Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Farid Saleh, Romain Vaucher, Muriel Vidal, Khadija El Hariri, Lukas Laibl, Allison C. Daley, Juan Carlos Gutierrez-Marco, Yves Candela, David A. T. Harper, Javier Ortega-Hernandez, Xiaoya Ma, Ariba Rida, Daniel Vizcaino, Bertrand Lefebvre
Summary: The Fezouata Biota is a unique Early Ordovician fossil assemblage that revolutionized our understanding of Earth's early animal diversification. The new fossil locality Taichoute extends the temporal distribution of fossil preservation and expands the range of depositional environments. The discovery at this site provides important insights during a key evolutionary transition in the history of life on Earth.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Diana J. R. Lafferty, Erin A. McKenney, Sierra J. Gillman, Chris D. Kailing, Myles C. Walimaa, Macy J. Kailing, Brian J. Roell
Summary: Carnivores, such as the American marten, play a crucial role in the ecosystem and are sensitive to habitat loss and human disruption. In this study, we used trophic level and gut bacterial composition as indicators to assess the ecological status of the marten population in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We found that the gut microbiome of the marten is dominated by Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, but lacks Bacteroidetes. Our study also suggests that live trapping and harvest methods yield similar gut microbiome data. Additionally, preserving undisturbed forest can significantly impact the marten's trophic level and alter its gut microbiome. The findings highlight the potential of using gut microbiome as a tool to monitor the ecological status of wild carnivore populations.
Article
Biology
Xiang Fang, Yingyan Mao, Qi Liu, Wenwei Yuan, Zhongyang Chen, Rongchang Wu, Lixia Li, Yuchen Zhang, Junye Ma, Wenhui Wang, Renbin Zhan, Shanchi Peng, Yuandong Zhang, Diying Huang
Summary: This article reports on a new tropical Lagerstatte, Liexi fauna, which has been recently discovered in the Lower Ordovician carbonate succession in western Hunan, South China. The fauna contains a variety of soft tissues and shelly fossils, including Cambrian relics and Ordovician taxa, revealing a complex marine ecosystem and providing new evidence for understanding the macroevolution and onset of the GOBE in the Ordovician.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Sara B. Pruss, Lucy Helms, Emma Roth
Summary: This study examines the Late Ordovician coral reefs of the Lourdes Formation in western Newfoundland. It reveals that reef environments have higher skeletal abundance than adjacent settings, and the abundance of skeletal animals is influenced by specific environmental conditions such as supersaturation of CaCO3, wave activity, and warm temperatures. This highlights the importance of reefs as suitable habitats for skeletal organisms during the Early Paleozoic.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Aaron W. Hunter, Javier Ortega-Hernandez
Summary: This study describes a new somasteroid, Cantabrigiaster fezouataensis, from the Early Ordovician Fezouata Lagerstatte in Morocco, revealing its unique endoskeletal arm organization. The results suggest that Cantabrigiaster may be an early divergent stem-group asterozoan, and somasteroids represent a paraphyletic grade within Asterozoa.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
William Williams, Theodore Bornhorst
Summary: The Western Syncline hosts Kupferschiefer-type sedimentary rock-hosted stratiform Cu deposits, which are controlled by sedimentology and stratigraphy and influenced by syn-sedimentary tectonic movements.
Article
Geography, Physical
Yangbo Lu, Fang Hao, Detian Yan, Yongchao Lu
Summary: The study conducted on bentonite beds-bearing intervals from the Upper Ordovician Wufeng Formation in South China reveals the short-term and long-term impacts of volcanic activity on the paleoenvironment. Short-term effects include environmental disruptions such as ocean fertilization and warmer climate, while the long-term effects show a correlation between distribution of bentonite beds and global sea-level fluctuations, suggesting a cumulative heating effect from intense volcanic activities in South China.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Uwaila Charles Iyare, Oshaine Omar Blake, Ryan Ramsook
Summary: The Naparima Hill Formation consists of four lithofacies that are highly brittle, with the siliceous-calcareous mudstones and siliceous mudstones exhibiting greater fracability than the calcareous and carbonate-rich mudstones. The key factors influencing fracability include the amount of quartz and rock strength affected by calcite cementation.
JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Brian M. Danhoff, Casey J. Huckins
Summary: This study examined the relationship between large instream wood and streambed complexity in six forested streams in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The results showed that there was no clear association between the volume of large wood and streambed complexity. In fact, complexity was inversely related to large wood abundance. This may be due to the low stream power and smaller wood size in these streams.
Article
Biology
Diego C. Garcia-Bellido, Juan Carlos Gutierrez-Marco
Summary: The Late Ordovician Tafilalt Biota of the Moroccan Anti-Atlas provides valuable insights into the diversity of soft-bodied organisms and mineralized taxa during that time. The discovery of new palaeoscolecid taxa with unique preservation patterns suggests a polar gigantism phenomenon in this region. Furthermore, the presence of Wronascolex in the Late Ordovician extends the known range of this genus, highlighting its long evolutionary history.
HISTORICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mikko Sipila, Nina Sarnela, Kimmo Neitola, Totti Laitinen, Deniz Kemppainen, Lisa Beck, Ella-Maria Duplissy, Salla Kuittinen, Tuuli Lehmusjarvi, Janne Lampilahti, Veli-Matti Kerminen, Katrianne Lehtipalo, Pasi P. Aalto, Petri Keronen, Erkki Siivola, Pekka A. Rantala, Douglas R. Worsnop, Markku Kulmala, Tuija Jokinen, Tuukka Petaja
Summary: The metallurgical industry in the Kola Peninsula plays a significant role in air pollution in the Arctic and subarctic regions, particularly during the winter. The conversion of highly concentrated SO2 emissions to sulfuric acid drives new particle formation, with air mass advection and other growth mechanisms also influencing aerosol size distributions. These results highlight the impact of SO2 emissions on wintertime aerosol and CCN concentrations in the heavily polluted subarctic region.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Juwan Jeon, Stephen Kershaw, Kun Liang, Yuandong Zhang
Summary: North China, as a key region for Middle Ordovician stromatoporoid diversification, lacks detailed studies on the subsequent Late Ordovician stromatoporoid development. The Beiguoshan Formation contains a unique stromatoporoid fauna, which provides insights into the spatiotemporal development of North Chinese stromatoporoids. This assemblage supports the idea that North China was an independent palaeobiogeographical unit during the Late Ordovician.
JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC PALAEONTOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Benjamin J. Drenth, William F. Cannon, Klaus J. Schulz, Robert A. Ayuso
Summary: The central Upper Peninsula of Michigan, at the southern margin of the Archean Superior Province, played a key role in Paleoproterozoic tectonic events related to the rifting of the proposed Archean supercraton Superia and the assembly of Laurentia. New geophysical data has provided a richer understanding of the geological framework and effects of these tectonic events in the region.
PRECAMBRIAN RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Zhaodong Xi, Shuheng Tang
Summary: The Ordovician shale (Wufeng Formation) in the Upper Yangtze Platform is a successful development interval. The accumulation mechanisms of organic matter within the Wufeng shale are influenced by variations in redox conditions and paleoproductivity. OM accumulation in the Wufeng Formation is controlled by sea level, which is affected by global climate and tectonics.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Xueying Ma, Shenghui Deng, Yuanzheng Lu, Ru Fan, Fenglian Zhang, Yanqi Sun, Xu Li, Zhengyang Qu
Summary: The discovery of hydrocarbon in the Pagoda Formation in South China has led to the attention from the petroleum industry. This research paper analyzes the stratigraphy and discontinuity of the Pagoda Formation using conodont biostratigraphy and isotope stratigraphy. The study reveals that the Pagoda Formation began its deposition at different times in different regions and that there is an unconformity between the Pagoda Formation and the underlying strata. This unconformity may serve as a migration channel for hydrocarbon or a reservoir for high-quality oil and gas.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Emily S. Hughes, James C. Lamsdell
Summary: Eurypterids are believed to have evolved sweep-feeding adaptations which allowed them to capture smaller prey species. Phylogenetic analysis shows that Mycteropoids were specialized sweep-feeders, while Stylonurines were likely suited for capturing small benthic macroinvertebrates. Prey size did not play a significant role in species survivorship during the Late Devonian mass extinction.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
James C. Lamsdell
Summary: This study reveals the correlation between morphological changes in species and environmental gradients, primarily caused by heterochronic processes. A new metric called heterochronic weighting is introduced to quantify these changes, showing concerted independent heterochronic trends in xiphosuran chelicerates. The distribution of heterochronic weightings among species suggests influences from historical, phylogenetic processes, and external ecological pressures.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Amanda R. Falk, James C. Lamsdell, Enpu Gong
Summary: Principal component analysis has been used to test for similarities in ecology and life habits between modern and fossil birds; however, the two main portions of the hind limb, the foot and the long bone elements, have not been examined separately. This study reveals extreme phylogenetic clumping in hind limb morphologies and species' ecologies, with some morphologies strongly correlated with particular ecologies. The study suggests that the length of the hallux is the most defining characteristic of the entire hind limb and that the foot and hind limb undergo morphological changes separately from each other.
Article
Paleontology
James C. Lamsdell, Giorgio Teruzzi, Giovanni Pasini, Alessandro Garassino
Summary: Fossiliferous beds in Osteno, Italy, from the Lower Jurassic (Sinemurian) Moltrasio Limestone contain a diverse marine fauna, including a newly discovered horseshoe crab called Ostenolimulus latus. This finding suggests that stem limulids were diverse and widespread during the Jurassic, while crown group limulids were beginning to diversify and radiate. The external morphology and internal structures of Ostenolimulus latus provide insight into the evolutionary history of horseshoe crabs.
