2023
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2023.05.29.
PUBLICATION — Ye, F., Bitner, M.A. & Shi, G.R.
2023. Variation of shell ornamentation with latitude
and water depth – A case study using living
brachiopods. Ecology and Evolution, 13:
e10006.
doi: 10.1002/ece3.10006
Figure:
The changes of the radial ornamentation index
along different latitudinal zones. The data from
ventral valve: blue colour, the data from dorsal
valve: red colour.
Shell
ornamentation of marine calcifiers is considered
as a potential anti-predatory defensive
structure. We tested the hypothesis that the
strength of brachiopod shell
ornament treated as anti- predatory defence
mechanism decreases with latitude and water
depth. We found no statistically significant
associations between ornamentation of living
brachiopods and latitude or their
ornamentation and water depth, a pattern
sharply contrasting with that of most fossil
brachiopods. Nearly 60% of living brachiopods
are characterised by smooth shells. High
proportion of smooth shells can be explained,
among others, by their preference for cryptic
and deep water habitats where the predation pressure is low.
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2023.05.22. PUBLICATION
Fostowicz-Frelik Ł. and Tseng
J. 2023. Introduction: The mammalian skull:
development, structure and function. Philosophical Transactions of
the Royal Society B 378, 20220077,
doi:10.1098/rstb.2022.0077
Beginning from 1665, Philosophical Transactions
published by the Royal Society of London
is the oldest continuously running scientific
journal in the world. The theme issue "The
mammalian skull: development,
structure, and function", assembled by Guest
Editors Łucja Fostowicz-Frelik (Institute of
Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences) and
Jack Tseng (University of California,
Berkeley, USA), brings together multiple
perspectives on this fast evolving topic.
Overall, 12 original contributions divided
evenly between research papers and reviews
written by scientists from five continents
offer a series of snapshots of the mammalian skull.
Glires
(rodents, lagomorphs and their fossil kin) is
the most speciose and arguably most diversified
clade
of living placentals. Within the
Glires, two basically opposite chewing movements
evolved: a mostly transversal power stroke in lagomorphs, and a mostly
proal power stroke in rodents, but the ancestral
condition for Glires is still unclear. We
studied mandibles of Chinese Paleocene Glires
representing the lagomorph-like (duplicidentate)
and rodent-like (simplicidentate) lineages. The
results of biomechanical analysis demonstrate a
mixture of duplicidentate and simplicidentate
characters among the basal Glires and suggest an
early occurrence of a lagomorph-like morphotype.
Ruf I., Meng J., Fostowicz-Frelik Ł 2023.
Auditory region circulation in Lagomorpha: the
internal carotid artery pattern revisited. Philosophical Transactions of
the Royal Society B 378, 20220088,
doi:10.1098/rstb.2022.0088
The internal carotid artery (ICA)
is one of the main vessels in the cranial
circulation. Because the ICA openings, canals, and
groves can be studied also in fossils, these
characters have been used often in comprehensive
phylogenetic analyses. We studied the ICA-related
features in 11 genera of living lagomorphs and key extinct
taxa using μCT data. Our results show
that the proposed ancestral state of the ICA
course for Lagomorpha is similar to that of the
earliest rodents, plesiadapids, and scandentians, and support
lagomorphs as as a morphologically conservative
clade in contrast to its counterpart, rodents.
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2023.05.19. PUBLICATION
— Szczygielski T., Sulej T. 2023. Woznikella
triradiata n. gen., n. sp. – a new
kannemeyeriiform dicynodont from the Late Triassic
of northern Pangea and the global distribution of
Triassic dicynodonts. Comptes Rendus Palevol 22
(16): 279–406,
doi:10.5852/cr-palevol2023v22a16
Dicynodonts were
herbivorous synapsids –
representatives of the tetrapod group
encompassing mammals, their ancestors and
relatives, but not reptiles. The dicynodonts
achieved an evolutionary success in the Permian and although the
extinction at the
Permian–Triassic transition severely
impoverished their diversity, they recovered
during the Triassic. The paper
presents a new genus and species of a Late
Triassic dicynodont from Poland and Germany, Woznikella
triradiata, and discusses the geographic
and temporal distribution of dicynodonts in
the Triassic. The results highlight the key
role of the southeastern part of Africa as a
source of numerous westward and northward
expansions of various dicynodont groups.
Figure:
Woznikella triradiata, skull
reconstruction in lateral view.
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2023.05.18.
PUBLICATION — M. A. Salamon, T. Brachaniec, K.
Paszcza, D. Kołbuk, P. Gorzelak 2023. The role of
mass extinction events in shaping the body-size
dynamics of fossil crinoids.
Palaeogeography,
Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. Volume
622, 15 July 2023, 111593,
doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2023.111593
The analysis of
calyx sizes of fossil crinoids has shown that
the mean calyx size significantly decreased
during the periods of mass extinction (during
the late Ordovician, the middle-late Devonian,
the Permian–Triassic
boundary, the Cretaceous anoxic events). These
declines were mostly governed by extinction of
larger taxa, except during the Cretaceous
anoxic events, when the mean size decrease was
driven by origination of
small-sized taxa. The analysis is based on a
newly created database with measurements of
1263 Palaeozoic and Mesozoic crinoid
calyces.
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2023.05.17. PUBLICATION
— Wierzbowski, H. and Błażejowski, B. 2023.
Chaetognath grasping spines from the Devonian of
Poland: their structure and geochemistry. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica
68 (1): 103–116, doi:10.4202/app.01012.2022
Previously unidentified small phosphatic
spines from the Devonian of the Holy Cross Mountains
have been included into arrow worms (phylum
Chaetognatha), which is a widespread group of
marine invertebrates. The phosphatised
grasping spines of chaetognaths are mostly
known form the lowermost Paleozoic, therefore,
the described fossils are unique remnants of
such organic materials. Due to remarkable
differences in the construction of the studied
spines, compared to Lower Paleozoic forms,
they have been included into a new genus and species,
Phakeloides polonicus gen. et sp. nov.
Figure:
Recent chaetognath of the genus Sagitta
(a) and a head with grasping apparatus (b,
c), after H. Szaniawski; Devonian
chaetognath grasping spines Phakeloides
polonicus gen. et sp. nov. (d-g);
Ostrówka Quarry (h).
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2023.05.10.
PUBLICATION — Adams, A., Daval, D.,
Baumgartner, L.P., Bernard, S., Vennemann,
T., Cisneros-Lazaro, D., Stolarski, J., Baronnet, A.,
Grauby, O., Guo, J., Meibom, A. 2023. Rapid grain
boundary diffusion in foraminifera tests biases
paleotemperature records. Communications Earth &
Environment 4:144,
doi:10.1038/s43247-023-00798-2
Figure:
Temperature biases due to grain boundary
diffusion in fossil benthic and planktonic
foraminifera tests (the left y-axis shows the
temperature bias induced by grain boundary
diffusion on existing seawater
paleotemperature reconstructions; foraminifera
δ18OLattice−δ18OBulk,
shown on the right y-axis). On the right:
ventral sides of pristine and hydrothermally
incubated Ammonia sp. tests (no
difference can be seen).
The oxygen isotopic compositions of
fossil foraminifera tests
constitute a continuous proxy record of deep-ocean
and sea-surface temperatures spanning
the last 120 million years. Here, by
incubating foraminifera tests in 18O-enriched
artificial seawater analogues, we demonstrate
that the oxygen isotopic composition of
optically translucent, i.e., glassy
(apparently unaltered), fossil foraminifera
calcite tests can be measurably altered at low
temperatures through rapid oxygen
grain-boundary diffusion without any visible ultrastructural changes.
