Sponge spicules as indicators of paleoenvironmental changes in island deposits – Upper Paraná River, Brazil

Utilizing sponge spicules in taxonomic, ecological and environmental reconstructions: a review

“…Such studies require spicule-rich sediment portions ( Volkmer-Ribeiro, De Ezcurra & Parolin, 2007 ) and the best results are obtained when an uninterrupted spicule record is available. It seems that absolutely-dated sediment cores are the best way to obtain continuous record of the changes in spicule assemblages ( Bertolino et al, 2014 , 2017a , 2017b , 2019 ; Gaino et al, 2012 ; Łukowiak et al, 2018 ; Rasbold et al, 2019a ).…”

“…The spicules obtained from different time intervals can be further processed by means of quantitative ( Volkmer-Ribeiro et al, 2006 ; Bertolino et al, 2014 ; Łukowiak et al, 2018 ; Rasbold et al, 2019a ), semiquantitative ( Karabanov et al, 2000 ), and qualitative ( Yang, Duthie & Delorme, 1993 ; Bertolino et al, 2014 ) methods. Such approaches allow to explore the stability ( Bertolino et al, 2014 ) and dynamics ( Bertolino et al, 2017b ; Łukowiak et al, 2018 ) of the sponge associations in a given place over the millennial time span.…”

Table 1: The number of records obtained through Google Scholar and PubMed using the search terms “sponge spicules”, “glass ramp”, “spiculite” and “spongillite”.

“…Such studies require spicule-rich sediment portions (Volkmer-Ribeiro, De Ezcurra & and the best results are obtained when an uninterrupted spicule record is available. It seems that absolutely-dated sediment cores are the best way to obtain continuous record of the changes in spicule assemblages (Bertolino et al, 2014(Bertolino et al, , 2017a(Bertolino et al, , 2017b(Bertolino et al, , 2019Gaino et al, 2012;Łukowiak et al, 2018;Rasbold et al, 2019a).…”

“…The most comprehensive assessment of the use of freshwater sponge spicules for paleoenvironmental reconstructions was conducted in riverine and lentic systems in Caatinga (Santos et al, 2016) and Pantanal wetlands ecosystems (McGlue et al, 2012;Kuerten et al, 2013;Rasbold et al, 2019b) in Brazil. Parolin, Volkmer-Ribeiro & Stevaux (2007, Guerreiro et al (2013) and Zviejkovski et al (2017) focused mostly on reconstructing the history of lake sediments on colluvial-alluvial terraces in the Upper Paraná River, while Rasbold et al (2019a) investigated the history of island deposits. Rasbold et al (2019a) reconstructed the evolution and origin of two closely located riverine islands (Bandeirantes and Grande) during the late Pleistocene to Holocene in the northern Brazil (Upper Paraná River).…”

“…Parolin, Volkmer-Ribeiro & Stevaux (2007, Guerreiro et al (2013) and Zviejkovski et al (2017) focused mostly on reconstructing the history of lake sediments on colluvial-alluvial terraces in the Upper Paraná River, while Rasbold et al (2019a) investigated the history of island deposits. Rasbold et al (2019a) reconstructed the evolution and origin of two closely located riverine islands (Bandeirantes and Grande) during the late Pleistocene to Holocene in the northern Brazil (Upper Paraná River). The spicules of freshwater sponges were used to reconstruct the assemblage composition, the relationship between species richness and frequency, and spicule preservation, as well as to complement the facies analysis.…”