Faunal Associations Research Articles

Ecological stasis in Spinicaudata (Crustacea, Branchiopoda)? Early Cretaceous clam shrimp of the Yixian Formation of north‐east China occupied a broader realized ecological niche than extant members of the group

AbstractThe palaeoecology of Spinicaudata, the dominant group of benthic invertebrates in many pre‐Cenozoic freshwater environments, remains poorly understood. In analogy with extant taxa, it has been oversimplified and often reduced to shallow, temporary environments characterized by few trophic levels, implying ecological stasis from the Devonian to the Recent. We excavated 43 horizons of the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation (Anjiagou and Hengdaozi beds) to evaluate whether spinicaudatan ecology can be simplified to such an extent. Sedimentological evidence suggests general perennial conditions during the excavated lake interval. Based on 33 226 specimen counts, we identified three arthropod‐dominated macrobenthic associations and two assemblages. Response curves indicate that the spinicaudatan Eosestheria middendorfii was exceptionally tolerant to environmental gradients, followed, in decreasing order, by mayfly larvae, water boatmen and oligochaetes. Many spinicaudatan‐yielding layers represent death after reproductive senescence rather than mass‐mortality events. Spinicaudatan size varies significantly according to faunal association. A forward stepwise regression model suggests that growth responded to population density and diversity: lower densities and higher diversities triggered fast growth, and vice versa. The proposed strong density effect on carapace size has been corroborated by rearing experiments: as for E. middendorfii, natural log regression provided the best fit for the two extant species Eulimnadia texana and Eocyzicus argillaquus. Hence, E. middendorfii was a tolerant and morphologically variable species adapted to perennial waters and the frequent presence of higher trophic levels. Although there are rare records of extant taxa co‐occurring with fish, the described Early Cretaceous environment is commonly not inhabited by extant Spinicaudata.

Mollusk shell assemblages as archives of spatial structuring of benthic communities around subtropical islands

Surficial assemblages of mollusk shells provide minimally invasive, quantitative data that are potentially adequate for assessing spatial organization of local benthic ecosystems. This study evaluates distribution and ecological characteristics of mollusk-dominated benthic communities around San Salvador Island (Bahamas). A total of 60 bulk samples collected along 12 onshore-offshore transects around the island yielded 20,301 specimens representing 180 mollusk species. Radiocarbon dating of individual shells (n = 30) indicated that these surficial accumulations represented a multi-millennial (time-averaged) record of local communities. Indirect multivariate ordinations (NMDS) separated mollusk death assemblage samples by locality, local habitat types, and regional context. Even in the case of comparable habitats within the same bay, samples clustered by transect location suggesting that surficial shell accumulations faithfully archive local differences in mollusk communities despite time-averaging and post-mortem shell transport. At the regional scale, a clear faunal separation is observed between windward and leeward sides of the island, suggesting that water energy represents an overriding regional driver that controls local composition of mollusk assemblages. Within each water energy regime, the faunal composition appeared to be primarily controlled by habitat type (seagrass versus sand habitats). Moreover, consistent with theoretical predictions that structured habitats enhance faunal stability of local communities, death assemblages from seagrass habitats were less variable in faunal composition than open sand habitats. Results indicate that San Salvador Island benthic communities are characterized by a predictable spatial organization controlled primarily by regional physical and, secondarily, biological processes. Also, the fact that extensively time-averaged shell assemblages have retained an interpretable spatial pattern suggests that regional physical processes, local habitat distribution, and structuring of mollusk associations must have been stable over multi-centennial time scales. This case study suggests that non-invasive sampling of dead mollusks can be an effective strategy for assessing prevalent long-term patterns in spatial distribution of regional faunal associations and examining processes that drive spatial structuring of marine communities.