Grain boundary diffusion can be shown to bias
prior paleotemperature estimates by as much as
plus or minus half a degree or nearly one
degree centigrade.
|
 2023.05.09.
Seminar
15th
May 2023 r. (Monday), 11:00 a.m., Dr
Krzysztof Hryniewicz will give a seminar:
"Zapis kopalny i ewolucja małży kopalnych źródeł
węglowodorowych".
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2023.04.24. PUBLICATION
— Baliński, A. & Halamski, A.T. 2023.
Pre-Taghanic (Lower to lower Middle Givetian)
brachiopods from Miłoszów in the Holy Cross
Mountains (Poland). Annales Societetis Geologorum
Poloniae, 93 (1): 3–102, doi:
10.14241/asgp.2023.01
Figure:
Atrypide
brachiopod Davidsonia septata cemented
onto a rugosan coral (Baliński & Halamski
2023, fig. 32H).
|
 2023.04.19.
Seminar
24th
April 2023 r. (Monday), 3:00 p.m., prof.
Roger B. J. Benson will give a seminar:
"Hearing and vision in theropod dinosaurs".
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2023.04.17.
PUBLICATION — Mandera, S., Coronado, I.,
Fernandez-Diaz, L., Mazur, M., Cruz, J.A.,
Januszewicz, B., Fernandez-Martinez, E., Cozar, P.,
Stolarski, J. 2023. Earthworm
granules: a model of non-classical biogenic calcium
carbonate phase transformations. Acta Biomaterialia,
doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2023.03.034
Figure: A new
model for the formation of earthworms
calcareous granules. Primarily amorphous
granules crystallize into calcite through the
amorphous particle attachment and the
ion-by-ion classical growth mechanism; see
from left to right. In the lower center, a
tomographic image of the glands forming the
granules (red) and the granules themselves
(yellow) in the body of an earthworm.
Understanding
the mechanisms of nucleation,
stabilization and aggregation of amorphous calcium carbonate
(ACC) and factors controlling its
further transformation into crystalline phases
is fundamental for elucidation of biogenic mineralization.
Some species of earthworms create
millimeter-sized calcareous granules from
amorphous calcium carbonate, which crystallize to a more
stable mineral phase (mostly
calcite). This study investigates the
mechanisms of ACC stabilization by the
incorporation of trace elements, like
manganese, and the ulterior precipitation of
calcareous granules by a coupled process of
amorphous particle attachment and ion-by-ion
growth. The study highlights also potential
threat that chemical pollution of soil poses
to the normal development of earthworm
granules.
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2023.04.03.
PUBLICATION — Machalski, M.,
Olszewska-Nejbert, D. and Wilmsen, M. 2023.
Stratigraphy of the Albian–Cenomanian (Cretaceous)
phosphorite interval in central Poland: a
reappraisal. Acta Geologica Polonica, 73
(1), 1–31. Warszawa, doi:
10.24425/agp.2022.142650
Illustration:
Sections, stratigraphy and location of key
sites of Cretaceous phosphorites at Annopol
and Chałupki (Machalski et al. 2023).
The Albian and Cenomanian ( Cretaceous) deposits at
Annopol in Central
Poland have been famous for their wealth of phosphates and fossils.
By 1970, over a million tons of phosphate rock
had been mined here for production of
fertilizers, and recently the phosphorites
have been investigated as a potential source
of rare earth elements
(REE). In the years 2008–2016, thousands of
remains of marine animals were excavated at
Annopol, including bones and teeth of giant
marine reptiles. The paper presents a new stratigraphical
interpretation of the phosphorite interval and
its implications for our understanding of this
type of fossil accumulations.
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2023.03.31. PUBLICATION
— Gorzelak P., Kołbuk D., Stolarski J., Bącal P.,
Januszewicz B., Duda P., Środek D., Brachaniec T.,
Salamon M.A., 2023. A Devonian crinoid with a
diamond microlattice. Proceedings of The Royal
Society B 290: 20230092, doi:
10.1098/rspb.2023.0092
It
has been recently discovered that some species
of modern starfish form a calcite skeleton with a
triply periodic trabecular microstructure
resembling the atomic structure of diamond,
composed of a network of hexagonally ordered
four-armed tetrapods, which gives
them extraordinary mechanical strength,
optimum packing in space, and minimum material
expenditure. We described a similar
microstructure in a Devonian crinoid from the Holy Cross Mountains.
Such a highly ordered microstructure,
additionally enriched in magnesium, might have
developed in these echinoderms in response
to increased predation pressure.
Figure:
The atomic structure of a diamond composed
of interconnected tetrahedrons and a
breakwater made of wave-dissipating
tetrapods juxtaposed with the
microstructure of Recent starfish and
Devonian crinoids.
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2023.03.24. PUBLICATION — Arrigoni, R, Stolarski, J., Terraneo, T.I.,
Huang, D, Hoeksema, B.W., Berumen, M.L., Payri, C.,
Montano, S., Benzoni, F. 2023. Phylogenetics and
taxonomy of the
scleractinian coral family Euphylliidae. Contributions to Zoology
1–42, doi: 10.1163/18759866-bja10041
The family Euphylliidae consists of
reef-building scleractinian corals
distributed across the Indo-Pacific. The
published comprehensive study on phylogeny and
taxonomy of Euphylliidae combines molecular
and morphological data (skeleton and polyp
morphology). All analysed genera, i.e., Ctenella,
Euphyllia, Fimbriaphyllia, Galaxea, and
Gyrosmilia, were reciprocally monophyletic based on
molecular results. Coeloseris was
nested within the family and, therefore, is formally moved into
Euphylliidae. This study further demonstrated
that a phylogenetic classification of
scleractinian corals can be achieved by
applying a combined morpho- molecular approach. Figure:
Many euphylliids (like Galaxea, see
photograph) have a squamate texture of the
surface of skeletal elements, but such
texture is present among agariciids and
acroporids as well.
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2023.03.22.
PUBLICATION — López-Torres S., Bhagat R.,
Bertrand O. C., Silcox M. T., and Fostowicz-Frelik Ł. 2023.
Locomotor behavior and hearing sensitivity in an
early lagomorph reconstructed from the bony
labyrinth. Ecology and Evolution 13
(3), 9890. doi: 10.1002/ece3.9890
The structure of
the inner ear in mammals is
highly informative with respect to locomotor agility and
hearing sensitivity. In our paper for the
first time we studied the early evolutionary
stage of the lagomorph hearing and
balance organs. Based on the digital endocast
of the bony labyrinth (housing the inner ear
structures) of the North American lagomorph Megalagus
turgidus, early Oligocene in age, we
suggest that its hearing sensitivity and
agility were within the range of modern rabbits. Megalagus was
probably a woodland dweller and thus, less
agile than hares ( Lepus).
|
 2023.03.21.
Miniseminar
27 th
March 2023 r. (Monday), 11:00 a.m., dr hab.
Błażej Błażejowski will give a miniseminar:
"Podsumowanie dekady badań na stanowisku
paleontologicznym Owadów-Brzezinki".
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2023.03.21.
