megalichthyidae) from the Carboniferous of Australia, illuminated via X-ray tomography. PeerJ 2021; 9:e12597. [PMID: 34966593 PMCID: PMC8667741 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The megalichthyids are one of several clades of extinct tetrapodomorph fish that lived throughout the Devonian-Permian periods. They are advanced "osteolepidid-grade" fishes that lived in freshwater swamp and lake environments, with some taxa growing to very large sizes. They bear cosmine-covered bones and a large premaxillary tusk that lies lingually to a row of small teeth. Diagnosis of the family remains controversial with various authors revising it several times in recent works. There are fewer than 10 genera known globally, and only one member definitively identified from Gondwana. Cladarosymblema narrienense Fox et al. 1995 was described from the Lower Carboniferous Raymond Formation in Queensland, Australia, on the basis of several well-preserved specimens. Despite this detailed work, several aspects of its anatomy remain undescribed. Methods Two especially well-preserved 3D fossils of Cladarosymblema narrienense, including the holotype specimen, are scanned using synchrotron or micro-computed tomography (µCT), and 3D modelled using specialist segmentation and visualisation software. New anatomical detail, in particular internal anatomy, is revealed for the first time in this taxon. A novel phylogenetic matrix, adapted from other recent work on tetrapodomorphs, is used to clarify the interrelationships of the megalichthyids and confirm the phylogenetic position of C. narrienense. Results Never before seen morphological details of the palate, hyoid arch, basibranchial skeleton, pectoral girdle and axial skeleton are revealed and described. Several additional features are confirmed or updated from the original description. Moreover, the first full, virtual cranial endocast of any tetrapodomorph fish is presented and described, giving insight into the early neural adaptations in this group. Phylogenetic analysis confirms the monophyly of the Megalichthyidae with seven genera included (Askerichthys, Cladarosymblema, Ectosteorhachis, Mahalalepis, Megalichthys, Palatinichthys, and Sengoerichthys). The position of the megalichthyids as sister group to canowindrids, crownward of "osteolepidids" (e.g.,Osteolepis and Gogonasus), but below "tristichopterids" such as Eusthenopteron is confirmed, but our findings suggest further work is required to resolve megalichthyid interrelationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice M Clement
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Richard Cloutier
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, University of Québec at Rimouski, Rimouski, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jing Lu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China
| | - Egon Perilli
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Anton Maksimenko
- Australian Synchrotron, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - John Long
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
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Huttenlocker AK, Singh SA, Henrici AC, Sumida SS. A Carboniferous synapsid with caniniform teeth and a reappraisal of mandibular size-shape heterodonty in the origin of mammals. R Soc Open Sci 2021; 8:211237. [PMID: 34925870 PMCID: PMC8672069 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Heterodonty is a hallmark of early mammal evolution that originated among the non-mammalian therapsids by the Middle Permian. Nonetheless, the early evolution of heterodonty in basal synapsids is poorly understood, especially in the mandibular dentition. Here, we describe a new synapsid, Shashajaia bermani gen. et sp. nov., based on a well-preserved dentary and jaw fragments from the Carboniferous-Permian Halgaito Formation of southern Utah. Shashajaia shares with some sphenacodontids enlarged (canine-like) anterior dentary teeth, a dorsoventrally deep symphysis and low-crowned, subthecodont postcanines having festooned plicidentine. A phylogenetic analysis of 20 taxa and 154 characters places Shashajaia near the evolutionary divergence of Sphenacodontidae and Therapsida (Sphenacodontoidea). To investigate the ecomorphological context of Palaeozoic sphenacodontoid dentitions, we performed a principal component analysis based on two-dimensional geometric morphometrics of the mandibular dentition in 65 synapsids. Results emphasize the increasing terrestrialization of predator-prey interactions as a driver of synapsid heterodonty; enhanced raptorial biting (puncture/gripping) aided prey capture, but this behaviour was probably an evolutionary antecedent to more complex processing (shearing/tearing) of larger herbivore prey by the late Early to Middle Permian. The record of Shashajaia supports the notion that the predatory feeding ecology of sphenacodontoids emerged in palaeotropical western Pangea by late Carboniferous times.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam K. Huttenlocker
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
- Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Suresh A. Singh
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1RL, UK
| | - Amy C. Henrici
- Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Stuart S. Sumida
- Department of Biology, California State University San Bernardino, San Bernardino, CA 92407, USA
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12
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Whitney MR, Pierce SE. Osteohistology of Greererpeton provides insight into the life history of an early Carboniferous tetrapod. J Anat 2021; 239:1256-1272. [PMID: 34310687 PMCID: PMC8602017 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Revised: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The vertebrate transition to land is one of the most consequential, yet poorly understood periods in tetrapod evolution. Despite the importance of the water-land transition in establishing modern ecosystems, we still know very little about the life histories of the earliest tetrapods. Bone histology provides an exceptional opportunity to study the biology of early tetrapods and has the potential to reveal new insights into their life histories. Here, we examine the femoral bone histology from an ontogenetic series of Greererpeton, an early tetrapod from the Middle-Late Mississippian (early Carboniferous) of North America. Thin-sections and micro-CT data show a moderately paced rate of bone deposition with significant cortical thickening through development. An interruption to regular bone deposition, as indicated by a zone of avascular tissue and growth marks, is notable at the same late juvenile stage of development throughout our sample. This suggests that an inherent aspect to the life history of juvenile Greererpeton resulted in a temporary reduction in bone deposition. We review several possible life history correlates for this bony signature including metamorphosis, an extended juvenile phase, environmental stress, and movement (migration/dispersal) between habitats. We argue that given the anatomy of Greererpeton, it is unlikely that events related to polymorphism (metamorphosis, extended juvenile phase) can explain the bony signature observed in our sample. Furthermore, the ubiquity of this signal in our sample indicates a taxon-level rather than a population-level trait, which is expected for an environmental stress. We conclude that movement via dispersal represents a likely correlate, as such events are a common life history strategy of aquatically bound vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan R. Whitney
- Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary BiologyHarvard UniversityCambridgeMAUSA
| | - Stephanie E. Pierce
- Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary BiologyHarvard UniversityCambridgeMAUSA
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13
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael P D'Antonio
- Department of Geological Sciences, Stanford University, 450 Jane Stanford Way, Building 320, Stanford, CA, 94305-2115, USA
| | - C Kevin Boyce
- Department of Geological Sciences, Stanford University, 450 Jane Stanford Way, Building 320, Stanford, CA, 94305-2115, USA
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14
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Mann A, Calthorpe AS, Maddin HC. Joermungandr bolti, an exceptionally preserved 'microsaur' from the Mazon Creek Lagerstätte reveals patterns of integumentary evolution in Recumbirostra. R Soc Open Sci 2021; 8:210319. [PMID: 34295525 PMCID: PMC8292758 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.210319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
The Carboniferous Pennsylvanian-aged (309-307 Ma) Mazon Creek Lagerstätte produces some of the earliest fossils of major Palaeozoic tetrapod lineages. Recently, several new tetrapod specimens collected from Mazon Creek have come to light, including the earliest fossorially adapted recumbirostrans. Here, we describe a new long-bodied recumbirostran, Joermungandr bolti gen. et sp. nov., known from a single part and counterpart concretion bearing a virtually complete skeleton. Uniquely, Joermungandr preserves a full suite of dorsal, flank and ventral dermal scales, together with a series of thinned and reduced gastralia. Investigation of these scales using scanning electron microscopy reveals ultrastructural ridge and pit morphologies, revealing complexities comparable to the scale ultrastructure of extant snakes and fossorial reptiles, which have scales modified for body-based propulsion and shedding substrate. Our new taxon also represents an important early record of an elongate recumbirostran bauplan, wherein several features linked to fossoriality, including a characteristic recumbent snout, are present. We used parsimony phylogenetic methods to conduct phylogenetic analysis using the most recent recumbirostran-focused matrix. The analysis recovers Joermungandr within Recumbirostra with likely affinities to the sister clades Molgophidae and Brachystelechidae. Finally, we review integumentary patterns in Recumbirostra, noting reductions and losses of gastralia and osteoderms associated with body elongation and, thus, probably also associated with increased fossoriality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arjan Mann
- Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University, 2115 Herzberg Laboratories,1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6
| | - Ami S. Calthorpe
- Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University, 2115 Herzberg Laboratories,1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6
| | - Hillary C. Maddin
- Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University, 2115 Herzberg Laboratories,1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6
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15
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Lennie KI, Manske SL, Mansky CF, Anderson JS. Locomotory behaviour of early tetrapods from Blue Beach, Nova Scotia, revealed by novel microanatomical analysis. R Soc Open Sci 2021; 8:210281. [PMID: 34084552 PMCID: PMC8150034 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.210281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Evidence for terrestriality in early tetrapods is fundamentally contradictory. Fossil trackways attributed to early terrestrial tetrapods long predate the first body fossils from the Late Devonian. However, the Devonian body fossils demonstrate an obligatorily aquatic lifestyle. Complicating our understanding of the transition from water to land is a pronounced gap in the fossil record between the aquatic Devonian taxa and presumably terrestrial tetrapods from the later Early Carboniferous. Recent work suggests that an obligatorily aquatic habit persists much higher in the tetrapod tree than previously recognized. Here, we present independent microanatomical data of locomotor capability from the earliest Carboniferous of Blue Beach, Nova Scotia. The site preserves limb bones from taxa representative of Late Devonian to mid-Carboniferous faunas as well as a rich trackway record. Given that bone remodels in response to functional stresses including gravity and ground reaction forces, we analysed both the midshaft compactness profiles and trabecular anisotropy, the latter using a new whole bone approach. Our findings suggest that early tetrapods retained an aquatic lifestyle despite varied limb morphologies, prior to their emergence onto land. These results suggest that trackways attributed to early tetrapods be closely scrutinized for additional information regarding their creation conditions, and demand an expansion of sampling to better identify the first terrestrial tetrapods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kendra I. Lennie
- Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 507 Campus Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4
- McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1
| | - Sarah L. Manske
- McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1
- Radiology, Foothills Medical Centre, University of Calgary, 1403-29th Street NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 2T9
| | - Chris F. Mansky
- Blue Beach Fossil Museum, 127 Blue Beach Road, Hantsport, Nova Scotia, Canada B0P 1P0
| | - Jason S. Anderson
- McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1
- Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, Foothills Campus, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1
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16
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Lustri L, Laibl L, Bicknell RD. A revision of Prolimulus woodwardi Fritsch, 1899 with comparison to other highly paedomorphic belinurids. PeerJ 2021; 9:e10980. [PMID: 33732551 PMCID: PMC7950201 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Xiphosurida is an ingroup of marine Euchelicerata often referred to as "living fossils". However, this oxymoronic term is inapplicable for Paleozoic and early Mesozoic forms, as during these periods the group experienced notable evolutionary radiations; particularly the diverse late Palaeozoic clade Belinurina. Despite the iconic nature of the group, select species in this clade have been left undescribed in the light of recent geometric morphometric and phylogenetic considerations and methodologies. To this end, we re-describe Prolimulus woodwardi Fritsch, 1899 using new and type specimens to reveal more details on appendage anatomy and possible ecology. Furthermore, we present geometric morphometric and phylogenetic analyses that uncover relationships between P. woodwardi and other belinurids without genal spines. Both approaches highlight that a clade containing Prolimulus Fritsch, 1899, Liomesaspis Raymond, 1944, Alanops Racheboeuf, Vannier & Anderson, 2002 and Stilpnocephalus Selden, Simonetto & Marsiglio, 2019 may exist. While we do not erect a new group to contain these genera, we note that these genera exemplify the extreme limits of the Belinurina radiation and a peak in horseshoe crab diversity and disparity. This evidence also illustrates how changes in heterochronic timing are a key evolutionary phenomenon that can drive radiations among animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Lustri
- Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Lausanne, Geopolis, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Lukáš Laibl
- Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
- Institute of Geology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Russell D.C. Bicknell
- Palaeoscience Research Centre, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
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17
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Salamon MA, Ausich WI, Brachaniec T, Płachno BJ, Gorzelak P. Uncovering the hidden diversity of Mississippian crinoids (Crinoidea, Echinodermata) from Poland. PeerJ 2020; 8:e10641. [PMID: 33391889 PMCID: PMC7759130 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Partial crinoid crowns and aboral cups are reported from the Mississippian of Poland for the first time. Most specimens are partially disarticulated or isolated plates, which prevent identification to genus and species, but regardless these remains indicate a rich diversity of Mississippian crinoids in Poland during the Mississippian, especially during the late Viséan. Lanecrinus? sp. is described from the late Tournaisian of the Dębnik Anticline region. A high crinoid biodiversity occurred during late Viséan of the Holy Cross Mountains, including the camerate crinoids Gilbertsocrinus? sp., Platycrinitidae Indeterminate; one flexible crinoid; and numerous eucladid crinoids, including Cyathocrinites mammillaris (Phillips), three taxa represented by partial cups left in open nomenclature, and numerous additional taxa known only from isolated radial plates, brachial plates, and columnals. To date, the youngest occurrence of Gilbertsocrinus was the early Viséan of the United States, thus the present finding in upper Viséan extends this genus range. Furthermore, the occurrence of Lanecrinus? sp. expands the Western European range of this genus into the Tournaisian. A single partially disarticulated crown, Crinoidea Indeterminate B, is described from the Serpukhovian of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin. In addition, several echinoid test plates and spines are also reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariusz A Salamon
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Sosnowiec, Poland
| | - William I Ausich
- School of Earth Sciences, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States of America
| | - Tomasz Brachaniec
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Sosnowiec, Poland
| | - Bartosz J Płachno
- Faculty of Biology, Institute of Botany, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Cracow, Poland
| | - Przemysław Gorzelak
- Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland, Warsaw, Poland
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18
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Roach T, Na CS, Stöggl W, Krieger-Liszkay A. The non-photochemical quenching protein LHCSR3 prevents oxygen-dependent photoinhibition in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. J Exp Bot 2020; 71:2650-2660. [PMID: 31943079 PMCID: PMC7210768 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/eraa022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) helps dissipate surplus light energy, preventing formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, the thylakoid membrane protein LHCSR3 is involved in pH-dependent (qE-type) NPQ, lacking in the npq4 mutant. Preventing PSII repair revealed that npq4 lost PSII activity faster than the wild type (WT) in elevated O2, while no difference between strains was observed in O2-depleted conditions. Low Fv/Fm values remained 1.5 h after moving cells out of high light, and this qH-type quenching was independent of LHCSR3 and not accompanied by losses of maximum PSII activity. Culturing cells in historic O2 atmospheres (30-35%) increased the qE of cells, due to increased LHCSR1 and PsbS levels, and LHCSR3 in the WT, showing that atmospheric O2 tensions regulate qE capacity. Colony growth of npq4 was severely restricted at elevated O2, and npq4 accumulated more reactive electrophile species (RES) than the WT, which could damage PSI. Levels of PsaA (PSI) were lower in npq4 grown at 35% O2, while PsbA (PSII) levels remained stable. We conclude that even at high O2 concentrations, the PSII repair cycle is sufficient to maintain net levels of PSII. However, LHCSR3 has an important function in protecting PSI against O2-mediated damage, such as via RES.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Roach
- Department of Botany and Centre for Molecular Biology Innsbruck, Leopold-Franzens-Universität-Innsbruck, Sternwartestraße 15, Innsbruck, Austria
- Correspondence:
| | - Chae Sun Na
- Department of Botany and Centre for Molecular Biology Innsbruck, Leopold-Franzens-Universität-Innsbruck, Sternwartestraße 15, Innsbruck, Austria
- Seed Conservation Research Division, Department of Seed Vault, Baekdudaegan National Arboretum, Munsu-ro, Chunyang-myeon, Bonghwa-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Wolfgang Stöggl
- Department of Botany and Centre for Molecular Biology Innsbruck, Leopold-Franzens-Universität-Innsbruck, Sternwartestraße 15, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Anja Krieger-Liszkay
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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19
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Gee BM, Reisz RR. A redescription of the late Carboniferous trematopid Actiobates peabodyi from Garnett, Kansas. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2020; 303:2821-2838. [PMID: 32003550 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2019] [Revised: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 01/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Dissorophoids are a diverse clade of predominantly Permo-Carboniferous temnospondyls with a wide geographic distribution and broad ecological diversity. Each of the various dissorophoid clades first appears in the late Carboniferous, but their records are relatively sparse and fragmentary compared to those of the early Permian when dissorophoids reach their peak diversity and distribution, particularly in terrestrial environments where they are by far the most taxonomically diverse clade of non-amniote tetrapods. This provides an impetus for further study of the late Carboniferous terrestrial dissorophoids in order to contextualize the early stages in the clade's radiation into terrestrial ecosystems. Here we present a redescription of the late Carboniferous trematopid Actiobates peabodyi from Kansas, USA, which is represented by a nearly complete skeleton and which represents the earliest occurrence of trematopids in North America. Only the skull was previously described, and the taxon has been largely overlooked in the context of early terrestrial dissorophoid evolution. Here, we provide an updated cranial description, the first postcranial description, and a discussion of the position of A. peabodyi in the context of olsoniform evolution. Our most significant finding is the characterization of postcranial anatomy that is highly similar to that of later trematopid taxa. This high degree of conservatism indicates that the earliest trematopids were already well adapted for terrestrial environments, and post-Carboniferous radiations of olsoniforms may be attributed to an expansion of the dryland terrestrial environments in which these taxa already thrived, rather than to novel acquisition of adaptive features later in the clade's evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan M Gee