Mustelids (Carnivora, Mammalia) from Monte Tuttavista fissure fillings (Early and Middle Pleistocene; Orosei, Sardinia): Taxonomy and evolution of the insular Sardinian Galictini

The insular environment of Sardinia is renowned for its extensive palaeontological Palaeogene record, extending from the Eocene until recent times. In Sardinia, one of the most important localities for Quaternary faunas is the fillings of the karst fissures of the Monte Tuttavista site complex, which contain an impressive amount of fossil remains of around 70 vertebrate taxa. Several studies that have examined the network of the karst fissure cavities and their fossils have revealed some issues regarding the biochronological ordering, as well as some peculiarities in the recovered faunal associations (such as the presence of several carnivores). In this study, we analysed the record of the two large mustelids from this site, the genera Pannonictis and Enhydrictis. Our analyses point out several singular morphological and morphometric features of these taxa that suggest their attribution to two new species, Pannonictis baroniensis nov. sp. and Enhydrictis praegalictoides nov. sp. The proportions and the robust morphologies of P. baroniensis resemble those of other European taxa, such as P. pliocaenica, although other dentognatic and cranial features exclude a conspecific identity with previously known taxa. Conversely, E. praegalictoides represents the earliest member of the genus and shows a mixed pattern of derived features that are shared with the peculiar E. galictoides recovered from other Middle-Late Pleistocene Sardinian localities, as well as other more primitive characteristics that do not occur in this endemic mustelid. Considering the controversial debate regarding the evolutionary history of the tribe Galictini, the record of these new endemic species expands our knowledge of the systematics and the biogeography of the galictines and enriches the diversity of the tribe during the Early and Middle Pleistocene.

Rapid deterioration of wetland in Bangladesh: a scenario of Noikandi Beel

Wetland aggregates at least a part of human heritage. It has direct impact on human culture and society. Besides, wetland comprises significant components in the context of local and national biodiversity. Beel wetland is a unique environment of floral and faunal association. In Bangladesh, wetland plays a vital role in its economic, industrial, ecological, socioeconomic and cultural attitudes. A study was conducted in the Noikandi beel where rapid destruction was observed due to anthropogenic activities. In the present study, seasonality and macro aquatic diversity and of the Noikandi beel Bangladesh was examined. Plant materials were collected from the beel once in a month for a period of 24 months. In the first 12 months, a total of 52 taxa have been recorded. Among them 40.38% was aquatic, 46.77% amphibians and 13.46% were found to be terrestrial. In addition, a rare taxon Euryale ferox Salisb was found. In the consecutive year of the study, 22.03% were aquatic, 52.54% terrestrial, 22.03% amphibians and1.69% was found to be macro algae. The rapid disappearance of aquatic plants is alarming. On the contrary, a good number of plants have been noted that is not associated with wetland environment indicating the transformation of wetland in to terrestrial ecosystem. Along with declining water depth and siltation other anthropogenic activities, agricultural, developmental initiatives have been identified as major threats, towards the Noikandi beel. The recommendations of the present study could be implemented by the government with the help of local people, as well as, this information may be useful for other beels of Bangladesh.J. bio-sci. 24: 33-43, 2016

Análisis comparativo de los moluscos en la reserva de la biosfera Los Petenes y lagunas costeras del sureste de México

The phylum Mollusca is widely distributed in all types of environments. The species it contains are important for their multiple uses as food (as part of several trophic chains), as vectors of other groups of organisms, for the extraction of substances, and as sentinels ofnatural and induced environmental changes. In this work, a comparative evaluation of the malacological biodiversity associated with different habitats in the Los Petenes Biosphere Reserve in Campeche and in eight coastal water bodies in southeastern Mexico was performed.To obtain data comparable to those that were used in a previous study, data from the Los Petenes mollusks were obtained by collection of sediment cores 10 cm in diameter at a depth of 15 cm at 20 sites in different habitats every four months during 2014. For the other lagoons,records were obtained from various published sources. For Los Petenes, a total of 175 species and 12,850 individuals were recorded. The species Rissoella caribaea was the most common and the most abundant. Comparative evaluation of each of the habitats that coexist in this ecosystem did not show significant changes in abundance. Similarly, faunal associations exhibited a sea-land gradient, and although thedifferences in biomass were significant, species richness did not show the same pattern among habitats. The Los Petenes system as a whole exhibited some of the greatest biodiversity among the water bodies analyzed, and the Terminos lagoon showed the highest biodiversity (169and 175 species, respectively). In contrast, the Sabancuy estuary featured fauna records with a richness of 43 species; in the Tupilco-Ostión lagoon, only 62 species were recorded, and in the rest of the lagoons, the numbers of species were even lower.