PUBLICATION — Surmik D., Słowiak-Morkovina J., Szczygielski T., Wojtyniak M.,
Środek D., Dulski M., Balin K., Krzykawski T.,
Pawlicki R. (2023) The first record of fossilized
soft parts in ossified tendons and implications for
the understanding of tendon mineralization, Zoological Journal
of the Linnean Society: zlad001, doi:
10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad001
Illustration:
On the left SEM image showing an
osteocyte-like cell. On the right restoration
of a blood vessel of an
remontowanie with cells on its surface based
on the scanning microscopy imaging.
Illustration: Jakub Zalewski.
Tendons are elements
connecting muscles and bones. In most
vertebrates, they are flexible and elastic but
in dinosaurs (including birds) some of them ossify. The excellent
state of preservation of ossified tendons of
three dinosaurs allowed discovery of
fossilized soft tissues. Structures resembling
fibril bundles, blood
vessels, and bone cells were identified,
resembling those present in ossified turkey
tendons. The research indicates that dinosaur
tendons ossified through metaplasia, i.e.,
mineralization of already differentiated soft
tissues.
|
 2023.03.17.
New date of the Seminar
23rd
March 2023 (Thursday), 11:00 a.m. (local
time in Warsaw), prof. Maria McNamara will
give a seminar: "A new perspective on the
evolution of melanin in vertebrates".
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2023.03.15. PUBLICATION
— Bates D. E. B., Kirk† N. H. & Kozłowska A. 2023. —
Morphology and reconstruction of the retiolitines:
Silurian graptolites of the Paraplectograptus
lineage (Graptolithina). Comptes Rendus Palevol 22
(4): 45-57, doi: 10.5852/cr-palevol2023v22a4
Retiolitids
are one of the group of graptolites with collagenous skeleton
(rhabdosome) formed mostly by a network of
lists. In the paper the morphology of the
skeleton of the Paraplectograptus was
recognised thanks to 3D-preserved specimens
(430 million years old) from the Arctic Canada
and Poland and their detailed study under SEM.  The thecal
fusellar wall was reconstructed despite its
fragmentary preservation. Paraplectograptus
is among the first retiolites showing some
morphological features that afterwards were
characteristic for all members of the group
after the lundgreni Event.
The presented models are by Nancy Kirk.
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2023.03.13. PUBLICATION
— Stolarski, J., Drake, J.,
Coronado, I., Vieira, A.R., Radwańska, U.,
Heath-Heckman, E.A.C., Mazur, M., Guo, J., Meibom,
A. 2023. First paleoproteome study of fossil fish
otoliths and the pristine preservation of the
biomineral crystal host. Scientific Reports 13:3822,
doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-30537-8
Otoliths are calcium
carbonate components of the inner ear in teleost fish. Otolith
morphology and carbonate mineralogy is
influenced by proteins present in the
environment where biomineralization took
place. However, in the fossil record proteins
incorporated into biomineral structure are
mostly lost through diagenesis. The
published paper reports the presence of 11
fish-specific proteins in Miocene (over 14 Ma) phycid hake otoliths.
These fossil otoliths exhibit microscopic and
crystallographic features indistinguishable
from those of modern representatives.
Identification of identical proteins in modern
and fossil phycid hake otoliths implies a
highly conserved inner ear biomineralization
process through time.
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2023.03.10. PUBLICATION — Błażejowski, B.,
Pszczółkowski, A., Grabowski, J., Wierzbowski, H.,
Deconinck, J. F., Olempska, E., Teodorski, A.,
Nawrocki, J. (2023). Integrated stratigraphy and
clay mineralogy of the Owadów–Brzezinki section
(Lower–Upper Tithonian transition, central Poland):
implications for correlations between the Boreal and
the Tethyan domains and palaeoclimate. Journal of the Geological
Society, Volume 180, Issue 2,.
doi:10.1144/jgs2022-073
The Owadów–Brzezinki
palaeontological site is a new Jurassic taphonomic window. A new
dating is presented. Uppermost Jurassic
shallow marine and lagoonal carbonate
deposits of the NW margin of the Holy Cross Mountains are
investigated. It was here that marine and
terrestrial faunas from various parts of the
present day’s Europe were meeting, namely from
the Boreal (today’s Arctic) and Subboreal
Provinces (today’s European Russia and
England), and periodically also from the
southern areas, including southern Germany and
the Tethys Ocean (through
the existing belt of the Štramberk-type coral reefs). Figure:
Paleogeographical map of Europe at the end
of Jurassic (acc. Błażejowski B.,
Hołda-Michalska A., Matyja B., Wierzbowski
A.).
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2023.03.09. Professor Maria McNamara's seminar
- cancelled.
Dear Sirs, We would like to inform you that at the
last minute Prof. Maria McNamara has cancelled her
lecture due to health problems. We will inform you
of the new date soon.
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2023.03.08. PUBLICATION — Lee S., Słowiak-Morkovina J. (2023)
The Resting Breathing Rate of the Dinosaur Plateosaurus
trossingensis via Conservation of Energy. The Physics Teacher 61,
166-169. doi: 10.1119/5.0077948
Illustration:
Life reconstruction of Plateosaurus
trossingensis.
Plateosaurus
trossingensis is one of the largest
herbivorous Late Triassic dinosaurs, numerous
fossils of which, including complete
skeletons, are known from Europe. Thanks to
this great fossil record, it is possible to
estimate the growth curve, body mass,
and even the tidal volume of this
dinosaur. Those data were used to calculate
the metabolism and the resting breathing rate. The
results revealed that the resting breathing
rate in P. trossingensis was 7 + 3
breaths per minute, about the same as the
modern rhinoceros.
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2023.03.07. PUBLICATION — Bielak, K.,
Benkowska-Biernacka, D., Ptak, M., Stolarski, J. Kalka, M.,
Dobryszycki, P. 2023. Otolin-1, an otolith- and
otoconia-related protein, controls calcium carbonate
bioinspired mineralization. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta -
General Subjects 1867(5): 130327,
doi: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2023.130327
Formation of the
biomineral structures in the inner ear ( otoliths and smaller,
but having the same function otoconia) is
tightly linked to the formation of organic
matrix framework, among which the
otolin-1, a short collagen-like protein,
is one of its major components. The published
work examines the activity of recombinant fish
( Danio) and human
otolin-1 on calcium carbonate bioinspired
mineralization. Both proteins are embedded in
the core of CaCO3 crystals formed through
slow-diffusion mineralization process. Both of
them influence the morphology, but do not
cause the polymorphic change of
the mineral phase. The fish otolin-1
is also closely adhering to the crystal
surface. The results suggest that also in
natural biomineralization
environment, the otolin-1 is not a passive
scaffold but is directly involved in the
regulation of morphology of the resulting
calcium carbonate biocrystals.
|
 2023.02.24.
Seminar
9th
March 2023 (Thursday), 11:00 a.m. (local
time in Warsaw), prof. Maria McNamara will
give a seminar: "A new perspective on the
evolution of melanin in vertebrates".
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2023.02.24. PUBLICATION — Majewski, W., Szczuciński, W.,
and Gooday, A. J. 2023. Unique benthic foraminiferal
communities (stained) in diverse environments of
sub-Antarctic fjords, South Georgia, Biogeosciences, 20, 523–544.
doi:10.5194/bg-20-523-2023
Illustration:
Foraminifera from fjords of South Georgia and
a view towards glaciers in Antarctic Bay.
Foraminifera are
unicellular organism, which commonly inhabit
seafloor. They are often used for
paleoenvironmental studies, especially in
polar regions. We studied foraminifera living
in the fjords of South Georgia, a
sub-Antarctic island sensitive to climate
change. As conditions in water and on the
seafloor vary, different associations of these
microorganisms dominate in different parts of
fjords. Assemblages in inner and middle parts
of fjords seem endemic to South
Georgia, but they may become widespread with
anticipated warming. Our results are important
for interpreting fossil records and
monitoring future change.
