Article
Geography, Physical
Raquel Franco Cassino
Summary: This study presents a method for quantifying paleotemperatures based on pollen records and the relationship between leaf margin and mean annual temperature. The study found a positive linear correlation between the proportion of genera without toothed species and mean annual temperature in forest sites. The method was applied to calculate estimated mean annual temperatures for pollen assemblages and to estimate paleoMATs for two Brazilian sites during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Yi Shi, Liang Duan, Qing-Ren Meng, Rongruo Zhan, Ronghao Wei
Summary: The study investigates the basin fill patterns of the Triassic Chuxiong basin using paleocurrent measurements, sandstone petrology, and detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology. The results suggest that the basin was mainly filled transversely with sediment inputs from the west and east. The study also reveals spatial and temporal changes in the age signatures of the sediment, indicating different provenance sources.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Katja Muzek, Oleg Mandic, Valentina Hajek Tadesse, Mathias Harzhauser, Marijan Kovacic, Tomislav Kurecic, Durdica Pezelj
Summary: Lake Pannon, a large lake in the late Neogene period, played a significant role in the Pannonian Basin. The lake's benthic fauna went through adaptive radiation, resulting in the emergence of many endemic species. Some of these species serve as markers for the Lago Mare interval in the Mediterranean Basin. The outflow of water from Lake Pannon to the Eastern Paratethys did not occur at the same time as the hypothetical drainage event in the Mediterranean Basin.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Yu Wang, Jian Cao, Bolin Zhang, Guang Hu, Jinchao Liu, Bin Zhang, Zhiwei Liao, Di Xiao
Summary: This study investigated the relationships between volcanic activity and hydrocarbon source rock deposition by conducting a detailed petrological and geochemical investigation of the Mao III Member in the Shangsi section, China. The results showed that volcanic activity related to the Emeishan Large Igneous Province (ELIP) had a significant positive effect on organic matter enrichment in the Mao III Member, which may be a common feature associated with large volcanic events at other times in Earth's history.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Jialun Huang, Xiubin Lin, Kaixuan An, Hanlin Chen, Xiaogan Cheng, Yang Qu, Yong Li, Xianzhang Yang, Liang Zhang, Cai Chen, Zhuxin Chen, Lin Jiang, Lining Wang
Summary: Through the analysis of Cenozoic sediments in the northern Tarim Basin-Eastern Tian Shan convergence zone, it was found that the south-Eastern Tian Shan has experienced prolonged eroding relief since the early Cenozoic, indicating continuous intracontinental deformation of the Eastern Tian Shan in response to the Indian-Eurasian collision. The south-Eastern Tian Shan also served as the only source region for the northwestern Kuqa Depression of northern Tarim Basin, suggesting a stationary basin-orogenic boundary during most of the Cenozoic Era. The long-lived mountain building of the Eastern Tian Shan can be attributed to its small convergence rate.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Xiangrong Yang, Detian Yan, Bao Zhang, Liwei Zhang
Summary: The Late Ordovician mass extinctions were divided into two stages, with the second stage occurring during the Late-Hirnantian. Biotic recovery was delayed until the Aeronian, and the triggering factors are still unknown. This study analyzed temporal variations in chemical weathering intensity using multi-geochemical proxies for the shales of the Longmaxi Formation in South China to understand the connections between paleoclimate, marine redox states, and biotic recovery in the Early Silurian. The results revealed a significant increase in chemical weathering intensity from the Rhuddanian warming phase to the Aeronian cooling phase, which coincided with the Early Silurian's climate cooling. The study suggests that congruent weathering-induced high paleoproductivity is the primary factor accelerating anoxia in the Rhuddanian, leading to the deposition of organic-rich shales and delayed biotic recovery.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Chabier De Jaime-Soguero, Eudald Mujal, Oriol Oms, Arnau Bolet, Jaume Dinares-Turell, Jordi Ibanez-Insa, Josep Fortuny
Summary: This study examines the tetrapod diversity and environmental changes in the Permian terrestrial ecosystems of southwestern Europe using tetrapod ichnological record. The results reveal a shift in tetrapod assemblages from non-amniotes and eureptiles to therapsids, eureptiles, and parareptiles, indicating changes in the ecological dynamics. The findings also highlight the paleobiogeographical connection between the Pyrenean Basin and other peri-Tethyan basins, providing valuable insights into the paleoecology and paleobiodiversity of the Cisuralian to Guadalupian terrestrial ecosystems.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Oscar E. Wilson, Abigail K. Parker
Summary: The La Venta fauna in Colombia is a highly diverse location in the neotropics, with a large number of mammal and reptile species. It has been found that there was minimal competition among carnivorous taxa in the carnivore guild, and crocodyliforms played a dominant role in the macro-predatory niches.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Juergen Pollerspoeck, Danielle Cares, David A. Ebert, Katherine A. Kelley, Robert Pockalny, Rebecca S. Robinson, Daniel Wagner, Nicolas Straube
Summary: This short communication describes the first reported case of observing and sampling a fossil Otodus megalodon tooth from a deep-sea location in the Pacific Ocean. The documentation of its location prior to collection allows for tentative conclusions on surrounding factors that contributed to its current state.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Thomas Servais, David A. T. Harper, Wenhui Wang
Summary: This special issue presents different perspectives on the Ordovician radiations, featuring 16 selected papers that provide insights into the various radiations that occurred during the Ordovician Period. The study suggests that the Cambrian and Ordovician radiations are actually artificially separated by the late Cambrian 'Furongian Biodiversity Gap', and a long-term early Palaeozoic radiation is becoming more visible.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Sara B. Pruss, Lucy Helms, Emma Roth
Summary: This study examines the Late Ordovician coral reefs of the Lourdes Formation in western Newfoundland. It reveals that reef environments have higher skeletal abundance than adjacent settings, and the abundance of skeletal animals is influenced by specific environmental conditions such as supersaturation of CaCO3, wave activity, and warm temperatures. This highlights the importance of reefs as suitable habitats for skeletal organisms during the Early Paleozoic.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Paleontology
Christian R. A. McCall
Summary: A new pelagic lobopodian species, Mobulavermis adustus, is described in this study, and a new lobopodian family, Kerygmachelidae, is established. Additionally, a brief description is given for an indeterminate euarthropod fossil from the Pioche Formation, and the Chengjiang species, Parvibellus avatus, previously thought to be related to gilled lobopodians, is reinterpreted as a juvenile siberiid lobopodian.