Oldest evidence for grooming claws in euprimates

Euprimates are unusual among mammals in having fingers and toes with flat nails. While it seems clear that the ancestral stock from which euprimates evolved had claw-bearing digits, the available fossil record has not yet contributed a detailed understanding of the transition from claws to nails. This study helps clarify the evolutionary history of the second pedal digit with fossils representing the distal phalanx of digit two (dpII), and has broader implications for other digits. Among extant primates, the keratinized structure on the pedal dpII widely varies in form. Extant strepsirrhines and tarsiers have narrow, distally tapering, dorsally inclined nails (termed a ‘grooming claws’ for their use in autogrooming), while extant anthropoids have more typical nails that are wider and lack distal tapering or dorsal inclination. At least two fossil primate species thought to be stem members of the Strepsirrhini appear to have had grooming claws, yet reconstructions of the ancestral euprimate condition based on direct evidence from the fossil record are ambiguous due to inadequate fossil evidence for the earliest haplorhines. Seven recently discovered, isolated distal phalanges from four early Eocene localities in Wyoming (USA) closely resemble those of the pedal dpII in extant prosimians. On the basis of faunal associations, size, and morphology, these specimens are recognized as the grooming phalanges of five genera of haplorhine primates, including one of the oldest known euprimates (∼56 Ma), Teilhardina brandti. Both the phylogenetic distribution and antiquity of primate grooming phalanges now strongly suggest that ancestral euprimates had grooming claws, that these structures were modified from a primitive claw rather than a flat nail, and that the evolutionary loss of ‘grooming claws’ represents an apomorphy for crown anthropoids.

The magdalenian fauna from Roc-aux-Sorciers, a sculpted rock shelter (Vienne, France). Main archaeozoological results

The Roc-aux-Sorciers site, on the townland of Angles-sur-l’Anglin, contains two localities with cave art: Abri Bourdois and Cave Taillebourg. The site is well-known on account of the Middle Magdalenian carved frieze in Abri Bourdois. Excavations by Suzanne de Saint-Mathurin from 1947 to 1964 revealed several occupation levels contemporaneous with the parietal art in Abri Bourdois and Cave Taillebourg. This study focuses on the large mammal remains from these former excavations. The faunal association comprises 20 species, and is characterized by the presence of two dominant species: the reindeer and the horse, followed by two secondary species in terms of abundance: the Saiga antelope and the bison. This site is one of the rare decorated Magdalenian rock shelters with occupation remains associated with the parietal art. The archaeozoological study combines different approaches and brings to light the complex relations between the Magdalenians and fauna. Some species, such as the reindeer, are only a source for basic necessities (food, skin, tendons, and antlers). Others have a more symbolic connotation and are only depicted in parietal art (ibex) or used for portable art or decorative objects (mammoth and carnivores). Lastly, the horse is a symbolic animal and a food source. During the Middle Magdalenian, the Roc-aux-Sorciers could correspond to a residential camp where human groups used the site during long periods of the year, or even for more than a year. This points to semi-sedentary Magdalenian populations with differential resource management during different seasons.

Proterotheriidae (Mammalia, Litopterna) from the Cerro Azul Formation (late Miocene), La Pampa Province, Argentina

Remains of Proterotheriidae (Litopterna) recovered from different localities in La Pampa Province, Argentina, are described. The fossiliferous levels in these localities correspond to the Cerro Azul Formation (late Miocene), where Chasicoan and Huayquerian faunal associations are known. The specimens of Proterotheriidae herein studied are assigned to Diplasiotherium pampa, Eoauchenia primitiva, cf. Brachytherium cuspidatum, Neobrachytherium sp. and Proterotheriidae indet. Although the holotype of D. pampa (left mandibular fragment with p3-m2) was defined in a previous paper, it is figured and fully described here, and its m3 is now known among the new collected specimens. Eoauchenia, Brachytherium and Neobrachytherium are registered in La Pampa Province for the first time, and the record of E. primitiva extends back to late Miocene its temporal distribution. Proterotheriids from the Cerro Azul Formation gather exclusive elements and others related to taxa represented in different Argentinean geological units corresponding to late Miocene-early Pliocene period.