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2023.02.15.
14th Symposium of the International Fossil Coral
and Reef Society (IFCRS)
Institute of
Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences
(organiser) and University of Warsaw, Faculty
of Geology, Adam Mickiewicz University Poznań,
Faculty of Geographical and Geological
Sciences, and Jagiellonian University in
Kraków, Faculty of Geography and Geology
(co-organisers) cordially invite you to
participate in the 14th Symposium of the
International Fossil Coral and Reef Society
(IFCRS). The conference will be held in Poland
(Warsaw, Chęciny (European Centre for
Geological Education), Kraków), September
10-16, 2023. All details are available
on the conference website: https://fossilcoralreefs.com/
which will be regularly updated.
IFCRS symposia are important avenues for
researchers studying fossil corals and reefs.
Today’s reef environments are some of the most
vulnerable marine ecosystems to changing
climatic conditions. Climate change models
predict the extinction of most of today’s
known shallow-water reef environments by the
end of 21st century. However, recent research
suggests that not all corals have the same
potential to survive change, and the key to
understanding these differences lies in their
geological and evolutionary past. The leading
theme of the conference will be the study of
corals from mesophotic and deep-water
environments (motto: “Going deeper“), as these
environments are now potential coral refugia
in the event of extinction of shallow-water
reefs. The fossil mesophotic reef environments
in Poland are well understood and represent
the first preserved reefs of modern type in
the world.
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2023.02.15.
The 15th International Jurassica Conference
The Polish
Geological Institute ‒ National Research
Institute, the Institute of Paleobiology of
the Polish Academy of Sciences, the State
Geological Institute of Dionýz Štúr in
Bratislava and the Community of Iłża are
pleased to announce the forthcoming 15th
International Jurassica Conference held in the
City of Iłża (Central Poland) on the 19-22
September 2023. For information on the
conference, see Circular.
The Jurassica conference is open to all
geologists who deal with the Jurassic system
as well as Triassic/Jurassic and
Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary deposits. The
conference is designated to exchange novel
ideas and discoveries and to stimulate
discussions on crucial aspects of Jurassic
stratigraphy, GSSPs, sedimentology,
geochemistry, palaeontology, tectonics,
palaeomagnetism and geotourism. The meeting
additionally offers a forum for presentation
of study results of young researchers and PhD
students on specific areas of Jurassic
geology.
Apart from the presentation of scientific
reports, during the "Jurassica XV" conference,
will also be organized field trips. The
excursions and presented issues will be
devoted to the shallow-water Upper Jurassic
deposits of the north-eastern margin of the
Holy Cross Mountains containing diverse faunal
assemblages.
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|
2023.02.13. PUBLICATION — Halamski, A.T. 2022. Middle
Devonian biota and environments of the Łysogóry
Region (Poland): Introduction. Annales Societatis Geologorum
Poloniae, 92 (4): 317–321.
Halamski, A.T., Baliński, A., Racki, G.,
Amler, M.R.W., Basse, M., Denayer, J., Dubicka,
Z., Filipiak, P., Kondas, M., Krawczyński, W.,
Mieszkowski, R., Narkiewicz, K., Olempska, E., Wrzołek, T.,
Wyse
Jackson, P.N., Zapalski, M.K., Zatoń, M. &
Kozłowski, W., 2022. The pre-Taghanic (Givetian,
Middle Devonian) ecosystems of Miłoszów (Holy
Cross Mts, Poland). Annales Societatis Geologorum
Poloniae, 92 (4): 323–379.
Racki, G., Wójcik, K., Halamski, A.T. &
Narkiewicz, M. 2022. Middle Devonian Skały
Formation in the
Holy Cross Mountains (Poland) – formal description
and subdivision based on new field data. Annales Societatis Geologorum
Poloniae, 92 (4): 425–444.
Woźniak, P., Halamski, A.T. & Racki,
G. 2022. Cyclic ecological replacement of
brachiopod
assemblages in the top-Eifelian Dobruchna
Brachiopod Shale Member (Skały Formation) of the
Holy Cross Mountains (Poland). Annales Societatis Geologorum
Poloniae, 92 (4): 445–463.
A pictorial
reconstruction of the Middle Devonian
(Givetian) seafloor at Miłoszów (compare Halamski et al., 2022,
fig. 27) with small patch reefs in the
shallower part and a brachiopod meadow in the
deeper part (drawing by Bogusław Waksmundzki).
The photographs show selected inhabitants of
the Miłoszów ecosystems. Top row: left to
right rugosan coral Thamnophyllum
(cross-section), stem element (columnal) of an
unidentified crinoid (see lily), spicule of an
octactinellid sponge, and an anal tooth of the
holothurian (see cucumber) Devonothyonites;
not to scale (compare Halamski et al.,
2022, figs 12, 13, 23, 24). Bottom row:
left to right foraminifer Semitextularia,
brachiopod Pentamerella, ostracod Kozlowskiella,
trilobite Hypsipariops (enlargement of
an eye), and a skeletal element (goniodont) of
an unidentified ophiocistoid (extinct class of
echinoderms); not to scale (compare Halamski et al.,
2022, figs 11, 19 20, 22, 23).
A special issue of the Annales Societatis
Geologorum Poloniae, guest edited by Adam T. Halamski and
entitled „Middle
Devonian biota and environments of the Łysogóry
Region (Poland)”, has been published. Six
papers in this special issue are authored by 27
scientists from four countries (including three
persons from IPal); generalities about this
project can be found in the preface.
We investigated the biota (all living organisms)
of the Skały Formation, a stratigraphic unit
corresponding to sediments formed in the Devonian period, more
exactly about 386–382 million years ago.
Lithological, geochemical, and palaeontological
data collected at Miłoszów ( Holy Cross Mts., Poland)
served for reconstructing a Middle
Devonian ecosystem. 200 species of
marine organisms are recorded, among which brachiopods with 68 species
are the most diversified, followed by echinoderms and bryozoans. For the first
time a detailed palaeoecological reconstruction of
one of the most famous localities in Poland, the
so-called brachiopod shale at Skały,
has been presented. We explored the succession of
communities, or, in other words, we showed which
brachiopod species had genuinely co-existed the sea located in the area of the
present-day Holy Cross Mountains, and which
species had followed one another.
We concluded that the exceptionally rich biota of
the Skały Formation corresponds to a period of
particularly favourable conditions for marine
organisms between the so-called Kačák Event about 386
million years ago and the Taghanic Event about 381 million
years ago.
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2023.02.02. PUBLICATION — Calábková, G.,
Březina, J., Nosek, V. & D. Madzia. 2023. Synapsid
tracks with skin impressions illuminate the
terrestrial tetrapod diversity in the earliest
Permian of
equatorial Pangea. Scientific Reports 13:
1130. doi:10.1038/s41598-023-27939-z
Reconstruction: Edyta Felcyn-Kowalska
Lower Permian deposits of the
Boskovice Basin in Moravia (Czech Republic)
have long been renowned for extraordinarily
abundant specimens of discosauriscid seymouriamorphs. The
only other tetrapods from the
strata are represented by rare temnospondyls. The new
study provides the first evidence of
early-diverging synapsids from the
Permian of the Czech Republic. The material is
composed of well-preserved isolated tracks,
manus-pes couples, and a slab with trackways
composed of approximately 20 tracks in at
least four different directions. The
best-preserved specimen further shows rare
skin impressions, which have not been observed
from the hands or feet of early-diverging
mammal-line amniotes before. The new
material adds to the scarce record of synapsids from the
Carboniferous/Permian transitional interval of
equatorial Pangea.
|
 2023.02.01.