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
| | - Robert R Reisz
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.,International Centre of Future Science, Dinosaur Evolution Research Center, Jilin University, Changchun, China
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20
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Mann A, McDaniel EJ, McColville ER, Maddin HC. Carbonodraco lundi gen et sp. nov., the oldest parareptile, from Linton, Ohio, and new insights into the early radiation of reptiles. R Soc Open Sci 2019; 6:191191. [PMID: 31827854 PMCID: PMC6894558 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.191191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Redescription of the holotype specimen of Cephalerpeton ventriarmatum Moodie, 1912, from the Middle Pennsylvanian (Moscovian) Francis Creek Shale of Mazon Creek, Illinois, confirms that it is a basal eureptile with close postcranial similarities to other protorothyridids, such as Anthracodromeus and Paleothyris. The skull is long and lightly built, with large orbits and a dorsoventrally short mandible similar to most basal eureptiles. Two specimens referred previously to Cephalerpeton cf. C. ventriarmatum from the approximately coeval Linton, Ohio, locality differ significantly from the holotype in cranial and mandibular proportions and tooth morphology. This material and an additional Linton specimen compare favourably to 'short-faced' parareptiles, such as Colobomycter and Acleistorhinus, and justify recognition of an acleistorhinid parareptile in the Linton assemblage. The new binomen is thus the oldest known parareptile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arjan Mann
- Author for correspondence: Arjan Mann e-mail:
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21
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Boyce CK, Zwieniecki MA. The prospects for constraining productivity through time with the whole-plant physiology of fossils. New Phytol 2019; 223:40-49. [PMID: 30304562 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2017] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Anatomically preserved fossils allow estimation of hydraulic parameters, potentially providing constraints on interpreting whole-plant physiology. However, different organ systems have typically been considered in isolation - a problem given common mismatches of high and low conductance components coupled in the hydraulic path of the same plant. A recent paper addressed the issue of how to handle resistance mismatches in fossil plant hydraulics, focusing on Carboniferous medullosan seed plants and arborescent lycopsids. Among other problems, however, a fundamental error was made: the transpiration stream consists of resistances in series (where resistances are additive and the component with the largest resistance can dominate the behavior of the system), but emphasis was instead placed on the lowest resistance, effectively treating the system as resistances in parallel (where the component with the smallest resistance will dominate the behavior). Instead of possessing high assimilation capacities to match high specific stem conductances, it is argued here that individual high conductance components in these Paleozoic plants are nonetheless associated with low whole-plant productivity, just as can be commonly seen in living plants. Resolution of how to handle these issues may have broad implications for the Earth system including geobiological feedbacks to rock weathering, atmospheric composition, and climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Kevin Boyce
- Geological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
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22
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Pardo JD, Mann A. A basal aïstopod from the earliest Pennsylvanian of Canada, and the antiquity of the first limbless tetrapod lineage. R Soc Open Sci 2018; 5:181056. [PMID: 30662726 PMCID: PMC6304130 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.181056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 11/01/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Earliest Pennsylvanian (Bashkirian) vertebrate fossil assemblages of the Joggins Formation (Cumberland Group) of Nova Scotia, Canada, have long been noted for the unique representation of the earliest known crown amniotes, but the overall vertebrate fauna remains poorly understood. The vast majority of Joggins vertebrates have historically been assigned to the Microsauria, a group originally established by Dawson specifically to accommodate the abundant, diminutive fossils of the Joggins Formation. As the Microsauria concept has evolved, some Joggins taxa (e.g. the eureptile Hylonomus lyelli) have been removed from the group, but many of the Joggins 'microsaurs' remain unrevised, obscuring the true diversity of the earliest Pennsylvanian tetrapod fauna. Here we amend part of this problem by revisiting the morphology of Dawson's 'microsaur' Hylerpeton longidentatum. This taxon, represented by the anterior half of a left hemimandible, is here reinterpreted as a plesiomorphic aïstopod and assigned to a new genus, Andersonerpeton. A. longidentatum shows a surprisingly primitive anatomy of the lower jaw, retaining a parasymphyseal fang pair on the dentary, an adsymphyseal bone bearing a denticle field, fangs on all coronoids and parasymphyseal foramina, as well as a prearticular which extends far anterior along the coronoid series. However, several aïstopod characters can also be seen, including a lack of sculpturing on the dentary and a reduced number of recurved, weakly socketed teeth. The anatomy of A. longidentatum corroborates recent phylogenetic work which has placed the origin of aïstopods within the Devonian fin-to-limb transition but preserves a mosaic of characteristics suggesting an even earlier divergence. The presence of an aïstopod in the Joggins fauna expands the taxonomic diversity of the Joggins fauna and suggests that Joggins may preserve a more typical Carboniferous fauna than previously thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason D. Pardo
- Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
- McCaig Institute of Bone and Joint Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Arjan Mann
- Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University, 1125 Colonial By Drive, Ottawa, Canada
