Palaeoecology of Devonian sclerobionts and their brachiopod hosts from the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin

Barclay, Kristina M.; Schneider, Chris L.; Leighton, Lindsey R.

doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2013.05.007

Cited by 15 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…All shell remains collected from each quadrat were identified and stored in plastic bags and taken to the laboratory, where they were washed in fresh water and sieved using 500 μm meshes. Host and fouling organisms were identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level according to Roland et al [ 5 ], Brett et al [ 8 , 7 ], Rios [ 47 ], Buckup and Bond-Buckup [ 58 ], Lopes [ 59 ], Barclay et al [ 60 ]. Host organisms were characterized according to their ( i ) life modes (deep infauna, shallow infauna, free-living epifauna, or attached epifauna), ( ii ) ornamentation complexity, both internal (present or absent) and external, with complexity varying from absent, little, average to high, ( iii ) predominant mineralogy (aragonite, calcite, bimineralic) and ( iv ) categorical color (natural, reduced, oxidized) ( Table 1 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

What determines sclerobiont colonization on marine mollusk shells?

et al. 2017

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Empty mollusk shells may act as colonization surfaces for sclerobionts depending on the physical, chemical, and biological attributes of the shells. However, the main factors that can affect the establishment of an organism on hard substrates and the colonization patterns on modern and time-averaged shells remain unclear. Using experimental and field approaches, we compared sclerobiont (i.e., bacteria and invertebrate) colonization patterns on the exposed shells (internal and external sides) of three bivalve species (Anadara brasiliana, Mactra isabelleana, and Amarilladesma mactroides) with different external shell textures. In addition, we evaluated the influence of the host characteristics (mode of life, body size, color alteration, external and internal ornamentation and mineralogy) of sclerobionts on dead mollusk shells (bivalve and gastropod) collected from the Southern Brazilian coast. Finally, we compared field observations with experiments to evaluate how the biological signs of the present-day invertebrate settlements are preserved in molluscan death assemblages (incipient fossil record) in a subtropical shallow coastal setting. The results enhance our understanding of sclerobiont colonization over modern and paleoecology perspectives. The data suggest that sclerobiont settlement is enhanced by (i) high(er) biofilm bacteria density, which is more attracted to surfaces with high ornamentation; (ii) heterogeneous internal and external shell surface; (iii) shallow infaunal or attached epifaunal life modes; (iv) colorful or post-mortem oxidized shell surfaces; (v) shell size (<50 mm2 or >1,351 mm2); and (vi) calcitic mineralogy. Although the biofilm bacteria density, shell size, and texture are considered the most important factors, the effects of other covarying attributes should also be considered. We observed a similar pattern of sclerobiont colonization frequency over modern and paleoecology perspectives, with an increase of invertebrates occurring on textured bivalve shells. This study demonstrates how bacterial biofilms may influence sclerobiont colonization on biological hosts (mollusks), and shows how ecological relationships in marine organisms may be relevant for interpreting the fossil record of sclerobionts.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

What determines sclerobiont colonization on marine mollusk shells?

et al. 2017

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“…The Waterways Formation was deposited on a shallow water platform below fair weather wave base, but above storm wave base (Oldale and Munday 1994; Schneider and Grobe 2013), with a possible offshore island arc to the present day west (Moore 1988; Wendte and Uyeno 2005; Schneider et al 2013b). Uplift and erosion of the Ellesmerian Fold Belt (Stoakes et al 1992; Wendte 1992) and/or the Caledonian or Franklinian orogenic belts (Moore 1988; Wendte and Uyeno 2005) to the present day northeast provided a large source of terrigenous mud influx (Wendte and Uyeno 2005; Barclay et al 2013; Schneider et al 2013b) (Fig. 2).…”

Section: Geologic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Dorsibiconvex brachiopods were abundant worldwide during the Silurian and Devonian and were common sclerobiont hosts (Copper 1966a,b, 1967, 1973, 1990, 1998; Johnson 1970, 1974; Hurst 1974; De Keyser 1977; Alexander 1986; Gibson 1992; Alexander and Gibson 1993; Day 1990, 1992, 1996, 1998; Day and Copper 1998; Schneider and Leighton 2010; Bose et al 2011; Bose 2012; Barclay et al 2013; Webb and Schneider 2013). Biomechanical experiments indicated that these dorsibiconvex atrypides did not have a true hydrodynamically stable position and were at considerable risk of transport, and so probably retained a pedicle throughout their lives (Barclay et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping sclerobiosis: a new method for interpreting the distribution, biological implications, and paleoenvironmental significance of sclerobionts on biotic hosts