Seminar
1st
February 2023 (Wednesday), 11:00 a.m., dr
Erin E. Saupe will give a miniseminar:
"The emergence of latitudinal biodiversity
gradients in deep time".
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2023.01.19. PUBLICATION — Surmik, D., Szczygielski, T., Słowiak-Morkovina, J., Sander,
M.,
Rothschild, B., Duda, P., & Klein, N. (2023).
Bone abnormalities in the middle Anisian marine
sauropsids from Winterswijk. Journal of Morphology, 284,
e21550. doi:10.1002/jmor.21550
The
illustration shows the eosauropterygian cf. Notosaurus
marchicus with mandible which bears
signs of healed fracture. Despite the broken
jaw, the animal lived on, what is indicated by
the fact that the fracture healed. Below, a
photograph of the fossilized mandible, the
helaed fracture is marked.Illustrator: Jakub
Zalewski.
The Vossenveld
Formation cropping out near Winterswijk in the
Netherlands is well known because of its rich
Middle Triassic marine
reptile fauna assemblage. The aim of the study
was to detect and examine bones with unusual
shapes in order to identify the causes of
their deformation, i.e., taphonomic,
traumatic, or related to illness. The unusual,
kinked shape of a sauropterygian humerus
appears to result from taphonomic processes. Pathological changes
were identified on a sauropterygian rib
(osteofibrous dysplasia), large bone of
uncertain identity (unusual coossification),
and on the mandible of cf. Notosaurus
marchicus (healed fracture). Despite
hundreds of fossilized bones of marine
reptiles found in Winterswijk, only few of
them preserve pathologies, what may mean that
sick or wounded individuals were quickly
eliminated from the population.
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2023.01.05. PUBLICATION — Olempska E., Błażejowski B., Waloszek D.,
Maas A. 2023. Phosphatic bromalites and microfossils
from the Furongian (Cambrian) of northern Poland
(Baltica) and palaeobiological implications. Palaeogeography,
Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 610,
111350. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2022.111350
The Upper
Cambrian Słowińska Formation yielded minute
three-dimensionally preserved, phosphatic microfossils. Based on
shape and structure, two distinct types are
identified. The first type comprises sinuously
folded, coiled, or spiral string-shaped
objects interpreted as coprolites produced by benthic worms. The
second type of fossils comprises ellipsoidal
to spherical forms with a non-ornamented but
wrinkled surface. They are interpreted as
collapsed and deformed eggs or embryos lacking
the egg shell. We interpret this type as the
first evidence of eggs in the so-called Orsten-type
preservation, most likely belonging to phosphatocopid
crustaceans. The findings are a significant
contribution to our understanding of the
faunal composition in the Late Cambrian Sea
and demonstrates the potential for further
research on the phosphatic microfossils from
northern Poland ( Baltica).
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2022
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2022.12.21. PUBLICATION — Barbacka, M.,
Pacyna, G. & Halamski, Adam T., 2022.
Polish Palaeobotany: 750 Million Years of Plant
History as Revealed in a Century of Studies.
Mesozoic Macroflora. Acta Societatis Botanicorum
Poloniae, 91: e9126.
Fragment of
the reconstruction of Late Cretaceous plant
communities from Lower Silesia. See Barbacka et
al. (2022, fig. 11). Drawing by Bogusław
Waksmundzki.
Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae, the
journal of the Polish Botanical Society, founded
in 1922, published a special collection of papers
entitled Polish Botany Centennial.
Among five palaeobotanical reports there is a
historical synthesis of research on Mesozoic macrofloras. It contains,
among others, three palaeovegetation
reconstructions (Early Jurassic of the environs of
Cracow and of the northern
margin of the Holy Cross Mountains, Late
Cretaceous of Lower Silesia). A short
interpretation of research on Cretaceous floras in
terms of philosophy of science is
also given, signalling the phenomena of paradigm shift and social
context of science.
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2022.12.20. PUBLICATION
— Surmik D., Słowiak-Morkovina J., Szczygielski T., Kamaszewski
M.,
Kalita S., Teschner E. M., Dróżdż D., Duda P., Rothschild
B. M., Konietzko-Meier D. 2022. An insight
into cancer palaeobiology: does the Mesozoic
neoplasm support tissue organization field theory of
tumorigenesis? BMC Ecology & Evolution
22: 143.
The oldest tumour
in a fossil amphibian. It is over 210 million
years old!
Figure:
Reconstruction of the tumor growth and
invasion stages. Illustrator: Jakub Zalewski.
Neoplasms are diseases
that develop when body cells divide
uncontrollably. They affect all vertebrates, and
as it turns out, they have been doing so for
more than 210 million years. Among a great
number of vertebrae of the Triassic amphibian Metoposaurus
krasiejowensis found in Krasiejów, one specimen
was identified with a case of a malignant
neoplasm: osteosarcoma.
Figure:
Metoposaurs, representatives of
temnospondyl amphibians in their habitat.
Illustrator: Jakub Zalewski.
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2022.12.13.
Protoceratops are hatching at the Museum of
Evolution IP PAS!
The author of
the diorama is Marta Szubert, a sculptor.
On December 6, a new exhibition was unveiled at
the Museum of Evolution of the Institute of
Paleobiology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in
Warsaw showing a restoration of a protoceratops
nest. The protoceratops was a small herbivorous
dinosaur which lived in the Late Cretaceous (about
70–75 million years ago) of the present-day
Mongolia. The new exhibition includes a diorama
with reconstructions of a female with two
juveniles standing next to a nest with eggs and
tiny hatchlings. The dinosaurs and their eggs are
reconstructed based on the current paleontological
data. The showcases present original protoceratops
fossils, discovered and described by Polish
scientists from the Institute of Paleobiology PAS,
presented to the public for the first time. The
exhibition was created with the funds collected
during a public fundraising initiated by Dawid
Myśliwiec from the channel Uwaga! Naukowy Bełkot.
We invite you to visit the museum!
www.
muzeumewolucji.pl
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2022.12.13. PUBLICATION — Gooday A.J.,
Holzmann M., Majewski W. & Pawlowski J.
2022. New species of Gromia (Protista,
Rhizaria) from South Georgia and the Falkland
Islands. Polar Biology 45: 647–666.
Holzmann M., Gooday A.J., Majewski W. & Pawlowski J.
2022. Molecular and morphological diversity of
monothalamous foraminifera from South Georgia and
the Falkland Islands: Description of four new
species. European Journal of
Protistology 85: 125909.
Foraminifera and closely
related gromiids dominate meiobenthos communities
in polar regions. While foraminifera with hard
shells are relatively well known,
softly-shelled ones, just like gromiids, have
been largely ignored. Incorrectly, because as
evidenced by environmental DNA
research, they have great potential as bioindicators for
environmental and paleoenvironmental studies.
This potential remains largely unexploited due
to insufficient understanding of taxonomy and
distribution of these microorganisms.
The
“Eye of Sauron” - unusual foraminifer of
the genus Vanhoeffenella. Photo by
Jan Pawlowski.