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Mickle KE. A new lower actinopterygian fish from the Upper Mississippian Bluefield Formation of West Virginia, USA. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5533. [PMID: 30186696 PMCID: PMC6119456 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Upper Mississippian Bluefield Formation of the Mauch Chunk Group in southeastern West Virginia is known for its preservation of a variety of invertebrate taxa and early tetrapod trackways, but no lower actinopterygian remains have been formally described from these Carboniferous rocks. Here, the first lower actinopterygian fish is described from the Bluefield Formation of West Virginia. This fish is represented by a nearly complete articulated specimen with a three-dimensional snout and an unobstructed view of the gular and branchiostegal region. This new taxon is defined by a unique set of characters, which include features of the snout, circumorbital series, cheek, and operculo-gular region. These features make this fish different and distinct from previously described Carboniferous fishes. Some of the morphological features of note include the presence of a distinct lacrimal, premaxillary, ventral rostral and dorsal rostral bones, a narrow infraorbital ventral to the orbit, and a large crescent shaped infraorbital that contacts a single dermosphenotic. There is an anteriorly inclined hatchet-shaped preoperculum and six small suborbital bones anterior to the expanded region of this bone that filling the space between the preoperculum, dermosphenotic, and infraorbital. Posterior to the preoperculum, there is a single wedge-shaped dermohyal and a series of three rectangular anteopercular bones. The anteopercular bones extend halfway down the anterior border of the rectangular operculum. A median gular, two pairs of lateral gulars, and at least eight branchiostegal rays are present. The heterocercal caudal fin is deeply cleft and inequilobate. The scales have pectinated posterior margins and bear diagonal ridges of ganoine. The description of this new taxon represents the first actinopterygian and the first vertebrate body fossil described from the Bluefield Formation and the second actinopterygian taxon described from the Mauch Chunk Group in West Virginia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn E Mickle
- Jefferson College of Life Sciences, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
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24
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Itano WM, Lambert LL. A new cochliodont anterior tooth plate from the Mississippian of Alabama (USA) having implications for the origin of tooth plates from tooth files. Zoological Lett 2018; 4:12. [PMID: 29930866 PMCID: PMC5991435 DOI: 10.1186/s40851-018-0097-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2017] [Accepted: 05/11/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Paleozoic holocephalian tooth plates are rarely found articulated in their original positions. When they are found isolated, it is difficult to associate the small, anterior tooth plates with the larger, more posterior ones. Tooth plates are presumed to have evolved from fusion of tooth files. However, there is little fossil evidence for this hypothesis. RESULTS We report a tooth plate having nearly perfect bilateral symmetry from the Mississippian (Chesterian Stage) Bangor Limestone of Franklin County, Alabama, USA. The high degree of symmetry suggests that it may have occupied a symphyseal or parasymphyseal position. The tooth plate resembles Deltodopsis? bialveatus St. John and Worthen, 1883, but differs in having a sharp ridge with multiple cusps arranged along the occlusal surface of the presumed labiolingual axis, rather than a relatively smooth occlusal surface. The multicusped shape is suggestive of a fused tooth file. The middle to latest Chesterian (Serpukhovian) age is determined by conodonts found in the same bed. CONCLUSION The new tooth plate is interpreted as an anterior tooth plate of a chondrichthyan fish. It is referred to Arcuodus multicuspidatus Itano and Lambert, gen. et sp. nov. Deltodopsis? bialveatus is also referred to Arcuodus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wayne M. Itano
- Museum of Natural History, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309 USA
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Kevin Boyce C, DiMichele WA. Fast or slow for the arborescent lycopsids?: Response to Thomas & Cleal (2018) 'Arborescent lycophyte growth in the late Carboniferous coal swamps'. New Phytol 2018; 218:891-893. [PMID: 29457227 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- C Kevin Boyce
- Geological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
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Affiliation(s)
- Barry A Thomas
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, University of Aberystwyth, Penglais, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 1NL, UK
| | - Christopher J Cleal
- Department of Natural Sciences, National Museum Wales, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NP, UK
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Corrigendum. New Phytol 2018; 218:873-4. [PMID: 29561070 DOI: 10.1111/nph.14958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
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Buchwitz M, Voigt S. On the morphological variability of Ichniotherium tracks and evolution of locomotion in the sistergroup of amniotes. PeerJ 2018; 6:e4346. [PMID: 29404225 PMCID: PMC5797465 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2017] [Accepted: 01/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Ichniotherium tracks with a relatively short pedal digit V (digit length ratio V/IV < 0.6) form the majority of yet described Late Carboniferous to Early Permian diadectomorph tracks and can be related to a certain diadectid clade with corresponding phalangeal reduction that includes Diadectes and its close relatives. Here we document the variation of digit proportions and trackway parameters in 25 trackways (69 step cycles) from nine localities and seven further specimens with incomplete step cycles from the type locality of Ichniotherium cottae (Gottlob quarry) in order to find out whether this type of Ichniotherium tracks represents a homogeneous group or an assemblage of distinct morphotypes and includes variability indicative for evolutionary change in trackmaker locomotion. According to our results, the largest sample of tracks from three Lower Permian sites of the Thuringian Forest, commonly referred to I. cottae, is not homogeneous but shows a clear distinction in pace length, pace angulation, apparent trunk length and toe proportions between tracks from Bromacker quarry and those from the stratigraphically older sites Birkheide and Gottlob quarry. Three Late Carboniferous trackways of Ichniotherium with relatively short pedal digit V from Haine’s Farm, Ohio, and Alveley near Birmingham, United Kingdom, that have been referred to the ichnotaxa “Baropus hainesi,” “Megabaropus hainesi” and “Ichniotherium willsi,” respectively, share a marked outward rotation of foot imprints with respect to walking direction. Apart from this feature they are in many aspects similar to the Birkheide and Gottlob records of I. cottae. With the possible exception of the Maroon Formation (Early Permian, Colorado) sample, Early Permian Ichniotherium trackways with a relatively short pedal digit V fall into the morphological spectrum of the three well defined “Hainesi–Willsi,” “Birkheide–Gottlob” and “Bromacker” morphotypes. With their more obtuse pace angulations and higher body-size-normalized pace and stride lengths the Bromacker type tracks imply higher walking speeds of their trackmakers compared to all other Ichniotherium tracks. More generally, a trend towards higher locomotion capability from the last common ancestor of all Ichniotherium producers to the last common ancestor of all “Ichniotherium with relatively short pedal digit V” and from the latter to the trackmakers of the mid-Early Permian Bromacker type can be deduced—with the reservation that overall sample size is relatively small, making this scenario a preliminary assessment. Whether the presumed advancements represent a more general pattern within diadectomorphs remains open until the non-European Ichniotherium trackway record improves. Ichnotaxonomic implications are discussed.
