Comments on the paper “Reconnaissance of Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation ichnofossils, Rocky Mountain Region, USA: Paleoenvironmental, stratigraphic, and paleoclimatic significance of terrestrial and freshwater ichnocoenoses” by Stephen T. Hasiotis

Bromley, Richard G.; Buatois, Luís A.; Genise, Jorge Fernando; Labandeira, Conrad C.; Mángano, M. Gabriela; Melchor, Ricardo N.; Schlirf, Michael; Uchman, Alfred

doi:10.1016/j.sedgeo.2006.11.007

Cited by 41 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 41 publications

(58 reference statements)

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“…Many researchers have contested the hypothesis of Triassic bees based on body fossil and phylogenetic evidence [2], [16], [22]–[24], but in 2010 Lucas and colleagues [10] reappraised the PEFO borings, disputing many of the primary observations reported by Hasiotis [6]. Limitations of the in situ ∼15 m long petrified log prevented a better morphological and process-based alternative explanation for the borings.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Earliest Evidence of Holometabolan Insect Pupation in Conifer Wood

Tapanila

Roberts

2012

PLoS ONE

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BackgroundThe pre-Jurassic record of terrestrial wood borings is poorly resolved, despite body fossil evidence of insect diversification among xylophilic clades starting in the late Paleozoic. Detailed analysis of borings in petrified wood provides direct evidence of wood utilization by invertebrate animals, which typically comprises feeding behaviors.Methodology/Principal FindingsWe describe a U-shaped boring in petrified wood from the Late Triassic Chinle Formation of southern Utah that demonstrates a strong linkage between insect ontogeny and conifer wood resources. Xylokrypta durossi new ichnogenus and ichnospecies is a large excavation in wood that is backfilled with partially digested xylem, creating a secluded chamber. The tracemaker exited the chamber by way of a small vertical shaft. This sequence of behaviors is most consistent with the entrance of a larva followed by pupal quiescence and adult emergence — hallmarks of holometabolous insect ontogeny. Among the known body fossil record of Triassic insects, cupedid beetles (Coleoptera: Archostemata) are deemed the most plausible tracemakers of Xylokrypta, based on their body size and modern xylobiotic lifestyle.Conclusions/SignificanceThis oldest record of pupation in fossil wood provides an alternative interpretation to borings once regarded as evidence for Triassic bees. Instead Xylokrypta suggests that early archostematan beetles were leaders in exploiting wood substrates well before modern clades of xylophages arose in the late Mesozoic.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Earliest Evidence of Holometabolan Insect Pupation in Conifer Wood

Tapanila

Roberts

2012

PLoS ONE

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“…23) recorded giant cylindrical structures that resemble megarhizoliths. Regrettably, the description of the trace fossils in that paper is too brief to allow any discussion regarding their origin (Bromley et al, 2007). However, when analysing the origin of this type of structure, Roth et al (2006) ruled out fulgurite and termite nests because of the lack of any micro-or macromorphological characters.…”

Section: A Comparison Of the Megarhizoliths With Other Biogenic Strucmentioning

confidence: 99%

Megarhizoliths in Pleistocene aeolian deposits from Gran Canaria (Spain): Ichnological and palaeoenvironmental significance

Alonso-Zarza

Genise

Cabrera

et al. 2008

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

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The Pleistocene dune field of Tufia, located on the east of Gran Canaria (Spain), contains different stratigraphic levels of indurated pillar-like structures that are interpreted as megarhizoliths. The megarhizoliths occur at the top of different aeolian sets and reach 31.5 cm in diameter and over 1 m in height. These scattered, free-standing, vertical, cylindrical-to-slightly conical columns usually appear as hollow cylinders, displaying elliptical cross-sections aligned with the prevailing wind. On the leeward side of some specimens the external wall shows a tail of rock matrix resembling a sort of "wind shadow". These tails and other remains of the associated rock matrix show a texture composed of long, horizontal, parallel cylinders orientated with the wind. Internally the most complete structures show five concentrically arranged zones: Zone (a), is a central pore corresponding to the cavity originally occupied by the root; Zones (b) and (c), which include alveolar and laminated carbonate textures indicating that carbonate precipitation was mostly induced by the roots and their associated microorganisms; and Zones (d) and (e), consisting mostly of aeolian sands. In (d) the sand grains show thin micritic coatings whereas in (e) vadose aragonite cements can be seen on the grain surface suggesting a less biogenic influence in their formation. The degree of cementation and the time of the precipitation of carbonate around the roots controlled the preservation of these zones. Thus, in some cases, Zones b, c and/or d are not preserved. Cylinders are up to 30× the diameter of the root that nucleated them. The presence of the megarhizoliths at the top of the aeolianite beds indicates that aeolian sedimentation halted several times, allowing soil formation and plant colonisation during slightly more humid periods. The occurrence of megarhizoliths is further proof of the alternation of arid and slightly more humid climates in the north Atlantic during the last glacial period. It is also noted that they may be misinterpreted as animal trace fossils or tree trunk casts, resulting in incorrect ichnological or palaeoenvironmental interpretations.