NEUES JAHRBUCH FUR GEOLOGIE UND PALAONTOLOGIE-ABHANDLUNGEN
(2021)
Article
Paleontology
Evan P. Anderson, James D. Schiffbauer, Sarah M. Jacquet, James C. Lamsdell, Joanne Kluessendorf, Donald G. Mikulic
Summary: Parioscorpio venator, a relatively rare arthropod from the Waukesha lagerstatte, is redescribed with unique characteristics that challenge classification. Phylogenetic analysis places it as an early branch of Mandibulata and Chelicerata, but exact placement remains uncertain. The study highlights the importance of small lagerstatten in the Middle Palaeozoic and the need for caution when interpreting their enigmatic constituents.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
James C. Lamsdell, Curtis R. Congreve
Summary: Phylogenetic paleoecology represents a synthesis of macroecology and macroevolution, leveraging phylogenetic theory and quantitative paleoecology to explain temporal and spatial variation in species diversity, distribution, and disparity. It is ideally situated to elucidate many fundamental issues in evolutionary biology, including the generation of new phenotypes, the geographic distribution of species, and the phylogenetic signal of ecological selectivity in extinctions and radiations.
Article
Paleontology
James C. Lamsdell
Summary: This passage primarily discusses the issues of naming and classification of ancient fossil horseshoe crabs, particularly the history of usage and authority status of the species name Belinurus lunatus.
JOURNAL OF PALEONTOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Paleontology
James C. Lamsdell, Matthew E. Clapham
Summary: In the first half of the nineteenth century, a significant shift occurred in the understanding and treatment of the chelicerate fossil record, leading to the recognition of entirely extinct genera for the first time. The taxonomic revolution focused on sea scorpions and horseshoe crabs, with the oldest available eurypterid genus being Eurypterus deKay, 1825, and the oldest available fossil arachnid genus name being Cyclophthalmus Corda, 1835.
JOURNAL OF PALEONTOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
James C. Lamsdell
Summary: The increase in pterygotid species diversity appears to be associated with the development of large chelicerae, but further research is needed to determine the exact causes of this phenomenon.
BULLETIN OF THE PEABODY MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
(2022)
Article
Paleontology
Zhiheng Ma, Paul A. Selden, James C. Lamsdell, Tingshan Zhang, Jingwen Chen, Xi Zhang
Summary: This study describes two new eurypterids, Erettopterus qujingensis n. sp. and Slimonia sp., from the upper Silurian Yulongsi Formation in Yunnan Province, China. The discovery of these species extends the geographic range of the genera Erettopterus and Slimonia from Euramerica to southwest China and provides insights into the similarities in ecosystem structures during the Silurian period.
JOURNAL OF PALEONTOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
James C. Lamsdell, Phillip A. Isotalo, David M. Rudkin, Markus J. Martin
Summary: A new species of horseshoe crab has been discovered in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, providing valuable information about the development and morphology of early horseshoe crabs. The study suggests that some ancient forms had freely movable tergites in their anterior section and an opisthosoma consisting of 13 segments.
GEOLOGICAL MAGAZINE
(2023)
Article
Paleontology
Roy E. Plotnick, James C. Lamsdell
Summary: This article describes the discovery of a new species of hibbertopterid and an unidentified stylonurine eurypterid from the Early Mississippian. These findings represent the first documented eurypterids from the Mississippian in North America and the fourth locality worldwide of this age to yield eurypterids.
JOURNAL OF PALEONTOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Paleontology
Jiashu Wang, Lu Liu, Jinzhuang Xue, James C. Lamsdell, Paul A. Selden
Summary: A new eurypterid, Malongia mirabilis nov. gen., nov. sp., is described from the Lower Devonian Xiaxishancun Formation of Qujing, Yunnan, southwestern China. It represents the only record of the Dolichopteridae family in South China.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Zhiheng Ma, Tingshan Zhang, James C. Lamsdell, Jingwen Chen, Paul A. Selden, Liurunxuan Chen
Summary: This study describes the discovery of two new eurypterids, expanding the known distribution of Pterygotus and Parahughmilleria across different regions. The findings also provide insights into the ecosystem structures during the Early Devonian period and support the hypothesis of a crisis among eurypterids during the Silurian-Devonian boundary interval.
GEOLOGICAL MAGAZINE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Derek E. G. Briggs, David J. Siveter, Derek J. Siveter, Mark D. Sutton, David Legg, James C. Lamsdell
Summary: A new arthropod, Carimersa neptuni gen. et sp. nov., with unique appendages, is described from the Silurian Herefordshire Konservat-Lagerstatte, UK. It is closely related to Kodymirus and Eozetetes + Aglaspidida. This discovery provides the first evidence of Vicissicaudata in the Herefordshire Lagerstatte and the first well-preserved Silurian example of appendages. Additionally, the preserved radiolarian cluster on its trunk appendages reveals a direct predator-prey association, suggesting a nektobenthic lifestyle for Carimersa.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