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Monaghan AA. Unconventional energy resources in a crowded subsurface: Reducing uncertainty and developing a separation zone concept for resource estimation and deep 3D subsurface planning using legacy mining data. Sci Total Environ 2017; 601-602:45-56. [PMID: 28549287 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.05.125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2017] [Revised: 05/07/2017] [Accepted: 05/14/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Over significant areas of the UK and western Europe, anthropogenic alteration of the subsurface by mining of coal has occurred beneath highly populated areas which are now considering a multiplicity of 'low carbon' unconventional energy resources including shale gas and oil, coal bed methane, geothermal energy and energy storage. To enable decision making on the 3D planning, licensing and extraction of these resources requires reduced uncertainty around complex geology and hydrogeological and geomechanical processes. An exemplar from the Carboniferous of central Scotland, UK, illustrates how, in areas lacking hydrocarbon well production data and 3D seismic surveys, legacy coal mine plans and associated boreholes provide valuable data that can be used to reduce the uncertainty around geometry and faulting of subsurface energy resources. However, legacy coal mines also limit unconventional resource volumes since mines and associated shafts alter the stress and hydrogeochemical state of the subsurface, commonly forming pathways to the surface. To reduce the risk of subsurface connections between energy resources, an example of an adapted methodology is described for shale gas/oil resource estimation to include a vertical separation or 'stand-off' zone between the deepest mine workings, to ensure the hydraulic fracturing required for shale resource production would not intersect legacy coal mines. Whilst the size of such separation zones requires further work, developing the concept of 3D spatial separation and planning is key to utilising the crowded subsurface energy system, whilst mitigating against resource sterilisation and environmental impacts, and could play a role in positively informing public and policy debate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison A Monaghan
- British Geological Survey, The Lyell Centre, Research Avenue South, Edinburgh EH14 4AP, United Kingdom..
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Pas JVD, Poppe L, Waveren IMV. Ontogenetic variability in old and new collections of Dicranophyllum gallicum Grand'Eury from the late Palaeozoic of Europe. PhytoKeys 2017; 88:123-149. [PMID: 29213207 PMCID: PMC5711295 DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.88.14042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2017] [Accepted: 09/28/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Dicranophyllum gallicum Grand'Eury is described by means of a morphometric analysis of eighty two samples from various old and new localities in western and central Europe. Stem, leaf cushions, leaf scars, leaves, axillary structures and potential seeds are described in detail, and discussed in comparison to earlier studies. The encountered variability in size and structure is shown to be higher than what was described earlier. The organisation of the leaf cushion and scar density vary gradually with the stem width, while stratigraphic position and ecology do not relate to it. It is concluded that the described variability represents an ontogenetic feature rather than a phylogenetic or ecologic one. The juvenile plants are characterised by small stems, a high leaf scar density and elongated leaf cushions with a dominant apical field, while mature specimens are characterized by a wide stem, a relatively low leaf scar density and relatively wide leaf cushions with a pronounced basal field. Axillary shoots and potential seeds of D. gallicum are described and illustrated in detail for the first time. A reconstruction based on the studied material is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorik Van Der Pas
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Postbus 9517, 2300 RA, Leiden, the
Netherlands
| | - Linda Poppe
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Postbus 9517, 2300 RA, Leiden, the
Netherlands
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Abstract
The bulk of Earth's coal deposits used as fossil fuel today was formed from plant debris during the late Carboniferous and early Permian periods. The high burial rate of organic carbon correlates with a significant drawdown of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) at that time. A recent analysis of a high-resolution record reveals large orbitally driven variations in atmospheric CO2 concentration between [Formula: see text]150 and 700 ppm for the latest Carboniferous and very low values of 100 [Formula: see text] 80 ppm for the earliest Permian. Here, I explore the sensitivity of the climate around the Carboniferous/Permian boundary to changes in Earth's orbital parameters and in atmospheric CO2 using a coupled climate model. The coldest orbital configurations are characterized by large axial tilt and small eccentricities of Earth's elliptical orbit, whereas the warmest configuration occurs at minimum tilt, maximum eccentricity, and a perihelion passage during Northern hemisphere spring. Global glaciation occurs at CO2 concentrations <40 ppm, suggesting a rather narrow escape from a fully glaciated Snowball Earth state given the low levels and large fluctuations of atmospheric CO2 These findings highlight the importance of orbital cycles for the climate and carbon cycle during the late Paleozoic ice age and the climatic significance of the fossil carbon stored in Earth's coal deposits.
