Brachiopod Shell Discoloration as an Indicator of Taphonomic Alteration in the Deep-Time Fossil Record

Kolbe, Sarah E.; Zambito, James; Brett, Carlton E.; Wise, Julia L.; Wilson, Ryan D.

doi:10.2110/palo.2011.p11-023r

Cited by 19 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Macrofossils on the Napoleon hardground do not display the variety of colouration evident within the brachiopod dataset of Kolbe et al . (2011), but consistent relationships, corroborated by other taphonomic criteria, can be recognized in the holdfast population studied here.…”

Section: Discussion: Palaeoecologic Implicationssupporting

confidence: 88%

Taphonomy of diploporite (Echinodermata) holdfasts from a Silurian hardground, southeastern Indiana, United States: palaeoecologic and stratigraphic significance

Thomka

Brett

2013

Geol. Mag.

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A microbioherm-bearing hardground within the middle Silurian (Wenlock) Massie Formation near Napoleon, southeastern Indiana, United States is encrusted by the attachment structures of numerous pelmatozoan echinoderms. Among the most common of these holdfasts are multi-plated discoidal structures representing the thecal attachments of diploporite 'cystoids'. This large population of holdfasts permits the first detailed taphonomic and palaeoecologic study of hardground diploporite attachments, allowing for increased morphological understanding of these rarely studied structures and facilitating identification of holdfasts in deposits where they might have been overlooked or misidentified. The biostratinomic sequence commences with detachment of thecae, followed by weathering of isolated discoidal holdfasts to bring out radiating canal structures and plate sutures, eventually leading to removal of the interior floor to expose the underlying substrate. Continued exposure can result in separation of component holdfast plates, though cementation to the substrate prevents scattering of plates. Diagenetic precipitation of pyrite occurred after burial; the large size of crystals suggests late diagenesis, perhaps seeded by early diagenetic pyrite crystallites produced by decay of ligamentary tissue. Extrinsic taphonomic factors include overgrowth of holdfasts by laminar stenolaemate bryozoans and other echinoderm attachment structures. Diploporite holdfasts are not bored and are absent on microbioherms. Taphonomic data indicate the time-averaged nature of this hardground and its diploporite assemblage and permit prediction of similar occurrences at major flooding surfaces.

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Section: Discussion: Palaeoecologic Implicationssupporting

confidence: 88%

Taphonomy of diploporite (Echinodermata) holdfasts from a Silurian hardground, southeastern Indiana, United States: palaeoecologic and stratigraphic significance

Thomka

Brett

2013

Geol. Mag.

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“…In Nevada, these surfaces are rare and are typically associated with extensive bioturbation, including distinct burrows filled with the overlying lithology or a completely distinct lithology not preserved outside the burrows. The penetrative staining of underlying lithologies and discoloration of brachiopods are consistent with the development of a submarine hardground (Clari et al 1995;Hillgärtner 1998;Scholle and Umer-Scholle 2003;Sattler et al 2005) and increased residence time of skeletal grains on the seafloor (e.g., Powell et al 2008;Kolbe et al 2011). Moreover, the extensive bioturbation, including sharply defined burrows, is consistent with the development of a submarine firmground to incipient hardground (Bromley 1975;Fü rsich 1978;Hillgärtner 1998).…”

Section: Discontinuity Surfacessupporting

confidence: 64%

Stratigraphic Completeness of Carbonate-Dominated Records From Continental Interiors Versus Continental Margins: Stratigraphic Thinning Occurs Via Condensation and Omission At Multiple Scales

