Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Ashu Khosla, Sachin Kania, Spencer G. Lucas, Omkar Verma
Summary: This study investigates the Jhilmili intertrappean beds in Central India from a palaeoenvironmental, palaeoecological, and palaeobiogeographical perspective using fossil charophytes. The findings reveal a diverse charophyte assemblage, indicating interactions between the Indian subcontinent, Laurasia, and Gondwana during the Cretaceous-Palaeogene timespan.
GEOLOGICAL JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Attila J. Trajer
Summary: Previous studies suggested that speciation of the subgenus Paraphlebotomus occurred in the Neogene Epoch in the circum-Mediterranean region due to the geographical segregation effect of the former Paratethys Sea. The models of Neogene ranges of Phlebotomus sergenti and Phlebotomus similis did not seem to support the idea of circum-Paratethyan migration of Phlebotomus similis, indicating a low affinity to the North Paratethyan shorelines during the Miocene epoch. The study found that tectonic subsidence and climatic conditions in different periods likely played a role in the divergence and distribution of Phlebotomus similis and its relatives.
PALAEOBIODIVERSITY AND PALAEOENVIRONMENTS
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Stephane Jouve, Christian de Muizon, Ricardo Cespedes-Paz, Victor Sossa-Soruco, Stephane Knoll
Summary: Fieldwork in Bolivia has led to the discovery of numerous aquatic crocodyliforms over the last four decades. New research has identified new Palaeocene dyrosaurid species and reassigned an Maastrichtian crocodylian to Gavialoidea. Additionally, a new phylogenetic analysis suggests a closer relationship between Vectisuchus leptognathus and Elosuchus, leading to a proposed new clade, Dyrosauroidea. Comparisons with geographical and temporal distributions have revealed a new scenario for dyrosaurid dispersal, with a high number of intercontinental interchanges occurring during the Maastrichtian and higher intracontinental diversification in the lower Palaeocene.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Alexander R. Schmidt, Lukas Steuernagel, Hermann Behling, Leyla J. Seyfullah, Christina Beimforde, Eva-Maria Sadowski, Jouko Rikkinen, Ulla Kaasalainen
Summary: Lichens play a significant role in modern terrestrial ecosystems, but their fossil records have been limited. However, recent discoveries of new fossil inclusions from European Palaeogene ambers have greatly improved the fossil record of lichens. This study reports the first fossil evidence of animal-lichen interactions from Bitterfeld amber in central Germany.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Sherif M. El Baz, Hamdalla A. Wanas, Heba Allah Abou Awad, Ehab M. Assal
Summary: The present study focuses on the late Middle Eocene-early Late Eocene ostracods from two successions in Egypt. The recorded ostracod assemblage contains 33 species belonging to 20 genera and 9 families. Three local biozones are recognized based on their stratigraphic ranges. Three distinctive provinces are identified through multivariate analyses, suggesting ostracod migration along the southern Tethys during the Eocene age.
GEOLOGICAL JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Jorge Villegas-Martin, Daiane Ceolin, Adiel A. Klompmaker, Gerson Fauth, Eduardo A. M. Koutsoukos
Summary: The dynamics of predator-prey interactions involving ostracod prey have been studied across the Cretaceous-Palaeogene extinction event. The study analyzed ostracod specimens from a section in eastern Brazil and found that predation intensity was lower during the Maastrichtian period compared to the Danian period. However, there was no drilling intensity observed in assemblages immediately above the K-Pg boundary, possibly due to abrupt environmental changes caused by the extinction event. The study also revealed variations in predation intensities between species and identified significant prey preference and avoidance behaviors during the Danian period.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Geology
Christian Voiculescu-Holvad
Summary: This paper describes a fragmentary mandible of a marine crocodilian from Mons Klint, Denmark, which is referred to as cf. Thoracosaurus (Gavialoidea). The specimen provides insights into predator-prey interactions and the distribution of crocodylians in Europe.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Riadh Aouissi, Gamal Mohamed El Qot, Sihem Salmi-Laouar, Catalina Gomez-Espinosa, Blanca E. Buitron-Sanchez
Summary: Twenty-one gastropod species have been identified in the Cenomanian deposits of Bellezma-Aures mountains, eastern Saharan Atlas, Algeria, with four of them recorded for the first time in the Batna mountains. These gastropods are mainly found in the 'Marnes de Smail' Formation, and their community changes may be attributed to minor sea-level fluctuations, sedimentation rate variations, and hydrodynamics. The paleobiogeographic distribution of these gastropod assemblages indicates a tethyan affinity and faunal exchange during that time interval.