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Wilson JP, Montañez IP, White JD, DiMichele WA, McElwain JC, Poulsen CJ, Hren MT. Dynamic Carboniferous tropical forests: new views of plant function and potential for physiological forcing of climate. New Phytol 2017; 215:1333-1353. [PMID: 28742257 DOI: 10.1111/nph.14700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2017] [Accepted: 05/22/2017] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Contents 1333 I. 1334 II. 1335 III. 1339 IV. 1344 V. 1347 VI. 1347 1348 1348 References 1348 SUMMARY: The Carboniferous, the time of Earth's penultimate icehouse and widespread coal formation, was dominated by extinct lineages of early-diverging vascular plants. Studies of nearest living relatives of key Carboniferous plants suggest that their physiologies and growth forms differed substantially from most types of modern vegetation, particularly forests. It remains a matter of debate precisely how differently and to what degree these long-extinct plants influenced the environment. Integrating biophysical analysis of stomatal and vascular conductivity with geochemical analysis of fossilized tissues and process-based ecosystem-scale modeling yields a dynamic and unique perspective on these paleoforests. This integrated approach indicates that key Carboniferous plants were capable of growth and transpiration rates that approach values found in extant crown-group angiosperms, differing greatly from comparatively modest rates found in their closest living relatives. Ecosystem modeling suggests that divergent stomatal conductance, leaf sizes and stem life span between dominant clades would have shifted the balance of soil-atmosphere water fluxes, and thus surface runoff flux, during repeated, climate-driven, vegetation turnovers. This synthesis highlights the importance of 'whole plant' physiological reconstruction of extinct plants and the potential of vascular plants to have influenced the Earth system hundreds of millions of years ago through vegetation-climate feedbacks.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Isabel P Montañez
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Joseph D White
- Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, TX, 76798, USA
| | - William A DiMichele
- Department of Paleobiology, Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, 20560, USA
| | - Jennifer C McElwain
- Earth Institute, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Christopher J Poulsen
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Michael T Hren
- Center for Integrative Geosciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
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Prokop J, Pecharová M, Nel A, Hörnschemeyer T, Krzemińska E, Krzemiński W, Engel MS. Paleozoic Nymphal Wing Pads Support Dual Model of Insect Wing Origins. Curr Biol 2017; 27:263-269. [PMID: 28089512 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.11.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2016] [Revised: 10/23/2016] [Accepted: 11/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The appearance of wings in insects, early in their evolution [1], has been one of the more critical innovations contributing to their extraordinary diversity. Despite the conspicuousness and importance of wings, the origin of these structures has been difficult to resolve and represented one of the "abominable mysteries" in evolutionary biology [2]. More than a century of debate has boiled the matter down to two competing alternatives-one of wings representing an extension of the thoracic notum, the other stating that they are appendicular derivations from the lateral body wall. Recently, a dual model has been supported by genomic and developmental data [3-6], representing an amalgamation of elements from both the notal and pleural hypotheses. Here, we reveal crucial information from the wing pad joints of Carboniferous palaeodictyopteran insect nymphs using classical and high-tech techniques. These nymphs had three pairs of wing pads that were medially articulated to the thorax but also broadly contiguous with the notum anteriorly and posteriorly (details unobservable in modern insects), supporting their overall origin from the thoracic notum as well as the expected medial, pleural series of axillary sclerites. Our study provides support for the formation of the insect wing from the thoracic notum as well as the already known pleural elements of the arthropodan leg. These results support the unique, dual model for insect wing origins and the convergent reduction of notal fusion in more derived clades, presumably due to wing rotation during development, and they help to bring resolution to this long-standing debate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Prokop
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 44 Praha 2, Czech Republic.
| | - Martina Pecharová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 44 Praha 2, Czech Republic
| | - André Nel
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité, ISYEB - UMR 7205 - CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, EPHE, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, 57 Rue Cuvier, CP 50, Entomologie, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Thomas Hörnschemeyer
- Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Ewa Krzemińska
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Sławkowska 17, 31-016 Kraków, Poland
| | - Wiesław Krzemiński
- Institute of Biology, Pedagogical University of Kraków, Podbrzezie 3, 31-054 Kraków, Poland
| | - Michael S Engel
- Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 1501 Crestline Drive, Suite 140, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA; Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA
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Meade LE, Jones AS, Butler RJ. A revision of tetrapod footprints from the late Carboniferous of the West Midlands, UK. PeerJ 2016; 4:e2718. [PMID: 27904809 PMCID: PMC5126627 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2016] [Accepted: 10/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A series of sandstone slabs from Hamstead, Birmingham (West Midlands, UK), preserve an assemblage of tetrapod trackways and individual tracks from the Enville Member of the Salop Formation (late Carboniferous: late Moscovian-Kasimovian). This material has received limited previous study, despite being one of the few British sites to preserve Carboniferous tetrapod footprints. Here, we restudy and revise the taxonomy of this material, and document it using 3D models produced using photogrammetry. The assemblage is dominated by large tracks assigned to Limnopus isp., which were made by early amphibians (temnospondyls). A number of similar but smaller tracks are assigned to Batrachichnus salamandroides (also made by temnospondyls). Dimetropus leisnerianus (made by early synapsids) and Dromopus lacertoides (made by lizard-like sauropsids such as araeoscelids) are also present. This ichnofauna contrasts with a slightly stratigraphically older, more extensive and better-studied assemblage from Alveley (Shropshire), which is dominated by small amphibians with relatively rare reptiliomorphs, but which lacks Dromopus tracks. The presence of Dromopus lacertoides at Hamstead is consistent with the trend towards increasing aridity through the late Carboniferous. It is possible that the assemblage is the stratigraphically oldest occurrence of this important amniote ichnotaxon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke E Meade
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham , Birmingham , United Kingdom
| | - Andrew S Jones
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham , Birmingham , United Kingdom
| | - Richard J Butler
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham , Birmingham , United Kingdom
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Garwood RJ, Edgecombe GD, Charbonnier S, Chabard D, Sotty D, Giribet G. Carboniferous Onychophora from Montceau-les-Mines, France, and onychophoran terrestrialization. Invertebr Biol 2016; 135:179-190. [PMID: 27708504 PMCID: PMC5042098 DOI: 10.1111/ivb.12130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The geological age of the onychophoran crown-group, and when the group came onto land, have been sources of debate. Although stem-group Onychophora have been identified from as early as the Cambrian, the sparse record of terrestrial taxa from before the Cretaceous is subject to contradictory interpretations. A Late Carboniferous species from the Mazon Creek biota of the USA, Helenodora inopinata, originally interpreted as a crown-group onychophoran, has recently been allied to early Cambrian stem-group taxa. Here we describe a fossil species from the Late Carboniferous Montceau-les-Mines Lagerstätte, France, informally referred to as an onychophoran for more than 30 years. The onychophoran affinities of Antennipatus montceauensis gen. nov., sp. nov. are indicated by the form of the trunk plicae and the shape and spacing of their papillae, details of antennal annuli, and the presence of putative slime papillae. The poor preservation of several key systematic characters for extant Onychophora, however, prohibits the precise placement of the Carboniferous fossil in the stem or crown of the two extant families, or the onychophoran stem-group as a whole. Nevertheless, A. montceauensis is the most compelling candidate to date for a terrestrial Paleozoic onychophoran.