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“…Previous studies have hypothesized that backfilled burrows are made exclusively in subaqueous settings by deposit-feeding invertebrates, which ingest sediments at one end and excrete sediments and waste products at the other, producing a meniscate backfill; these studies also suggest that it is unlikely insects could produce such burrows (e.g., Frey et al, 1984;Squires and Advocate, 1984;Genise, 2004;Genise et al, 2004;Mángano, 2004, 2007;Bromley et al, 2007). Our study demonstrates conclusively that insects such as masked chafer beetle larvae produce actively backfilled burrows in terrestrial, subaerial welldrained settings without ingesting sediment or wholesale deposit feeding.…”

Section: Paleoecological Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Backfilled burrows are thought traditionally to have been produced primarily through deposit feeding, in which organisms ingest sediment and pass it through their bodies, filling the burrow at the posterior end (e.g., Ekdale et al, 1984;Frey et al, 1984;Bromley, 1996). Many backfilled burrows in continental strata, dating back to the late Paleozoic, are thought to have been produced in lacustrine and fluvial deposits by worms or aquatic arthropods (e.g., Frey et al, 1984;Squires and Advocate, 1984;Savrda et al, 2000;Genise et al, 2004;Mángano, 2004, 2007;Bromley et al, 2007). Other research, however, demonstrates that these types of burrows were made in subaerial terrestrial environments (e.g., Willis and Roth, 1962;O'Geen and Busacca, 2001; and were frequent components of ancient paleosols (e.g., Bown and Kraus, 1983;Hasiotis and Dubiel, 1994;Retallack, 2001a, * Corresponding author. 2001b; Genise et al, 2004;.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neoichnological Experiments With Masked Chafer Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae): Implications for Backfilled Continental Trace Fossils

Counts¹,

Hasiotis²

2009

PALAIOS

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Laboratory experiments conducted with larvae and adults of the northern or southern masked chafer beetle (Scarabaeidae: Cyclocephala lurida or C. borealis) tested hypotheses that beetle larvae construct meniscate, backfilled burrows and that they are distinct from backfilled burrows constructed by marine organisms. Beetle larvae were placed in narrow enclosures with laminated moist, fine-tomedium-grained sand and allowed to burrow for several weeks. Beetle larvae did not create open burrow systems but instead excavated single open cells approximately twice their body width and roughly equal to their body length. Burrowing was accomplished by scraping sediment with the head and mandibles, consolidating excavated sediment into a ball, rotating 180؇ with the ball to the back of the cell, and packing the ball onto the posterior end of the cell. The beetle larvae produced vertical-to-horizontal traces that were straight to tortuous and composed of discrete packets of meniscate backfill. Adult chafer beetles moved through the media using a sandswimming motion, that is, by passing sand around their bodies with the legs. Traces produced by adults are characterized by straighter axes and mixed passive and active fill resulting from sediment collapse and sediment transported backward. When vertical, adult burrows contain chevron-shaped fill. Traces produced by these beetles are similar to adhesive meniscate burrows found in many ancient continental deposits as old as the Permian and can be assigned to Naktodemasis isp. We propose that Naktodemasis with this kind of burrow morphology were soil-dwelling insect larvae that used burrowing mechanisms similar to chafer beetle larvae. These experiments demonstrate that this kind of burrow morphology is terrestrial in origin, suggesting that previous interpretations that the burrows are subaqueous in origin need to be reevaluated.

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Comments on the paper “Reconnaissance of Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation ichnofossils, Rocky Mountain Region, USA: Paleoenvironmental, stratigraphic, and paleoclimatic significance of terrestrial and freshwater ichnocoenoses” by Stephen T. Hasiotis

Cited by 41 publications

References 41 publications

The Earliest Evidence of Holometabolan Insect Pupation in Conifer Wood

The Earliest Evidence of Holometabolan Insect Pupation in Conifer Wood

Megarhizoliths in Pleistocene aeolian deposits from Gran Canaria (Spain): Ichnological and palaeoenvironmental significance

Neoichnological Experiments With Masked Chafer Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae): Implications for Backfilled Continental Trace Fossils

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