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2024)
Article
Biology
Lydia S. Tackett, Deron Zierer, Annaka C. Clement
Summary: The Late Triassic was a period of significant evolutionary transition for marine vertebrates. This study reports the discovery of Upper Triassic elasmobranchs, neopterygians, and chondrosteans in Nevada, providing insights into the taxonomic and ecological diversity of marine environments during this time. The results suggest that some taxa previously considered endemic to Europe may have had a cosmopolitan distribution.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Paleontology
Grzegorz Worobiec, Elzbieta Worobiec, Przemyslaw Gedl, Jacek R. Kasinski, Danuta Peryt, Marek Widera
Summary: This study reports the discovery of fungal ascospores of Potamomyces affinities from four Miocene localities in Poland. The spores resemble those found in extinct species and a living species of Potamomyces, suggesting a preference for tropical to subtropical and humid climates. These findings also represent the first known fossil record of the genus Potamomyces from Europe.
ACTA PALAEONTOLOGICA POLONICA
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Mona Mandor, Olev Vinn, Magdy EL Hedeny, Ahmed El-sabbagh, Abdelaal Abdelaal, Mohamed Rashwan
Summary: This study is the first systematic investigation of fossil calcareous tube-dwelling polychaetes in Egypt. Nine polychaete taxa belonging to eight genera were identified from the lower and middle Miocene formations. The dominant tube-dwelling polychaete genera include Hydtvides, Filograna, Spirobranchus, Hyalopomatus, and Glomerula. The identified species have paleobiogeographical affinities with Miocene species in Italy, Austria, and Slovakia.
BULLETIN OF GEOSCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Geology
Jerzy Fedorowski
Summary: This essay discusses the importance of invertebrate fossil taxonomy in palaeobiological studies and explores the reasons behind the decreasing interest in this field, including inherent problems and changes in the scientific and higher education systems.
ACTA GEOLOGICA POLONICA
(2021)
Article
Paleontology
Jing-Xiang Tian, Jun Chen, Hui-Nan Lu, Cheng Chen, He Wang, Ting Li, Sha Li, Qi-Fei Wang, Hai-Chun Zhang, Xiao-Qiao Wan
Summary: This study investigated Charophyte assemblages from the K/Pg boundary transition in the Jiaolai Basin, eastern China, and compared the flora and ostracod features from the late Cretaceous to early Paleocene in the Jiaolai, Pingyi, and Songliao basins. The Pingyi Basin is unique as the only carbonate palaeolake that occurred throughout the K/Pg transition in China, while the Jiaolai Basin is believed to correspond to a high-altitude lake and the Songliao Basin to a low elevation site. These differences in altitude explain the varying species richness between the Songliao and Jiaolai Basins.
Article
Geology
Thiago P. Santos, Luana P. Lisboa, Victor Carreira, Fellippe R. A. Bione, Igor M. Venancio, Marcelo C. Bernardes, Andre L. Belem, Rut A. Diaz, Manuel Moreira, Alexandre A. O. Lopes, Tulio L. Santos, Igor V. Souza, Andre L. D. Spigolon, Ana Luiza S. Albuquerque
Summary: In the past 66 million years, Earth has experienced dramatic climate changes, shifting from a warm greenhouse to a cold icehouse with polar ice caps. Geological records show that this transition caused significant long-term sea-level and atmospheric CO2 decline, influenced by orbital motions. However, the impact of these oscillations on the Brazilian margin is largely unknown.
Article
Biology
Matus Hyzny, Patricio Zambrano, Fernando Muniz, Juan Carlos Aragon
Summary: The discovery of the ghost shrimp Turbiocheir minutospinata in Argentina and Chile has expanded our understanding of this species. Comparisons with extant ghost shrimp species led to the synonymisation of Turbiocheir with Anacalliax, extending the fossil record of Anacalliax to the early Eocene. The proposed occurrence of Anacalliax minutospinata comb. nov. provides a reliable calibration point for Anacalliacidae.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Maria Aleksandra Bitner, Tina N. Molodtsova
MARINE BIOLOGY RESEARCH
(2020)
Letter
Ecology
Craig R. Smith, Verena Tunnicliffe, Ana Colaco, Jeffrey C. Drazen, Sabine Gollner, Lisa A. Levin, Nelia C. Mestre, Anna Metaxas, Tina N. Molodtsova, Telmo Morato, Andrew K. Sweetman, Travis Washburn, Diva J. Amon
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Oceanography
S. Galkin, K. Minin, A. A. Udalov, M. Chikina, D. Frey, T. N. Molodtsova, M. Simakov, O. A. Golovan, V. A. Soshnina, N. Yu Neretin, V. A. Spiridonov
Summary: The study found that in the benthic assemblages of the Antarctic peninsula slope and Philip Ridge, a high proportion of filter-feeders were associated with the highest values of near-bottom tide currents. Additionally, indicator species of vulnerable marine ecosystems were collected, including Demospongiae sponges, deep-sea corals Stylasteridae (Hydrozoa) and Primnoidae (Octocorallia).