Thanks to field work led by Prof. Wojciech
Majewski, during the NCN project "Response to
environmental changes and post-industrial
recovery of foraminiferafrom South Georgia
fjords, sub-Antarctic", it was possible to
describe three new to science genera and four
species of monothalamous
foraminifera, as well as six species of the
genus Gromia found in the fjords of South Georgia and off
the coast of the Falkland Islands.
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2022.11.17. PUBLICATION — Qiao, Y., Liu,
J., Wolniewicz, A. S., Iijima,
M., Shen, Y., Wintrich, T., Li, Q., and Sander, P.
M. A globally distributed durophagous marine
reptile clade supports the rapid recovery of
pelagic ecosystems after the Permo-Triassic mass
extinction. Communications Biology 5,
1242 (2022). doi:10.1038/s42003-022-04162-6
Reconstruction by
Nikolay Zverkov
Omphalosauridae are one of
the most enigmatic groups of Mesozoic marine reptiles.
They were hitherto known only from fragmentary
fossils from the Early and Middle Triassic, represented mainly
by jaw fragments with characteristic crushing
teeth and paleontologists have not been able to
determine exactly which group of reptiles omphalosaurids were
most closely related to. A new specimen of the
marine reptile Sclerocormus from the Early
Triassic of South China is identified as an
omphalosaurid and provides strong evidence for
their close phylogenetic relationship with ichthyosaurs. The new
discovery thus solves the over 100-year-old puzzle
surrounding the systematic affinity of
omphalosaurids.
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2022.10.28. PUBLICATION — Łukowiak, M., Van Soest, R.,
Klautau, M., Pérez, T., Pisera, A., & Tabachnick,
K. (2022). The terminology of sponge spicules. Journal of Morphology 283 (12): 1517-1545.
doi:10.1002/jmor.21520
Sponges (Porifera) are a
diverse and globally distributed group of benthic organisms, that
are subjects of intense studies in many
fields, including paleontology, evolutionary
biology, and even bioengineering and
pharmacology. Their skeletons are mostly
characterized by the presence of mineral
elements termed spicules. The
description of the spicules' shape and the
skeleton organization represents the
fundamental basis of sponge taxonomy and
systematics. Here, we provide an illustrated
catalogue of sponge spicules, which is based
on previous works on sponge spicules and
gathers and updates all terms that are
currently used in sponge descriptions. Each spicule type is further
illustrated through high quality scanning electron microscope
micrographs.
Figure:
Examples of morphological types sponge
needles.
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2022.10.20. PUBLICATION
— Pindakiewicz M. K., Hryniewicz K., Janiszewska K., Kaim A. 2022. First Cretaceous
cephalopod statoliths fill the gap between Jurassic
and Cenozoic forms. Comptes Rendus Palevol
21(36):801-813. doi:
10.5852/cr-palevol2022v21a36
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2022.10.07. PUBLICATION — Kaim, A., Cochran J. K. &
Landman, N. H. (eds). 2022. Ancient Hydrocarbon
Seeps. Topics in Geobiology 53: 1-687. Springer,
Cham. [Text-journal site]
 This
book summarizes hydrocarbon seep functioning, their
evolution over time, the most important seep
occurrences and the fauna present in ancient
hydrocarbon seeps. While several publications
exist that cover modern seeps and vents, fossil
seeps only constitute a small component of the
literature. Therefore the main aim in this
publication is to explain the geological and
evolutionary aspects of ancient chemoautotrophic
communities. Many geologists, stratigraphers and
paleontologists, as well as undergraduates and
graduate students, are not very familiar with
ancient hydrocarbon seep deposits and their
associated fauna. This text is the first to
comprehensively discuss the nature of such
animal groups and how to recognize them. In
addition to summarizing available knowledge on
these topics for specialists in the field, this
book offers the background needed to be of use
to students as well as the wider community of
geologists and paleontologists.
Chapters authored or co-authored by staff of the
Institute of Paleobiology of the Polish Academy
of Sciences:
- Amano K., Kiel S., Hryniewicz K. &
Jenkins R.G. 2022. Bivalvia in Ancient
Hydrocarbon Seeps. In: A. Kaim, J. K.
Cochran & N. H. Landman (eds), Ancient
Hydrocarbon Seeps. Topics in Geobiology 53:
267-321. Springer, Cham.
- Baliński A., Bitner M. A. &
Jakubowicz M. 2022 Brachiopods at
Hydrocarbon Seeps. In: A. Kaim, J. K.
Cochran & N. H. Landman (eds), Ancient
Hydrocarbon Seeps. Topics in Geobiology 53:
223-251. Springer, Cham.
- Hryniewicz K. 2022.
Ancient Seep Carbonates: From Outcrop
Appearance to Microscopic Petrography. In:
A. Kaim, J. K. Cochran & N. H. Landman
(eds), Ancient Hydrocarbon Seeps. Topics in
Geobiology 53: 79-110. Springer, Cham.
- Hryniewicz K. 2022.
Ancient Hydrocarbon Seeps of the World. In:
A. Kaim, J. K. Cochran & N. H. Landman
(eds), Ancient Hydrocarbon Seeps. Topics in
Geobiology 53: 571-647. Springer, Cham.
- Jakubowicz M., Berkowski B., Hryniewicz K.
& Belka Z. 2022. Middle Palaeozoic of
Morocco: The Earliest-Known Methane Seep
Metazoan Ecosystems. In: A. Kaim, J. K.
Cochran & N. H. Landman (eds), Ancient
Hydrocarbon Seeps. Topics in Geobiology 53:
479-516. Springer, Cham.
- Kaim, A. 2022. A
review of gastropods at ancient hydrocarbon
seeps. In: A. Kaim, J. K. Cochran & N.
H. Landman (eds), Ancient Hydrocarbon Seeps.
Topics in Geobiology 53: 323-374. Springer,
Cham.
- Kaim, A., Cochran J.
K. & Landman, N. H. 2022. Preface. In:
A. Kaim, J. K. Cochran & N. H. Landman
(eds), Ancient Hydrocarbon Seeps. Topics in
Geobiology 53: vii-x. Springer, Cham.
- Pisera A., Hryniewicz K., Bitner M. A. &
Kaim, A. 2022.
Extant and Fossil Sponges Associated with
Hydrothermal Vent and Cold Seep Communities.
In: A. Kaim, J. K. Cochran & N. H.
Landman (eds), Ancient Hydrocarbon Seeps.
Topics in Geobiology 53: 253–266. Springer,
Cham.
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2022.10.03. PUBLICATION — Machalski, M.,
Świerczewska-Gładysz, E & Olszewska-Nejbert,
D. 2022. The end of an era: A record of events
across the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary in
Poland. In: Walaszczyk, I. and Todes, J. (Eds)
2022. Cretaceous of Poland and of adjacent areas.
Field trip Guides, pp. 37-86. Faculty of Geology,
University of Warsaw; Warsaw. [text]
Opis figury:
Correlation between the Stevns Klint section
in Denmark and the key Cretaceous–Paleogene
sections in the Lublin Upland. CL? – a
possible counterpart of the Danish Cerithium
Limestone; mbs – main burrowed surface. Hiatus
= stratigraphic gap.
The record of environmental turmoil and biotic
turnover across the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K-Pg)
boundary has been subject of hot debates.
Unraveling the K-Pg global patterns is possible
only by collecting data from regional successions.
The paper provides new data on facies development,
fossil assemblages, stratigraphic completness, and
depositional history of the
K-Pg boundary strata across the west-east trending
outcrop belt in the Lublin Upland, Poland. The
proposed interpretations will serve as a framework
for future research.
