Palaeoepidemiology in extinct vertebrate populations: factors influencing skeletal health in Jurassic marine reptiles

Palaeoepidemiological studies related to palaeoecology are rare, but have the potential to provide information regarding ecosystem-level characteristics by measuring individual health. In order to assess factors underlying the prevalence of pathologies in large marine vertebrates, we surveyed ichthyosaurs (Mesozoic marine reptiles) from the Posidonienschiefer Formation (Early Jurassic: Toarcian) of southwestern Germany. This Formation provides a relatively large sample from a geologically and geographically restricted interval, making it ideal for generating baseline data for a palaeoepidemiological survey. We examined the influence of taxon, anatomical region, body size, ontogeny and environmental change, as represented by the early Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event, on the prevalence of pathologies, based on a priori ideas of factors influencing population skeletal health. Our results show that the incidence of pathologies is dependent on taxon, with the small-bodied genus Stenopterygius exhibiting fewer skeletal pathologies than other genera. Within Stenopterygius , we detected more pathologies in large adults than in smaller size classes. Stratigraphic horizon, a proxy for palaeoenvironmental change, did not influence the incidence of pathologies in Stenopterygius . The quantification of the occurrence of pathologies within taxa and across guilds is critical to constructing more detailed hypotheses regarding changes in the prevalence of skeletal injury and disease through Earth history.

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Progressive palaeoenvironmental change during the Late Barremian–Early Aptian as prelude to Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a: Evidence from the Gorgo a Cerbara section (Umbria-Marche basin, central Italy)

Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology ◽

10.1016/j.palaeo.2011.01.025 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 302 (3-4) ◽

pp. 396-406 ◽

Cited By ~ 66

Author(s):

Melody Stein ◽

Karl B. Föllmi ◽

Stéphane Westermann ◽

Alexis Godet ◽

Thierry Adatte ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Central Italy ◽

Oceanic Anoxic Event ◽

Palaeoenvironmental Change ◽

Anoxic Event

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New data on the palaeobiogeography of Early Jurassic marine reptiles: the Toarcian ichthyosaur fauna of the Vocontian Basin (SE France)

10.31233/osf.io/qys3p ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Valentin Fischer ◽

Myette Guiomar ◽

Pascal Godefroit

Keyword(s):

Lower Jurassic ◽

Early Jurassic ◽

Southern Germany ◽

Oceanic Anoxic Event ◽

Marine Reptiles ◽

Anoxic Event ◽

Anatomical Adaptations ◽

Se France

The Vocontian Basin (SE France) was formed along the northwestern border of Teth- ys during Mesozoic times. Mainly known for its rich ammonite fauna, this basin has also yielded several Lower Jurassic ichthyosaurs. The specimens discussed here were discovered in lower Toar- cian limestone and marl successions in the vicinity of Digne-les-Bains, High-Provence Alps. The best-preserved specimen is identified as Suevoleviathan sp., a rare taxon previously reported only in southern Germany. Along with this specimen, premaxillae and paddle elements of Eurhinosaurus sp. and probable Stenopterygiidae centra were found in neighbouring localities. These specimens were preserved thanks to the deposition of soft anoxic marls or calcarodetritic sediments, coeval with other anoxic shales in Europe (the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event or T-OAE), which allows faunal com- parisons between these basins. The localities from the Vocontian Basin are closer to the Tethys than any other sites where identifiable Toarcian ichthyosaurs have been found in Europe. Nevertheless, the Vocontian ichthyosaur assemblage is strikingly similar to those of other basins across Europe. This suggests a wide palaeobiogeographical distribution for Toarcian ichthyosaurs, reflecting their anatomical adaptations as highly mobile swimmers.

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THE USE OF CARBON AND OXYGEN STABLE ISOTOPES IN THE STUDY OF GLOBAL PALAEOCEANOGRAPHIC CHANGES: EXAMPLES FROM THE CRETACEOUS SEDIMENT ROCKS OF WESTERN GREECE

Bulletin of the Geological Society of Greece ◽

10.12681/bgsg.18445 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 39 (1) ◽

pp. 64 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

V. Karakitsios ◽

H. Tsikos ◽

K. Agiadi - Katsiaouni ◽

S. Dermitzoglou ◽

E. Chatziharalambous

Keyword(s):

Stable Isotopes ◽

Oceanic Anoxic Event ◽

Palaeoenvironmental Change ◽

Oxygen Stable Isotopes ◽

Anoxic Event ◽

Data Record ◽

Anoxic Events ◽

First Time ◽

Western Greece ◽

Cretaceous Sediment

In the present paper we examine the use of carbon and oxygen stable isotopes in the study of global palaeoceanographic changes, with special reference to the oceanic anoxic events (OAEs). The analysis of stable isotopes was applied to the examination of Cretaceous sediments from the Ionian and Pindos zones of Western Greece. In the Ionian zone the carbon and oxygen stable isotopes, combined with biostratigraphic data, record the palaeoenvironmental change corresponding to the anoxic events Bonarelli (Cenomanian/Turonian, OAE2) and Paquier (Lower Albian, OAE1b). In the Pindos zone, within the Cretaceous sediments, we observed two organic-carbon-rich levels. According to the biostratigraphic and isotopie analysis, the first level corresponds to an OAE of Santonian age. This local oceanic anoxic event is described for the first time. The second level, Aptian - Albian age, possibly correlates to either the Paquier event (OAE 1b) or the Selli event (OAE 1a), which in Greece were until now known only in the Ionian zone.

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