Los micromamíferos (Eulipotyphla, Chiroptera, Rodentia y Lagomorpha) del yacimiento del Pleistoceno Superior de la cueva de El Castillo (Cantabria, España)

El material de micromamíferos del yacimiento del Pleistoceno Superior de la cueva de El Castillo, objeto de estudio detallado en este trabajo, proviene de los niveles auriñacienses 18b y 18c (datados en 40.000-45.000 BP), nivel 19, y niveles musterienses 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e (datados en 41.000-49.000 BP), 21a y 21b. La asociación de micromamíferos es la siguiente: Erinaceus europaeus, Crocidura russula, Sorex coronatus, Sorex minutus, Neomys fodiens, Talpa europaea, Galemys pyrenaicus, cf. Miniopterus schreibersii, Chiroptera indet., Pliomys lenki, Microtus arvalis – Microtus agrestis, Microtus lusitanicus, Microtus oeconomus, Chionomys nivalis, Arvicola terrestris, Apodemus sylvaticus – Apodemus flavicollis y Lepus sp. La mayoría de estas especies están presentes en la fauna actual de Cantabria, excepto Pliomys lenki que se extinguió en el último tercio del Pleistoceno Superior, y Microtus oeconomus, que persistió en la península ibérica durante el Holoceno bien avanzado hasta su desaparición en tiempos históricos, y que actualmente está en regiones euroasiáticas más septentrionales. Hay una gran continuidad de la gran mayoría de los taxones en todos los niveles. La fauna en su conjunto parece indicar un medio predominantemente abierto, por lo general de praderas húmedas (y en mucha menor medida praderas secas) con una buena cobertura vegetal a nivel del suelo, en el que habría también algunas zonas arboladas o boscosas, y algún curso de agua. Los indicadores termófilos son escasos y poco abundantes, lo que podría indicar que el clima podría ser algo menos templado que en otros periodos del Pleistoceno Superior y quizás también que actualmente en la zona.

The skeleton of a straight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus) and other large mammals from the Middle Pleistocene butchering locality Marathousa 1 (Megalopolis Basin, Greece): preliminary results

In this article, we present the first results on the large mammal fauna from the new open-air Lower Palaeolithic locality Marathousa 1 (MAR-1) (Megalopolis Basin, Peloponnesus, Greece). MAR-1 belongs to the Marathousa Member of the Choremi Formation and its large mammal faunal list (collection 2013–2016) includes the castorid Castor fiber, the mustelids Mustela sp. and Lutra simplicidens, the felid Felis sp., the canids Vulpes sp. and Canis sp., the elephantid Palaeoloxodon antiquus, the hippopotamid Hippopotamus antiquus, the bovid Bison sp., and the cervids Dama sp. and Cervus elaphus. This faunal association is common in the Galerian (Middle Pleistocene) mammal communities of Europe (ca. 0.9–0.4 Ma). The MAR-1 fauna is consistent with a temperate climate and is indicative of a landscape with substantial woodland components with more open areas, close to permanent and large freshwater bodies. Of particular interest are an elephant cranium and numerous postcranial elements, which were found in close anatomical association and are attributed to a single individual of the straight-tusked elephant Palaeoloxodon antiquus. The skeleton belonged to a male individual in its late adulthood close to or in its sixties, with live skeletal height around 3.7 m at the shoulder and body mass around 9.0 tonnes. The good state of preservation of the MAR-1 bones allows the identification of taphonomic modifications. Cut marks on the elephant skeleton, and on other elephant and mammal bones, indicate human exploitation by means of butchering activities, in accordance with the traits of the lithic assemblage and its spatial association with the bones. Carnivore activity is also recorded on some elephant and cervid bones. Marathousa 1 is among the oldest elephant butchering sites in Europe and the only one known in Southeastern Europe.

New, Late Miocene mammalian assemblage from the Palo Pintado Formation (Northwestern Argentina)

A new mammalian assemblage from the Late Miocene Palo Pintado Formation in Northwestern Argentina is described. Specimens were exhumed from the lower levels of the unit cropping out at Tonco Valley, Salta Province. The association includes representatives of seven families and three orders: Cingulata (Macrochorobates, Vetelia, Euphractini gen et sp. indet. a and b), Notoungulata (Paedotherium, Protypotherium, Typotheriopsis), and Rodentia (Caviidae gen et sp. indet. a and b, Procardiomys, Protabrocoma, Prolagostomus, Lagostomus). This assemblage, together with stratigraphical information, suggests a Late Miocene age, probably intermediate between Chasicoan and Huayquerian SALMAs for the fossiliferous levels of the Palo Pintado Formation in Tonco Valley. Paleoecological data discernible from the faunal association suggest grassland and marsh communities that developed in the flood-plain setting under a seasonal climate with a conspicuous dry season.