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2022.09.14. PUBLICATION — Szczygielski T., Słowiak J. 2022. Shell
histology of the Triassic turtle, Proterochersis
porebensis Szczygielski & Sulej, 2016,
provides novel insights about shell ankylosis. Comptes Rendus Palevol 21
(29): 619-679. doi:
10.5852/cr-palevol2022v21a29
Figure description:
Vital reconstruction of the extinct turtle Proterochersis
porebensis (left). On the right,
cross-sections through the carapace of a
juvenile turtle with visible sutures (top),
and an individual with fading sutures (bottom).
Modern turtles grow mostly along shell sutures, in very old
individuals these sutures can obliterate ( ankylosis), stopping the
body growth. As it turns out, that was not always
the case. The ankylosis in the Triassic
turtle Proterochersis porebensis from Poręba (southern Poland)
occurred seemingly randomly in individuals of
variable size (even juveniles!) and completely
obscured the initial bony layout. We propose that
the ankylose of the carapace of the Triassic
turtle resulted from the physiological mechanisms
used in modern species solely in shell regeneration. Bone microstructural changes
imply that Proterochersis porebensis could change
habitat during ontogeny, small individuals
appearing more aquatic and larger more
terrestrial.
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2022.09.06.
Field Tours of the 11th International Cretaceous
Symposium
 On
August 22-26, 2022, the 11th International
Cretaceous Symposium was held in Warsaw to
discuss various aspects of geology and
palaeontology of the Cretaceous period. The main
organizer of the symposium was the Faculty of
Geology, University of Warsaw, and one of the
co-organizers was the Institute of Paleobiology
of Polish Academy of Sciences. During the
post-symposium trip "The end of an era: a record
of events across the Cretaceous-Paleogene
boundary in Poland" (August 27-28), prof. Marcin
Machalski from our institute guided the
participants around the most important exposures
of the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary in Poland,
demonstrating the classic outcrops near
Kazimierz Dolny, the site with the last
ammonites at Mełgiew near Lublin, as well as the
Lechówka exposure - the only place in Poland
with the boundary clay layer, created as a
result of the global cataclysm that ended the
Mesozoic era. Great exposures, interesting
specimens and inspiring discussions provided a
lot of scientific fun for both the guide and
participants.
Photo authors: John Jagt and Aleksandra
Stachowska.
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2022.08.22.
200th Anniversary of the Cretaceous System
See website for details: https://www.cretaceous2022.com/
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2022.08.17. PUBLICATION — Paszcza, K.,
Salamon, M. A., Duda, P., Gorzelak, P. 2022. Morphologic
variation of the Middle Devonian crinoid genus
Haplocrinites from Poland. Neues Jahrbuch
für Geologie und Paläontologie,
doi.:10.1127/njgpa/2022/1078
A collection of
crinoid thecae of Haplocrinites
from the Devonian of the Holy Cross Mountains is
described. Morphometric analyses
revealed that these thecae likely represent
the same species displaying a wide range of
morphologic variation. It has been argued that
H. aremoricensis is a junior synonym of H.
boitardi. The study indicates that
traditional classifications of haplocrinitids
require substantial revision.
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 2022.08.11.
Miniseminar
18th
August 2022 r. (Thursday), 11:00 a.m., dr
Magdalena Łukowiak will give a miniseminar:
"Insights into the structure and morphogenesis
of the giant basal spicule of the glass sponge Monorhaphis
chuni".
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2022.07.26. PUBLICATION — Salamon, M. A.,
Jain, S., Brachaniec, T., Duda, P., Bartosz J.
Płachno, B.J., Gorzelak, P. 2022.
Ausichicrinites zelenskyyi gen. et sp. nov., a
first nearly complete feather star (Crinoidea) from
the Upper Jurassic of Africa. The Royal Society Publishing,
doi.:10.1098/rsos.220345
The paper
describes an extraordinary preserved new genus
and species of fossil feather star. It is
named after the sixth and current president of
Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his
courage and bravery in defending free Ukraine.
Ausichicrinites zelenskyyi had 10
massive arms and a ring of clawlike appendages
near the base to grip the substrate. It lived
150 million years ago and represents a new
species of fossil feather star (marine
invertebrates of the phylum Echinodermata). The
genus name is in recognition of the
substantial contributions that prof. William
Ausich made to the knowledge on fossil
crinoids. See also research highligts in Nature.
|
 2022.07.14.
Miniseminar
19th
July 2022 r. (Tuesday), 11:00 a.m., dr
Krzysztof Hryniewicz will give a
miniseminar: "The fossil record of deep-sea
chondrichthyan egg capsules".
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2022.07.13. PUBLICATION
— Brachaniec, T., Środek, D., Surmik, D.,
Niedźwiedzki, R., Georgalis, G.L., Płachno, B. J.,
Duda, P., Lukeneder, A., Gorzelak, P., Salamon, M.A.
2022. Comparative actualistic study hints at origins
of alleged Miocene coprolites of Poland. PeerJ 10:e13652,
doi: 10.7717/peerj.13652
The
paper presents the results of integrated
morphological and geochemical analyses of
excrement-shaped siderite masses from the
Miocene of Turów mine. These structures have
been the subject of much controversy, having
been interpreted either as being coprolites or pseudofossils created by
mechanical deformation of plastic sediment. The
paper presents arguments suggesting their
biological origin. Their characteristic shape
and the presence of inclusions in the form of
coalified debris or hair-like structures
indicate that they may be coprolites of turtles and
snakes.
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2022.07.07. PUBLICATION — Seiblitz, I. G.
L., Vaga, C. F., Capel, K. C. C., Cairns, S. D., Stolarski, J., Quattrini,
A.M., Kitahara, M. V. 2022. Caryophylliids
(Anthozoa, Scleractinia) and mitochondrial gene
order: Insights from mitochondrial and nuclear
phylogenomics. Molecular Phylogenetics and
Evolution, doi:
10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107565
Unique
mitochondrial gene rearrangement in
caryophylliid scleractinian corals
Traditional Caryophylliidae has been known as the
most speciose scleractinian coral family.
Mito/nuclear phylogenomics point that some
caryophylliids that form a clade (“true”
Caryophylliidae) have unique mt gene rearrangement: a
transposition of the gene block containing cob,
nad2, and nad6, which is located
between nad5 5’ exon and trnW.
Such mitochondrial gene
rearrangement is proposed as a synapomorphy of “true”
Caryophylliidae. Skeletal microstructure provides
additional support for distinct position of
“caryophylliids” with or without the mitochondrial
gene rearrangement.
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2022.06.07. PUBLICATION
— Saha A., Baca M., Popović D.,
Mohammadi Z., Olsson U., and
Fostowicz-Frelik Ł. 2022. The
first complete mitochondrial genome data of the
pygmy rabbit Brachylagus idahoensis, the
world’s smallest leporid. Data in Brief 42: 108314.
doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2022.108314
We sequenced the
first complete mitochondrial genome of
the pygmy rabbit, Brachylagus
idahoensis (17,021 bp in length;
GenBank accession: OL436257). Brachylagus
is the world’s smallest leporid, endemic to the
USA and one of the seven monotypic genera in the
family. This true fossorial rabbit is adapted
to specialized sagebrush habitat. It is an
important taxon in lagomorph evolutionary
research, especially the phylogeny of North
American leporids as well as
climate dynamics and landscape genetics
studies, as this species is restricted to one
habitat type and can be treated as a model
small herbivore in vulnerable ecosystems. The
mitogenome was generated
from ethanol-preserved muscle tissue DNA
extract from a specimen at the Burke Museum, University
of Washington, WA, USA.
