Article
Geography, Physical
Francesca Bulian, Tanja J. Kouwenhoven, Francisco J. Jimenez-Espejo, Wout Krijgsman, Nils Andersen, Francisco J. Sierro
Summary: Integration of foraminiferal and geochemical data from West Alboran Basin allowed evaluation of the effects of the initial Mediterranean-Atlantic restriction event preceding the Messinian Salinity Crisis. The study revealed profound impacts on deep waters in the basin, as well as a correlation between the local Mediterranean change and the global Late Miocene Carbon Isotope Shift.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Paleontology
Andrea Benedetti, Cesare Andrea Papazzoni
Summary: This study provides a summary of the stratigraphic distribution and diversity of roataliids during the Paleocene and Eocene epochs. The results show that roataliids rapidly differentiated at the genus level, with a peak in diversity during the upper Danian and upper Thanetian periods. However, their overall diversity declined afterwards, while other groups of larger foraminifera, particularly Alveolina and Nummulites, flourished. Climate warming events were found to be closely linked to these major changes in roataliid diversity.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Anshuman Swain, S. Augusta Maccracken, William F. Fagan, Conrad C. Labandeira
Summary: Plant-insect associations have been a significant component of terrestrial ecology for over 400 million years, and exploring these interactions through fossil records provides insights into the evolutionary and ecological forces that shaped them. By using network science tools, a bipartite network representation of late Paleozoic plant-insect interactions can help address key questions in insect herbivory evolution. The methods proposed in this study, focusing on fossilized plants and herbivore-induced leaf damage, can be applied to well-preserved fossil floras beyond the specific locations studied in north-central Texas.
Article
Geology
Jaime Joaquim Dias, Ismar de Souza Carvalho
Summary: Insect fossils in the lithographic limestones of the Crato Formation in the Araripe Basin of Brazil show a high degree of morphological fidelity due to the influence of microbial mats. Petrographic and SEM/EDS analysis revealed microbial features associated with the insect fossils. A four-step model was proposed for insect fossil preservation, involving capture, protection, creation of microbial sarcophagus, and mineralization by microbial mats. The confluence of morphological and taphonomic data suggests possible climatic variations in the Aptian of the Araripe Basin.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Paleontology
Jens N. Lallensack, James O. Farlow, Peter L. Falkingham
Summary: The study found that elongate dinosaur tracks are actually caused by deep penetrations of the foot in soft sediment. The sediment may collapse above parts of the descending foot, leaving a shallow surface track that preserves a metatarsal mark. The length of a metatarsal mark is determined by multiple factors and is not necessarily correlated with the length of the metatarsus.
Article
Biology
Julian C. G. Silva Junior, Agustin G. Martinelli, Fabiano Iori, Thiago S. Marinho, E. Martin Hechenleitner, Max C. Langer
Summary: Aeolosaurus is a late Cretaceous Titanosaur genus with species found in Argentina and Brazil. The Brazilian species Aeolosaurus maximus has been questioned by several authors and a new genus, Arrudatitan, has been proposed to accommodate it.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Siding Jin, Sibing Liu, Zheng Li, Anqing Chen, Chao Ma
Summary: It has been demonstrated that the sedimentary deposits of Eocene succession in Bohai Bay Basin in China responded to astronomically forced climate changes. Several sections have been evaluated for cyclostratigraphy and many astronomical time scales (ATSs) have been constructed in Paleogene Bohai Bay Basin. However, the calibrations of age model and the constructed ATSs failed to reach an agreement and many of them relied on totally different orbital interpretations within the same section/borehole.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Marina Kirichenko-Babko, Evgeny E. Perkovsky, Dmitry V. Vasilenko
Summary: The paper describes a new ground beetle, Antephilorhizus pripiatiensis gen. et sp. nov., found in the late Eocene Rovno amber, and provides a comparative analysis of its characteristics and classification position.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Shi Sun, Anqing Chen, Hongde Chen, Mingcai Hou, Shuai Yang, Shenglin Xu, Feng Wang, Zhifa Huang, James G. Ogg
Summary: The study reveals that the intensity of chemical weathering rapidly decreased during the Early Permian, influenced by glacial events, high-temperature climates, and climate fluctuations.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Annamaria Fornelli, Francesca Micheletti, Salvatore Gallicchio, Fabrizio Tursi, Sara Criniti, Salvatore Critelli
Summary: By analyzing the ages of detrital zircons from southern Italy, the provenance signatures of different formations were determined, contributing to the understanding of the geodynamic evolution of the southern Apennine chain.