Methane cold seeps as biological oases in the high‐Arctic deep sea

AbstractCold seeps can support unique faunal communities via chemosynthetic interactions fueled by seabed emissions of hydrocarbons. Additionally, cold seeps can enhance habitat complexity at the deep seafloor through the accretion of methane derived authigenic carbonates (MDAC). We examined infaunal and megafaunal community structure at high‐Arctic cold seeps through analyses of benthic samples and seafloor photographs from pockmarks exhibiting highly elevated methane concentrations in sediments and the water column at Vestnesa Ridge (VR), Svalbard (79° N). Infaunal biomass and abundance were five times higher, species richness was 2.5 times higher and diversity was 1.5 times higher at methane‐rich Vestnesa compared to a nearby control region. Seabed photos reveal different faunal associations inside, at the edge, and outside Vestnesa pockmarks. Brittle stars were the most common megafauna occurring on the soft bottom plains outside pockmarks. Microbial mats, chemosymbiotic siboglinid worms, and carbonate outcrops were prominent features inside the pockmarks, and high trophic‐level predators aggregated around these features. Our faunal data, visual observations, and measurements of sediment characteristics indicate that methane is a key environmental driver of the biological system at VR. We suggest that chemoautotrophic production enhances infaunal diversity, abundance, and biomass at the seep while MDAC create a heterogeneous deep‐sea habitat leading to aggregation of heterotrophic, conventional megafauna. Through this combination of rich infaunal and megafaunal associations, the cold seeps of VR are benthic oases compared to the surrounding high‐Arctic deep sea.

Otoliths reveal diverse fish communities in Late Oligocene estuarine to deep-water paleoenvironments in southern Zealandia

ABSTRACTFish otoliths are essential tools for reconstructing fossil teleost faunas. Here, we describe otoliths from estuarine to deep-water Late Oligocene localities in southern Zealandia. Thirty-one species are recognised including 14 new species and two new genera. New species are: Moringua waimumuensis n.sp., Heteroconger? mataura n.sp., Tonganago coplandi n.sp., Sardinops robinsoni n.sp., Lotella latidorsalis n.sp., Trachyrincus tewaewae n.sp., Eurypleuron debilis n.sp., Neobythites lindqvisti n.sp., Aotearichthys vestalis n.sp., Centroberyx worthyi n.sp., Krebsiella chattonensis n.sp., Lesueurina transoceana n.sp. and Micropercops pomahaka n.sp., a representative of a basal gobioid family (Odontobutidae) now restricted to fresh- and brackish waters of eastern Asia. The new otolith-based genera are: Aotearichthys n.gen. (Dinematichthyidae) and Tonganago n.gen. (Congridae). The diverse faunal association reflects the range of paleoenvironments from estuarine to deep marine allowing an unusually complete reconstruction of the fish ecosystems. We compare the fauna with the extant marine fauna of Zealandia and discuss its phylogenetic and biogeographic significance.

Taxonomic reassignment of the Paleolithic human navicular from Cueva de los Torrejones (Guadalajara, Spain)

Evidence of human activity and hominin remains are very scarce inland on the Iberian Peninsula. This fact raises the issue of the scarcity of evidence that Paleolithic Homo sapiens occupied this area outside of the littoral margins (Atlantic, Cantabrian, and Mediterranean coasts). Here, we comparatively describe a human right adult navicular bone recovered in the Cueva de los Torrejones site, located in the village of Tamajon (Guadalajara, Spain). This fossil was preliminarily established as belonging to Homo cf. neanderthalensis, due to the late Pleistocene faunal association, mainly because of the presence of Crocuta crocuta and Panthera pardus. The metrical and morphological study of the navicular T93-S3.27 from Cueva de los Torrejones clearly differentiates it from Neandertals and their ancestors, the hominins from Sima de los Huesos, allowing for this fossil to be taxonomically assigned with confidence as H. sapiens. The navicular from the Cueva de los Torrejones is absolutely and relatively medio-laterally narrow with a low wedging index as those of fossil and modern H. sapiens, and clearly different of Neandertals. The increased discoveries and publications of new naviculars belonging to genus Homo, together with the findings of P. pardus and C. crocuta in more recent chronologies in the Iberian Peninsula, are compatible with this reevaluation. We propose a probable chronology for this fossil between 12 and 15 ka and ca. 25 ka, based on the biostratigraphy and the oldest presence of H. sapiens in the Iberian Peninsula. This work confirms the human presence within the Iberian Peninsula during the Upper Paleolithic and reopens the question of the peopling of the inner Peninsula during this period.

