Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
M. Gabriela Mangano, Luis A. Buatois, Robert B. MacNaughton, Soren Jensen, Romain Gougeon, Alberto Marcos, Dean Meek, Laura Pinuela, Jose Carlos Garcia-Ramos
Summary: This study reevaluates the Cambrian trace fossil Psammichnites and reinterprets the previously named Taphrhelminthopsis circularis as a variant of Psammichnites gigas. The relationships between Psammichnites and other trace fossils commonly found in Cambrian shallow-marine strata are also discussed. Recommendations for renaming some trace fossils are provided. This documentation of the preservational variability of Cambrian Psammichnites is important for accurately estimating ichnodiversity levels during the Cambrian explosion and for stratigraphic correlation.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Arpad David, Alfred Uchman, Ricardo S. Ramalho, Jose Madeira, Carlos S. Melo, Patricia Madeira, Ana Cristina Rebelo, Bjoern Berning, Markes E. Johnson, Sergio P. Avila
Summary: Pliocene body fossils from Santa Maria Island in Azores have been studied for decades, with recent attention focusing on ichnofossils. Deposits from the Baia de Nossa Senhora section contain well-preserved invertebrate borings, providing insights into the dispersal of benthic faunas. The borings, belonging to various ichnogenera, suggest that the bearing bioclasts have been exposed for several years on the sea floor.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Andrew D. La Croix, Korhan Ayranci, Shahin E. Dashtgard
Summary: This paper summarizes the current state of knowledge regarding animal-sediment interactions in siliciclastic shallow-marine environments. It provides insights into the behaviors of organisms in different environmental conditions and their geological features. This knowledge is important for reconstructing paleo-ecosystems and explaining sedimentary strata.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rachel Przeslawski
Summary: This article documents and describes the occurrence of a unique type of lebensspuren, known as the 'spider trace', which was observed in both Western and Eastern Australia. The importance of effectively sharing similar observations to enhance our understanding of deep-sea biology is discussed.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Anthropology
Kevin G. Hatala, Neil T. Roach, Anna K. Behrensmeyer
Summary: Hominin footprints have traditionally not been considered important in paleoanthropological studies. However, in recent years, their discovery frequency has increased significantly, providing important new clues for studying human anatomy, locomotion, behaviors, and environments.
EVOLUTIONARY ANTHROPOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Korhan Ayranci, Isa E. Yildirim, Umair bin Waheed, James A. MacEachern
Summary: The automated technique proposed in this study uses deep convolutional neural networks to determine bioturbation index in cores and outcrops, providing a faster and more robust solution compared to manual classification by experts. By compiling a large dataset and training the DCNN model, high classification accuracies were achieved, marking a pioneering work in the field of ichnological analysis.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2021)
Article
Geology
Anderson Lepeco, Gabriel A. R. Melo
Summary: In this study, the fauna of the wasp family Scolebythidae found in mid Cretaceous amber from Myanmar was revised. Multiple new taxa were proposed, and a genus-level key for Burmese amber Scolebythidae was provided. This represents the first legitimate records of the family in Burmese amber, supporting the prevalence of tropical forests in the West Burma block during that time.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Paleontology
James R. Thomka
Summary: This study reports a new occurrence of Zoophycos from the Upper Cambrian Gallatin Formation of the Bighorn Mountains in north-central Wyoming, USA, contributing to the understanding of the paleobiogeographic distribution of lower Paleozoic Zoophycos and supporting the idea that most Cambrian Zoophycos were horizontal and shallow-tier structures.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Tamara Spasojevic, Gavin R. Broad, Ilari E. Saaksjarvi, Martin Schwarz, Masato Ito, Stanislav Korenko, Seraina Klopfstein
Summary: This study assessed the impact of outgroup sampling and missing morphological data on age estimates in total-evidence dating analysis. The results showed that including more distant outgroups led to older and less precise age estimates. Additionally, the phenomenon of bare-branch attraction was identified as potentially detrimental to total-evidence dating studies.
SYSTEMATIC BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Pedro Victor Buck, Aline Marcele Ghilardi, Bernardo de C. P. E. M. Peixoto, Tito Aureliano, Marcelo Adorna Fernandes
Summary: This study reports a new footprint morphotype from the Ouro ichnosite of the Botucatu Formation in Brazil. The footprints show elongated anteroposterior axis associated with tail drag marks, indicating a lizard-like trackmaker. The study also recognizes three different modes of locomotion. This finding expands our understanding of the paleofauna in the Botucatu Formation and adds complexity to its ecological network.
JOURNAL OF SOUTH AMERICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Geology
Andrea Baucon, Carlos Neto de Carvalho, Fabrizio Felletti, Gabriele Tosadori, Alexandre Antonelli
Summary: The study reveals that burrow morphologies show persistent patterns over evolutionary time scales, influenced by small-world dynamics and forming associations between shallow and deep-sea burrows. This pattern follows assembly rules similar to those shaping human social networks.
Article
Geology
Alexa r. Goers, Stephen t. Hasiotis, Eugene c. Rankey
Summary: Burrowing organisms have an impact on sedimentary textures, cement distribution, and petrophysical characteristics of carbonate strata. However, quantitative data on spatial variability of trace fossils is scarce. This study evaluates the distribution of sediment and bioturbation in carbonate shoreface successions in the southern Bahamas to understand the controls on ichnology in these environments.
JOURNAL OF SEDIMENTARY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Yan-Da Li, Erik Tihelka, Shuhei Yamamoto, Alfred F. Newton, Fang-Yuan Xia, Ye Liu, Di-Ying Huang, Chen-Yang Cai
Summary: Despite being only 50 extant species, beetles of the suborder Archostemata have a rich fossil history, dominating coleopteran assemblages in the Mesozoic. Fossils provide valuable evidence for reconstructing the relationships among its constituent families.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Stefan Bengtson, Birger Rasmussen, Jian-Wei Zi, Ian R. Fletcher, James G. Gehling, Bruce Runnegar
Summary: Researchers have found that the animal burrows in the Paleoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks of the Mount Barren Group in southwestern Australia may predate the last metamorphic event in the region and were formed during an Eocene transgression. After this event, there was resilicification of the quartzites, filling the pore space with syntaxial quartz cement forming silcretes, making the rocks hard again and impenetrable to animal burrowing.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Review
Microbiology
Stefano Turillazzi, Niccolo Meriggi, Duccio Cavalieri
Summary: Eusocial wasps, including subfamilies Stenogastrinae, Vespinae, and Polistinae, form colonies with thousands of individuals and build nests using paper materials. The dense population and stable micro environment in these nests create favorable conditions for various microorganisms, which can contribute to both pathogenicity and the development of sociality in these insects. The mutualistic relationships observed in some species, particularly with Actinomycete bacteria and yeasts, have potential implications in medicine and agriculture.