JOURNAL OF PALEONTOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Peter Koenigshof, Heiner Flick
Summary: The Balduinstein Reef in the Givetian period developed on mixed felsic lavas and volcaniclastic tuffs. It was influenced by volcanism, erosion, and sea-level changes, and controlled mainly by regional tectonics and volcanic activity.
PALAEOBIODIVERSITY AND PALAEOENVIRONMENTS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jiri Kvacek, Andrej Cernansky
Summary: A new terrestrial plant, Equisetites cf. lyellii, from the Early Cretaceous of Slovakia is reported. The discovery of a 53 mm horsetail axis provides evidence of terrestrial environments during sedimentation. The plant suggests a moist to wet habitat on its presumed dryland origin, possibly representing a small island(s) or the Vindelician-Bohemian Massif.
PALAEOBIODIVERSITY AND PALAEOENVIRONMENTS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Diana Karen Arroyo-Sanchez, Javier Victor, Victor Manuel Cordova-Tabares, Ana Lilia Hernandez-Damian, Emilio Estrada-Ruiz
Summary: This paper presents the first official report of an interaction between an entomopathogenic fungus and an insect trapped in Miocene amber from Chiapas, Mexico. The described syninclusion represents a remarkable example of biological interactions in ancient tropical environments.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
A. A. Legalov, D. V. Vasilenko, E. E. Perkovsky
Summary: The new genus Bojebenzonia n. gen. and its species B. karinae n. sp. from the tribe Oxycraspedini (Belidae: Oxycoryninae) are described from late Eocene Baltic amber. Bojebenzonia differs from the genus Oxycraspedus by its tibiae lacking apical spurs, subparallel pronotal sides, weakly convex body, and wide tibiae. A list of fossil species of the subfamily Oxycoryninae and a key to tribes and subtribes of the subfamily Oxycoryninae are provided. The study suggests that the new genus may have fed on the family Araucariaceae or Doliostrobaceae. The trophic associations of extant Oxycoryninae are briefly discussed.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Asier Larramendi
Summary: This study explores the relationship between the linear dimensions of tusks and their corresponding masses for the first time. It introduces methods for estimating tusk masses based on their length and circumference. The study also estimates the potential average tusk sizes of living elephant species under optimal conditions and identifies the largest tusks in extinct proboscideans.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Daniel Martin Varisco
Summary: At the dawn of the 1st millennium CE, Yemen experienced a sequence of South Arabian kingdoms that transformed the landscape with irrigation and agricultural systems. The introduction of Islam in the 7th century allowed for increased trade from East Africa and India. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the specific crops and plants introduced during this early Islamic era.
VEGETATION HISTORY AND ARCHAEOBOTANY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Nan Yang, Dong Ren, Olivier Bethoux
Summary: Pennsylvanian insects were once famous for their size, but recent discoveries have shown that there were also small-sized forms. A new species of extinct Megasecopteromorpha has been described from the Pennsylvanian Xiaheyan locality, and it belongs to the Bardohymenidae family. This small-sized species exhibits similar wing morphology to later Permian Megasecopteromorpha species, indicating convergent evolution due to size reduction.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jonatan Klaminder, Magdalena Fassl, Marlene Baudet, Lars Ostlund, Johan Linderholm, Rolf Zale
Summary: This study examined the environmental conditions for trees established in northern Sweden shortly after the retreat of the ice sheet. The results revealed repeated fires during the early Holocene in the area, and the bioclimatic conditions during the growth of ancient pines resembled those of modern sub-alpine pine woods.
VEGETATION HISTORY AND ARCHAEOBOTANY
(2023)