Paleoecological and stratigraphic controls on eurypterid Lagerstätten: a model for preservation in the mid-Paleozoic

AbstractRecent studies of eurypterid paleoecology suggest that formation of eurypterid Lagerstätten in the mid-Paleozoic of Laurentia was controlled by the presence of an ecological–taphonomic window that recurred predictably in nearshore, marginal environments during transgressions. We tested this hypothesis by performing a high-resolution taxonomic, environmental, and stratigraphic survey and quantitative analysis of all Silurian–Lower Devonian eurypterid-bearing intervals in the Appalachian basin, the most prolific region for eurypterid remains in the world. Canonical correspondence analysis of sedimentological and faunal associations revealed a strong lithologic gradient between groupings of eurypterid genera and associated taxa across the basin, and a significant association of eurypterids with microbialites (thrombolites, stromatolites) and evaporitic structures. Field observations confirmed that, stratigraphically, eurypterids in the basin frequently occur above the microbialite structures and beneath evaporites and other indicators of increased salinity or subaerial exposure. Following interpretation of these features within a sequence stratigraphic framework, we present a preservational model in which (1) eurypterids inhabited nearshore settings following freshening conditions concomitant with minor transgressions, (2) their remains were subsequently buried by storms or microbialite sediment baffling, and (3) subsequent long-term preservation of tissues was facilitated by regression and cyclical shallowing-up successions that promoted hypersalinity and anoxia. In the central and southern region of the basin, where microbial structures and evidence for hypersalinity are less common, a similar pattern of cyclical shallowing-upward deposition within eurypterid-bearing units holds. Thus, eurypterid preservation appears to reflect a combination of ecological preferences and abiotic conditions that promoted inhabitation and eventual preservation within the same setting. This study provides the first quantitative support for a sea level–based control on preservation of eurypterids and adds to the growing body of evidence that suggests that analysis of exceptional preservation in the fossil record benefits from interpretation within a sequence stratigraphic framework.

Evidence of warm climate during late Sakmarian–early Artinskian in Posht‐e Badam Block, Central Iran and its paleogeographic implication

Examination of the geochemical data, faunal associations, and bauxite/laterite horizons in the Khan Formation, in Kalmard area, Posht‐e Badam Block, Central Iran are presented. The data provide insights on the paleogeographic position of Central Iran as part of the Cimmerian during the late Sakmarian–early Artinskian time. Bauxite/laterite as valuable warm and humid paleoclimate proxies are observed in all studied sections of the mixed siliciclastic‐carbonate Khan Formation and are meters to tens of meters thick. The warm and humid climate is also verified by the previous studies of Khan Formation sandstones yielding high chemical weathering and highly mature quartz grains. Plant fossils recovered from these sandstones are further evidence of the warm and wet climate. The results of the geochemical studies of the Khan Formation carbonates are in robust agreement with the inferred paleoclimate condition from bauxite/laterite horizons and sandstone studies of the Khan Formation. The bivariate plot of major and minor elements shows that aragonite as an indicator of warm water conditions was the major carbonate mineralogy of the Khan Formation limestones. Temperature calculation based on the heaviest oxygen isotope value of the least‐altered sample indicates that the temperature was around 36 and 29 °C for dolomites and limestones of the Khan Formation, respectively. The skeletal grains of the Khan Formation limestones are representative of a photozoan association with fusulinids, smaller foraminifers, calcareous algae, and common crinoids, brachiopods and bryozoans and also ooids and peloids as non‐skeletal grains. Therefore, the results of this study are not in agreement with previous fusulinid‐based paleogeographic interpretations, which suggested a high‐latitude paleoposition for the Posht‐e Badam Block and its separation from other Central Iran terrains during the late Sakmarian–early Artinskian. These data indicate that Posht‐e Badam Block was part of Central Iran during the late Sakmarian–early Artinskian, and its paleoposition was at a low paleolatitude.

Idaho beginnings: A review of the evidence

Evidence sought here for a pre-Clovis presence in the Snake River basin of Idaho and northeastern Oregon in the millennium ending at 11,600 yr BP includes radiocarbon and tephrochronological dates, extinct Pleistocene faunal associations, depositional context and living floor and feature integrity, and typologically or technologically legible lithic industries. Results of a review of eleven sites found ambiguous evidence for pre-Clovis hearths in two caves, but no convincing support for the temporal priority of the Western Stemmed over the Clovis tradition. However, intact sites of the Western Stemmed tradition, dating to 10,200–9800 yr BP, survive at 4 + m below surface in deep Quaternary alluvium in canyon floors in west-central Idaho below 610 m elevation. Deeper and earlier deposits may be found in the same settings.