2015

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The use of sclerobiosis as a tool for paleoenvironmental and paleoecological research is undermined by a lack of comparable methods for sclerobiont data collection and analysis. We present a new method for mapping sclerobiont distributions across any host, and offer an example of how the method may be used to interpret sclerobiont data in relation to host orientation. This approach can also be used to assess the suitability of beds and fossil material for paleoenvironmental reconstruction.A sample of 150 encrusted dorsibiconvex atrypide brachiopods were selected from six beds in the Waterways Formation (latest Givetian – Early Frasnian; Alberta, Canada). The dorsal and ventral valves of each brachiopod were photographed. Sclerobiont taxa were mapped onto the photographs, and the maps were used to create stacked images with each of the 25 brachiopod specimens from each bed. Based on the life orientation of dorsibiconvex atrypides, three zones were designated on the host: the post mortem zone, (only available to sclerobionts after death and reorientation of the host); the shaded zone (brachial valve, excluding the post mortem zone); and the exposed zone (ventral valve).Randomization simulation results indicate that all beds likely exhibit non random encrustation patterns, and corroborate the hypotheses that: (1) much of the encrustation occurred while the hosts were alive, and (2) these beds and fossils have experienced little physical reworking or transport and would be suitable for paleoenvironmental analysis. Mapping sclerobionts across hosts can serve as a unifying method to increase the recognition and use of sclerobiosis in paleontological studies.

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“…, and references there; Smrecak & Brett ; Barclay et al . ) as long as independent information about environmental parameters is available. Therefore, more data are required on how sclerobiont communities vary according to independently defined parameters, and this is especially true for the Mesozoic (Brett et al .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Over the past few decades, characterization of recent sclerobiofacies within the SSETI initiative (Shelf and Slope Experimental Taphonomy Initiative: see a summary in Brett et al 2011) has shown that certain combinations of specific, preservable attributes of sclerobiont communities (richness, diversity, areal coverage, guild and taxonomic composition) can be consistently associated to specific marine environments along a bathymetric gradient. This resulted in several studies seeking to extrapolate the observations made in modern environments to the fossil record and to evaluate sclerobiofacies in past environments (Brett et al 2012, and references there;Smrecak & Brett 2014;Barclay et al 2013) as long as independent information about environmental parameters is available. Therefore, more data are required on how sclerobiont communities vary according to independently defined parameters, and this is especially true for the Mesozoic (Brett et al 2012).…”

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confidence: 99%

Palaeoecological analysis of a sclerobiont fauna on a single basibiont across the Valanginian of the Neuquén Basin, west-central Argentina

Luci

Toscano

Lazo

2019

LET

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Sclerobiont communities have proven their environmental and taphonomic value in extant and past settings; studies are beginning to quantify and evaluate their changes across time. Through the Valanginian of the Neuquén Basin, Argentina, trigonioids of the genus Steinmanella present an almost continuous record. Materials were collected from shales and shell beds across second‐order systems tracts (LST, TST and HST). Their sclerobiont communities were characterized and compared across systems tracts and facies. In addition, a link between them and coeval oyster mass occurrences (OMOs) was investigated, since studies on other local sclerobiont communities have consistently shown pronounced oyster dominance. Eleven sclerobiont taxa were found on Steinmanella (bryozoans, bivalves, foraminifers and polychaetes), of which oysters are usually strongly dominant but for the TST, in which their dominance is diminished. The sclerobiont community has a simple structure and interspecific relationships and competition for space seem to have had little importance. Few differences in richness, taxonomy and other parameters were found between facies. Across systems tracts, features of the sclerobiont communities are differentiated mostly from swings in relative abundance of taxa. The lowered oyster dominance in the TST may reflect a source–sink dynamics between OMOs (sources) and Steinmanella as sinks in shallower, soft substrate settings. Likely the sea‐level rise temporally drowned the oyster carbonate factory, resulting in decreased larvae emigration to the sinks and lowered oyster dominance during the TST.

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Palaeoecology of Devonian sclerobionts and their brachiopod hosts from the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin

Cited by 15 publications

References 39 publications

What determines sclerobiont colonization on marine mollusk shells?

What determines sclerobiont colonization on marine mollusk shells?

Mapping sclerobiosis: a new method for interpreting the distribution, biological implications, and paleoenvironmental significance of sclerobionts on biotic hosts

Palaeoecological analysis of a sclerobiont fauna on a single basibiont across the Valanginian of the Neuquén Basin, west-central Argentina

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