Article
Environmental Sciences
Telmo Morato, Christopher K. Pham, Laurence Fauconnet, Gerald H. Taranto, Giovanni Chimienti, Erik Cordes, Carlos Dominguez-Carrio, Pablo Duran Munoz, Hronn Egilsdottir, Jose-Manuel Gonzalez-Irusta, Anthony Grehan, Dierk Hebbeln, Lea-Anne Henry, Georgios Kazanidis, Ellen Kenchington, Lenaick Menot, Tina N. Molodtsova, Covadonga Orejas, Berta Ramiro-Sanchez, Manuela Ramos, J. Murray Roberts, Luis Rodrigues, Steve W. Ross, Jose L. Rueda, Mar Sacau, David Stirling, Marina Carreiro-Silva
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Dennis M. Opresko, Tina N. Molodtsova
Summary: This study describes five new species of deep-sea antipatharian corals from the North Pacific, primarily collected off the coast of Alaska and on adjacent seamounts, all belonging to the family Schizopathidae. Illustrations of the type material of three known species are provided for comparison, and a new species is recognized while another is considered to be distinct from its original classification.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tina N. Molodtsova, Dennis M. Opresko, Daniel Wagner
Summary: For many years, an undescribed species of the genus Bathypathes has been mistakenly identified as Bathypathes alternata. This new species is widespread in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans, particularly in areas with cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts. It can be easily distinguished from Bathypathes alternata based on morphological differences.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Klaas Gerdes, Terue Cristina Kihara, Pedro Martinez Arbizu, Thomas Kuhn, Ulrich Schwarz-Schampera, Christopher L. Mah, Jon L. Norenburg, Thomas Linley, Kate Shalaeva, Enrique Macpherson, Dennis Gordon, Sabine Stoehr, Charles G. Messing, Simon Bober, Theresa Guggolz, Magdalini Christodoulou, Andrey Gebruk, Antonina Kremenetskaia, Andreas Kroh, Karen Sanamyan, Kathrin Bolstad, Leon Hoffman, Andrew J. Gooday, Tina Molodtsova
Summary: This study presents the first report of imagery collection of megafauna from the southern Central Indian and South East Indian Ridge, showcasing taxonomic richness and distribution. A total of 218 taxa were recorded and identified based on imagery, with additional morphological and molecular confirmed identifications of 20 taxa from 89 sampled specimens. The compiled fauna catalogue aims to provide a consistent morphological identification of megafauna taxa and illustrate their regional distribution.
BIODIVERSITY DATA JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Environmental Studies
Diva J. Amon, Sabine Gollner, Telmo Morato, Craig R. Smith, Chong Chen, Sabine Christiansen, Bronwen Currie, Jeffrey C. Drazen, Tomohiko Fukushima, Matthew Gianni, Kristina M. Gjerde, Andrew J. Gooday, Georgina Guillen Grillo, Matthias Haeckel, Thembile Joyini, Se-Jong Ju, Lisa A. Levin, Anna Metaxas, Kamila Mianowicz, Tina N. Molodtsova, Ingo Narberhaus, Beth N. Orcutt, Alison Swaddling, Joshua Tuhumwire, Patricio Uruena Palacio, Michelle Walker, Phil Weaver, Xue-Wei Xu, Clement Yow Mulalap, Peter E. T. Edwards, Chris Pickens
Summary: A comprehensive understanding of the deep-sea environment and mining impacts is necessary to assess compliance with international regulations. However, there is a lack of available scientific knowledge to support decision-making. Further information on deep-sea environmental baselines and mining impacts is critical for this emerging industry. Closing the scientific gaps related to deep-seabed mining is a monumental task that requires clear direction, substantial resources, and robust coordination and collaboration.
Article
Zoology
Jeremy Horowitz, Dennis Opresko, Tina N. Molodtsova, Robin J. Beaman, Peter F. Cowman, Tom C. L. Bridge
Summary: This study describes five new species of black corals found in the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea and presents a phylogeny of 80 black corals to understand their systematic relationships. This phylogeny serves as a foundation for future research on the evolutionary history of black corals.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Tina N. Molodtsova, Dennis M. Opresko, Michael O'Mahoney, Ulyana V. Simakova, Galina A. Kolyuchkina, Yessenia M. Bledsoe, Teresa W. Nasiadka, Rachael F. Ross, Mercer R. Brugler
Summary: The genus Abyssopathes is a deep-sea black coral found primarily in lower bathyal and abyssal depths. Its taxonomical position has been debated, but recent morphological and molecular studies using Abyssopathes lyra samples have led to its reclassification from the family Schizopathidae to the family Cladopathidae.