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Affiliation(s)
- Russell J. Garwood
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental SciencesThe University of ManchesterManchesterM13 9PLUK
- Department of Earth SciencesThe Natural History MuseumLondonSW7 5BDUK
| | | | - Sylvain Charbonnier
- Département Histoire de la TerreMuséum national d'Histoire naturelle, ParisF‐75005ParisFrance
| | | | - Daniel Sotty
- Muséum d'Histoire naturelle d'AutunF‐71400AutunFrance
| | - Gonzalo Giribet
- Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary BiologyHarvard UniversityCambridgeMassachusetts02138USA
- Department of Life SciencesThe Natural History MuseumLondonSW7 5BDUK
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Garwood RJ, Dunlop JA, Selden PA, Spencer ART, Atwood RC, Vo NT, Drakopoulos M. Almost a spider: a 305-million-year-old fossil arachnid and spider origins. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 283:20160125. [PMID: 27030415 PMCID: PMC4822468 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.0125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2016] [Accepted: 02/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Spiders are an important animal group, with a long history. Details of their origins remain limited, with little knowledge of their stem group, and no insights into the sequence of character acquisition during spider evolution. We describe a new fossil arachnid, Idmonarachne brasierigen. et sp. nov. from the Late Carboniferous (Stephanian,ca 305-299 Ma) of Montceau-les-Mines, France. It is three-dimensionally preserved within a siderite concretion, allowing both laboratory- and synchrotron-based phase-contrast computed tomography reconstruction. The latter is a first for siderite-hosted fossils and has allowed us to investigate fine anatomical details. Although distinctly spider-like in habitus, this remarkable fossil lacks a key diagnostic character of Araneae: spinnerets on the underside of the opisthosoma. It also lacks a flagelliform telson found in the recently recognized, spider-related, Devonian-Permian Uraraneida. Cladistic analysis resolves our new fossil as sister group to the spiders: the spider stem-group comprises the uraraneids and I. brasieri While we are unable to demonstrate the presence of spigots in this fossil, the recovered phylogeny suggests the earliest character to evolve on the spider stem-group is the secretion of silk. This would have been followed by the loss of a flagelliform telson, and then the ability to spin silk using spinnerets. This last innovation defines the true spiders, significantly post-dates the origins of silk, and may be a key to the group's success. The Montceau-les-Mines locality has previously yielded a mesothele spider (with spinnerets). Evidently, Late Palaeozoic spiders lived alongside Palaeozoic arachnid grades which approached the spider condition, but did not express the full suite of crown-group autapomorphies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Russell J Garwood
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Jason A Dunlop
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Paul A Selden
- Department of Geology, University of Kansas, Lindley Hall, 1475 Jayhawk Boulevard, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Alan R T Spencer
- Department of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Robert C Atwood
- Diamond Light Source, The Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, UK
| | - Nghia T Vo
- Diamond Light Source, The Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, UK
| | - Michael Drakopoulos
- Diamond Light Source, The Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, UK
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Dixon JM, Todd H. Koeleria macrantha: performance and distribution in relation to soil and plant calcium and magnesium. New Phytol 2001; 152:59-68. [PMID: 35974484 DOI: 10.1046/j.0028-646x.2001.00242.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
• The reported sensitivity of Koeleria macrantha (Poaceae) to soil magnesium, resulting in its absence from South Wales dolomitic limestone, was examined here in relation to varying ionic Ca to Mg ratios, and by cultivation in different limestone soils. • In a growth cabinet experiment, shoot and root Ca and Mg concentration and dry weight yield were determined for five edaphically varied populations of K. macrantha grown from tillers, over a range of Ca : Mg concentrations. The influence of relative concentrations of other nutrients was also investigated. In addition, K. macrantha plants were cultivated on Carboniferous, Magnesian and dolomitic limestone soils. • Total plant Ca: Mg ranged from 0.3 to > 20 mille-equivalents. Optimal substrate ratios (from 25 : 1 to 0.1 : 1), and response to different concentrations of nutrients varied between the populations. Cultivation on dolomitic limestone soil produced the highest yields. • The adverse effect on yields of all populations with low substrate Ca: Mg was much lower than predicted. Results suggest K. macrantha has a higher substrate Mg tolerance than other members of the Poaceae: its reported absence from the South Wales dolomitic limestone is unlikely to be due to soil magnesium sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean M Dixon
- Department of Environmental Science, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK
| | - Helen Todd
- Department of Environmental Science, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK
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