Past and Future Ecosystem Change in the Coastal Zone

The coastal zone is in a constant state of flux. Long term records of change attest to high amplitude sea level changes. Relative stability though the Late Holocene has allowed for the evolution of barrier dune systems, estuaries and coastal lakes with associated plant and faunal associations. This evolution has been interspersed with changes in the balance between climate driven changes in outflow from catchments. These interactions have been considerably disturbed through the impacts of industrialised people who have diverted and consumed water and invested in infrastructure that has impacted on river flows and the tidal prism in estuaries. This has impacted their provisioning services to humans. It has also impacted their regulating services in that development along the coastline has impacted on the resilience of the littoral zone to absorb natural climate extremes. Looking from the past we can see the pathway to the future and more easily recognise the steps needed to avoid further coastal degradation. This will increasingly need to accommodate the impacts of future climate trends, increased climate extremes and rising seas. Coastal societies would do well to identify their long term pathway to adaptation to the challenges that lie ahead and plan to invest accordingly.

Worm-lobopodian assemblages from the Early Cambrian Chengjiang biota: Insight into the “pre-arthropodan ecology”?

Well-preserved assemblages dominated by scalidophoran worms (Cricocosmia, Mafangscolex) and lobopodians (Paucipodia, Microdictyon, Onychodictyon and undetermined xenusiid) are described from the Early Cambrian Chengjiang biota of China. This fossil material provides the opportunity to reassess key aspects of the functional morphology and lifestyles of the two groups. Both lobopodians exemplified here by Paucipodia and worms relied on a hydrostatic skeleton for support and locomotion and have direct functional analogues in extant onychophorans and priapulids, respectively. Retractor-like muscles attached to terminal claws probably assisted leg elevation in the lobopodians. Whereas lobopodians were essentially walkers and climbers, Cricocosmia and Mafangscolex were most likely subhorizontal burrowers. Their external ornament (phosphatic circular microplates or spiny sclerites) is interpreted as a possible adaptation for tunnelling close to the water-sediment interface. These assemblages seem to represent in-situ faunal associations and suggest that lobopodians and worms might have shared the same habitat and possibly exploited the same detrital food source. However, no evidence indicates that they interacted in predator-prey relationships. Finally, we hypothesize that during a time interval preceding Cambrian Stage 2, scalidophoran worms and lobopodians were the prevalent ecdysozoan component of early animal communities, and introduce the notion of a possible “pre-arthropodan ecology”.

Ungulates from Teixoneres Cave (Moià, Barcelona, Spain): Presence of cold-adapted elements in NE Iberia during the MIS 3

The site of Teixoneres Cave (Barcelona, NE Spain) provided two ungulate associations of MIS 3 age, one of which (from unit III) include two cold-adapted species, Coelodonta antiquitatis (Blumenbach, 1799) and Mammuthus primigenius (Blumenbach, 1799), which are infrequent in the Iberian fossil record. The collection includes the first Iberian find of a M. primigenius dP2, a rare dental element. This assemblage is relevant from chronological, biogeographical and palaeoecological aspects.Age of this faunal association (44,210 to 33,060calka BP) is slightly older than most of the other Late Pleistocene Iberian occurrences of M. primigenius and C. antiquitatis, providing interesting information on the spatiotemporal distribution of these species.The presence of these two cold-adapted species in NE Iberia is of special biogeographical relevance since they are infrequent and poorly known in this region.The faunal association of unit III was compared with other Iberian and Western European fossil assemblages that included C. antiquitatis and/or M. primigenius, by means of multivariate statistical analysis. The Teixoneres unit III assemblage reflects a faunal mixture in which temperate ungulate species are predominant and cold-adapted taxa are very scarce. This pattern is the same that can be observed in most of the Iberian analyzed assemblages and does not reflect the typical faunal composition of the Eurasian mammoth steppe, suggesting that that cold-adapted taxa only reached the Peninsula occasionally, during the coldest episodes of the Pleistocene, cohabiting with the local faunas instead of replacing them.