Article
Ecology
Neus Campanya-Llovet, Amanda E. Bates, Daphne Cuvelier, Eva Giacomello, Diana Catarino, Andrew J. Gooday, Bjorn Berning, Blanca Figuerola, Manuel A. E. Malaquias, Carlos J. Moura, Joana R. Xavier, Tracey T. Sutton, Laurence Fauconnet, Sofia P. Ramalho, Barbara De Moura Neves, Gui M. Machado, Tammy Horton, Andrey V. Gebruk, Kirill Minin, Joel Bried, Tina Molodtsova, Monica A. Silva, Anna Dilman, Antonina Kremenetskaia, Eudriano F. S. Costa, Jameson Clarke, Helen R. Martins, Christopher K. Pham, Marina Carreiro-Silva, Ana Colaco
Summary: Trait-based approaches have become increasingly popular in the scientific community, providing insights into species vulnerability and ecosystem functioning. The FUN Azores trait database, developed collaboratively by 30 researchers, represents a comprehensive assessment of diverse fauna in the Azores Marine Park. The database covers 14 traits for 1,210 species, highlighting gaps in knowledge related to species behavior and life history. The functional maps generated from the database reveal different distribution patterns among size classes and provide a basis for ecological understanding of the marine park.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biology
Tina N. Molodtsova, Viktoria N. Moskalenko, Elizabeth V. Lipukhin, Tatiana I. Antokhina, Marina S. Ananeva, Ulyana V. Simakova
Summary: The subclass Ceriantharia is a marine benthic group known for its bilateral symmetry. In this study, we investigated the genetic relationships of Cerianthus lloydii from different locations. Our results show that C. lloydii specimens form two distinct clades, and we propose a new genus and family to accommodate C. lloydii based on its low similarity to the type species of Cerianthus.
Article
Oceanography
T. N. Molodtsova, K. V. Minin, G. D. Kolbasova, V. L. Syomin, N. Yu. Neretin, A. V. Mishin, D. N. Mikhailov, E. G. Morozov
Summary: This study conducted research on the benthic fauna in the Antarctic's Atlantic sector during the 87th cruise of RV Akademik Mstislav Keldysh. The study focused on the Bransfield Strait, the Powell Basin of the Weddell Sea, and the Orkney and Laurie Troughs. Data was collected using Sigsbee trawls, box corers, and visual observations with the AUV MMT-3500. The study provided new insights into the biodiversity and community structure of benthic communities in the Antarctic.
Article
Oceanography
E. G. Morozov, M. Flint, A. M. Orlov, D. Frey, T. N. Molodtsova, V. A. Krechik, A. A. Latushkin, P. A. Salyuk, S. A. Murzina, K. Minin, A. Mishin, S. A. Mosharov, A. M. Seliverstova, O. G. Borzykh, A. Melnik, D. N. Mikhailov, P. Chukmasov, V. V. Zamshin, D. G. Bitiutskii
Summary: An expedition was conducted from January 19th to February 14th, 2022, to study the ecosystems of the Atlantic sector of the Antarctic. The expedition focused on understanding modern processes in the Southern Ocean ecosystem and regions of interest for Russian fisheries. Materials were collected to characterize the environment, pelagic communities, benthic fauna, and the variability of important ecosystem components.
Review
Environmental Studies
Daniel Wagner, Liesbeth van der Meer, Matthias Gorny, Javier Sellanes, Carlos F. Gaymer, Eulogio H. Soto, Erin E. Easton, Alan M. Friedlander, Dhugal J. Lindsay, Tina N. Molodtsova, Ben Boteler, Carole Durussel, Kristina M. Gjerde, Duncan Currie, Matthew Gianni, Cassandra M. Brooks, Marianne J. Shiple, T. Aulani Wilhelm, Marco Quesada, Tamara Thomas, Piers K. Dunstan, Nichola A. Clark, Luis A. Villanueva, Richard L. Pyle, Malcolm R. Clark, Samuel E. Georgian, Lance E. Morgan
Summary: The Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges are two seamount chains in the southeastern Pacific, known for their unique biodiversity and high levels of marine endemism, serving as important habitats and ecological stepping stones.