Brady

2015

Journal of Sedimentary Research

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Over Phanerozoic time scales, stratigraphic records from continental interiors, or cratons, are dramatically thinner and are generally assumed to be relatively incomplete, with more numerous and longer-duration hiatuses, compared to records from more rapidly subsiding continental margins. However, this assumption need not be true for the shorter time scales (i.e., several 10 6 years and shorter) over which accumulation of the preserved stratigraphic record on the continental interior actually takes place. This study compares carbonate-dominated sedimentary records from the Devonian continental interior (Iowa) and continental margin (Nevada) to evaluate whether the continental-interior record is (1) miniaturized, i.e., thinner, but equally complete; (2) comparable in thickness and quality where the sedimentary record is preserved, but certain portions of the record are notably absent, i.e., omitted or truncated; or (3) so invariably preserved that equivalent stratigraphic packages cannot be recognized compared to the continental-margin record.This study finds that fourth-to fifth-order cycles in Iowa are, on average, approximately half as thick and half as numerous compared to the continental margin of Nevada. Moreover, the stratigraphic record on the continental margin of Nevada is dominated by cycles that are composed of tidal-flat and shallow subtidal lithofacies, capped by simple flooding surfaces, and exhibit catch-up or keep-up depositional styles. The continental-interior record in Iowa is dominated by cycles that are composed of subtidal lithofacies, capped by a range of bounding surfaces, and exhibit catch-down or give-up depositional styles. These findings suggest that the thin record in Iowa is largely a result of low sedimentation rates associated with suppressed carbonate production in this epeiric-sea setting, rather than minimal subsidence rates and an increased potential for subaerial exposure and associated loss of record.

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“…The unlikely value of these variables for discriminating the relative ages of shells within pre‐Quaternary fossil assemblages is thus irrelevant (Kolbe et al . ). Moreover, decadal deployment of shells in the subtropical shelf and slope experiments conducted by Powell et al .…”

Section: Estimating Diversitymentioning

confidence: 97%

Time‐averaging and fidelity of modern death assemblages: building a taphonomic foundation for conservation palaeobiology

2013

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Ecosystems today are under growing pressure, with human domination at many scales. It is difficult, however, to gauge what has changed or been lost -and why -in the absence of data from periods before human activities. Actualistic taphonomic studies, originally motivated to understand preservational controls on deep-time fossil records, are now providing insights into modern death assemblages as historical archives of present-day ecosystems, turning taphonomy on its head. This article reviews the past 20 years of work on the temporal resolution and ability of time-averaged skeletal assemblages to capture ecological information faithfully, focusing primarily on molluscs from soft-sediment seafloors. Two promising arenas for 'applied taphonomy' are then highlighted: (1) using live-dead mismatch -that is, observed discordance in the diversity, species composition, and distribution of living animals and cooccurring skeletal remains -to recognize recent anthropogenic change, and (2) using time-averaged death assemblages as windows into regional diversity and long-term baselines, as a supplement or substitute for conventional live-collected data. Meta-analysis and modelling find that, in unaltered habitats, live-dead differences in community-level attributes can be generated largely or entirely by time-averaging of natural spatial and temporal variability in living assemblages, on time frames consistent with the range of shell ages observed in death assemblages. Time-averaging coarsens the temporal and spatial resolution of biological information in predictable ways; by comparison, taphonomic bias of information arising from differential preservation, production and transport of shells is surprisingly modest. Several challenges remain for basic taphonomic research, such as empirical and analytical methods of refining the temporal resolution of death assemblages; assessing the fate of resolution and fidelity with progressive burial; and expanding our understanding of the dynamics of skeletal accumulation in other groups and settings. Rather than shunning human-impacted areas as inappropriate analogues of the deep past, we should capitalize on them to explore the fundamental controls on skeletal accumulation and to develop robust protocols for bringing time-averaged death assemblages into the toolkits of conservation biology and environmental management.

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Brachiopod Shell Discoloration as an Indicator of Taphonomic Alteration in the Deep-Time Fossil Record

Cited by 19 publications

References 45 publications

Taphonomy of diploporite (Echinodermata) holdfasts from a Silurian hardground, southeastern Indiana, United States: palaeoecologic and stratigraphic significance

Taphonomy of diploporite (Echinodermata) holdfasts from a Silurian hardground, southeastern Indiana, United States: palaeoecologic and stratigraphic significance

Stratigraphic Completeness of Carbonate-Dominated Records From Continental Interiors Versus Continental Margins: Stratigraphic Thinning Occurs Via Condensation and Omission At Multiple Scales

Time‐averaging and fidelity of modern death assemblages: building a taphonomic foundation for conservation palaeobiology

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