JOURNAL OF PALAEOGEOGRAPHY-ENGLISH
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Meng Wang, Shitao Chen, Yongjin Wang, Kan Zhao, Xianfeng Wang, Yijia Liang, Zhenjun Wang, Zhenqiu Zhang, Gongzhe Chen
Summary: This study used a stalagmite from Yongxing cave in central China to reconstruct climate changes between 65 and 40 ka, identifying dry-cold conditions during H events and wet-warm conditions during DO cycles. The results suggest that a combination of AMOC and ENSO may have a strong influence on the Meiyu region and related precipitation.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Geology
David William Elliott Hone, Thomas Richard Holtz
Summary: The claim that spinosaurine theropods were semi-aquatic is challenged by the lack of clear evidence and alternative hypotheses also fit the available data.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Hongfei Zhao, Yunhong Lin, Claudio O. Delang, Yue Ma, Jie Zhou, Hongming He
Summary: Soil erosion, sediment transport, and delta deposition are crucial to the evolution of fluvial landforms. This study investigates the impact of Holocene environmental changes on these processes and identifies the roles of climate change and human activities. The findings highlight the significance of monsoon variations and human interventions in shaping the plateau-plain-delta system.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Dadong Liu, Qingqing Fan, Chen Zhang, Yang Gao, Wei Du, Yan Song, Ziya Zhang, Qun Luo, Zhenxue Jiang, Zhixin Huang
Summary: This study systematically investigated the Lucaogou Formation in different sag areas of the southern Junggar Basin and found that it was generally deposited under semiarid to arid conditions with dysoxic-anoxic conditions prevailing. The salinity levels varied in different sag areas, with the Jimsar Sag exhibiting the highest salinity. The deposition of the Lucaogou Formation was influenced by the deglaciation of Gondwanaland, resulting in a lake transgression trend.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geology
Chris Mays, Stephen McLoughlin
Summary: This study shows that wildfire activity significantly increased during the end-Permian extinction event in high-latitude lowlands. Even in consistently moist high-latitude environments, vegetation was prone to regular fire events. The initial intensification of wildfire activity likely contributed to the loss of wetland carbon sinks, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and changes in land and freshwater ecosystems.
Article
Biology
A. A. Legalov, D. V. Vasilenko, E. E. Perkovsky
Summary: This article describes two new species of the genus Demimaea from Rovno amber. The differences between these new species and their extant counterparts are highlighted, and assumptions are made about the presence of Ficus genus plants in the Eocene of Northern and Eastern Europe.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
J. Maksic, I. M. Venancio, M. H. Shimizu, C. M. Chiessi, P. Piacsek, G. Sampaio, Francisco W. Cruz, F. F. Alexandre
Summary: The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) was characterized by atmospheric cooling, showing contrasts to the current warming climate. Research indicates that in the Western and Central Amazon forest regions, the biomes remained largely unchanged during the LGM due to negative temperature anomalies, while in the Eastern portion, a shift from tropical evergreen forest to tropical seasonal forest was observed. Future warming scenarios suggest a potential expansion of Savanna/Cerrado and a reduction of tropical seasonal forest and Caatinga in Brazil, impacting biodiversity and regional climate.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Chien-Hsiang Lin, Chi-Wei Chien
Summary: This study examines the Neogene fish diversity in Taiwan, presenting a collection of 1716 fish otoliths from the late Miocene Tapu Formation. At least 34 otolith-based taxa belonging to 13 families were identified, with abundance and density varying across sites. The assemblage is dominated by Larimichthys spp., Sciaenidae, Gobiidae, and Soleidae, indicative of a coastal shallow-water palaeoenvironment with muddy to sandy bottoms.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Pedro M. Monarrez, Joshua B. Zimmt, Annaka M. Clement, William Gearty, John J. Jacisin, Kelsey M. Jenkins, Kristopher M. Kusnerik, Ashley W. Poust, Selina V. Robson, Judith A. Sclafani, Kelsey T. Stilson, Shamindri D. Tennakoon, Carmi Milagros Thompson
Summary: The text highlights the importance of understanding the past to anticipate the future for paleontologists and geoscientists as practitioners of historical science. It points out a lack of recognition for the fundamental role that the history of paleontology and geology plays in shaping the structure and culture of these disciplines. The intertwining of Western paleontology and geology with systematic practices of exclusion, oppression, and erasure has hindered meaningful and systematic efforts to address issues affecting marginalized communities.
Article
Biology
Francesco Vitali, Evgeny E. Perkovsky
Summary: The first cerambycid fossil from Eocene Rovno amber, named Poliaenus europaeus n. sp. (Lamiinae, Pogonocherini), is described in this study. This new species represents the first known fossil of Poliaenus Bates, 1880, and the first representative of this genus found in Europe. The study discusses the relationships with extant species and the potential hosts of this fossil, suggesting the presence of Abies in the Eocene of Ukraine.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