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 2022.06.06.
Seminar
13th
June 2022 (Monday) 11:00 a.m., Institute of
Paleobiology, PAS Warsaw, Twarda 51/55 conference
room - 6th floor
prof. Michał Kowalewski (Florida Museum of
Natural History) will give a seminar:
"Evolutionary history of prey: 600 million years
of predation in Earth’s oceans".
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2022.06.02. PUBLICATION
— Halamski, A.T. & Taylor,
P.D. 2022. Angiosperm tree leaf as a bryozoan
substrate: a case study from the Cretaceous and its
taphonomic consequences. Lethaia, 55 (1.9): 1–7.
doi:10.18261/let.55.1.9
Dewalquea?
sp., incompletely preserved angiosperm leaf
overgrown by colonies of cheilostome bryozoans.
Upper Cretaceous, Coniacian; Karczmisko hill
near Zbylutów, Lower Silesia, Poland. Specimen
MB.Pb.2008/336, collected by W. Zimmer, 1918.
Photograph and interpretive drawing (compare
Halamski & Taylor 2022, figs 2, 3).
The
subject of this paper is a single Cretaceous specimen
collected near Lwówek Śląski, now kept in
the Museum of Natural History in
Berlin. It is a very rare finding: a tree leaf
overgrown by marine bryozoans. This evidences
that the leaf was intact for a sufficiently long
time for the growth of a bryozoan colony, which is,
in turn, significant for deducing the length of
the transport of land plant remains from the place
where they grew to the place where they were
buried.
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 2022.05.30.
Miniseminar
3rd
June 2022 r. (Friday), 11:00 a.m., mgr Anwesha
Saha will give a miniseminar: "Towards
filling the gap: the evolutionary puzzle of
living lagomorphs".
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2022.05.20. PUBLICATION
— Kaźmierczak J. & Kremer B. 2022. Archaeocyaths:
alternatively explained as consortia of siphonous
algae and cyanobacteria-like microbes in shallow
Cambrian seas. Palaeoworld (Elsevier), 31,
p. 218–238. doi:10.1016/j.palwor.2021.08.003
 The
paper presents an alternative explanation of the
systematic position of archaeocyaths, Cambrian
calcareous fossils interpreted for over 30 years
mostly as sponges (Porifera), herein
treated as closely related to modern siphonous green algae, especially
representatives of the genus Codium ( Bryopsidales,
Chlorophyta). The basis for this
conclusion was the demonstration, grounded on
samples from NE Siberia, that the skeleton of
archaeocyaths was not an indigenous product of
the siphonous algae, but the product of
calcified microorganisms, close to modern cyanobacteria ( Chroococcales),
that overgrew the algae during their lifetime.
The calcification of cyanobacterial epibiontic biofilms on siphonous
green algae thalli evidences high saturation of
the Cambrian sea with calcium carbonate
("calcium stress"), which should be considered
one of the main causes of the mass formation of
first calcareous skeletons at that time. This is
an aspect of the Cambrian explosion, one of
the major events in the history of life.
NCN 2015/17 / B / ST10 / 03340, leader prof. dr.
hab. Józef Kaźmierczak.
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2022.04.20. PUBLICATION —
Madzia, D., Sachs, S. & C.
Klug. 2022. Historical significance and taxonomic
status of Ischyrodon meriani (Pliosauridae)
from the Middle Jurassic of Switzerland. PeerJ 10: e13244.
doi:10.7717/peerj.13244
Ischyrodon
meriani is an obscure pliosaurid taxon from the
Middle Jurassic of Switzerland. Despite being
described in 1838, which likely makes it the
historically oldest-established pliosaurid,
the type specimen of Ischyrodon
remains poorly researched. The new study
presents a detailed redescription of I.
meriani and shows its close resemblance to
Liopleurodon ferox which originates from
strata of a similar age and provenance. While it
is likely that I. meriani represents a Liopleurodon-like
taxon, or is even conspecific with L.
ferox, which would make I. meriani
the proper name for the species, any such taxonomic considerations
are hindered by the fragmentary nature of the type specimens of both
these taxa. The new study highlights the need
for a detailed taxonomic reevaluation of
Liopleurodon ferox.
Reconstruction: Joschua Knüppe
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2022.04.05. PUBLICATION
— Łukowiak, M., Dieni, I.,
Dumitrica, P., Massari, F., 2022. Late Valanginian
sponge spicules from north-eastern Sardinia (Italy).
Cretaceous Research.
doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2022.105205
We
describe very rare Early Cretaceous ( Valanginian) siliceous sponges from Sardinia, Italy. The
assemblage that consisted of skeletal elements ( spicules) of “soft” demosponges, lithistids, and
hexactinellids, links modern
sponge faunas with ancient (e.g., Triassic)
assemblages. The presence of spicules that belong to
shallow-water sponges as well as to forms that
today inhabit wide depth ranges, suggests that
this Early Cretaceous assemblage lived at depths
around 200 m.
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2022.04.05. PUBLICATION
— Calábková, G, Březina, J. & D. Madzia. 2022. Evidence of
large terrestrial seymouriamorphs in the lowermost
Permian of the Czech Republic. Papers in Palaeontology
8: e1428. doi:10.1002/spp2.1428
Reconstruction:
Petr Modlitba
Permian deposits of the Boskovice Basin in the
Czech Republic have yielded hundreds of seymouriamorph individuals
(a group of extinct tetrapods). Most are
referable to Discosauriscus and – with
possible exception of a single specimen –
represent larvae and juveniles tied to aquatic
environments. The new study describes seymouriamorph tracks from
the Boskovice Basin that belonged to adults tied
to terrestrial environments, documenting a habitat shift that occurred
relatively late in the ontogenetic development of
these seymouriamorphs. The largest
track is preserved with clear skin impressions,
making it one of the best preserved seymouriamorph tracks
described to date. One of the tracks originates
from the lowermost Asselian (ca. 299 mya) and is
therefore among the oldest known records of seymouriamorphs worldwide.
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2022.04.04. PUBLICATION —
Juszkiewicz, D. J., White, N.E., Stolarski, J., Benzoni, F.,
Arrigoni, R., Hoeksema, B., Wilson, N.G., Buncea,
M., Richards, Z.T. 2022. Phylogeography of recent Plesiastrea
(Scleractinia: Plesiastreidae) based on an
integrated taxonomic approach. Molecular Phylogenetics and
Evolution 107469, doi:
10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107469.
Cryptic species pose a
great challenge for the traditional taxonomy and
estimates of the actual species diversity:
similar morphology of these species (a basis for
traditional taxonomic identification) exists
despite of different evolutionary history and
often reproductive separation. The published
work is the first such detailed phylogeographic analysis
of the scleractinian coral known
as Plesiastrea versipora widespread in
the Indo-Pacific. The analysis of molecular
data, as well as the macroscopic and microscopic
skeletal features of over 80 specimens from the
entire range of P. versipora, indicates
existence of two distinct groups of species:
forms belonging to the "temperate clade" (with the
characteristics of the type of Plesiastrea
versipora) and to the "tropical clade", represented by the
restored species Plesiastrea peroni. The
work exemplifies the utility of an integrated
skeletal and molecular approach to coral taxonomy.
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2022.03.11. PUBLICATION
— Bitner, M.A. & Müller, A.
2022. Early Oligocene brachiopods from the rocky
shore deposists at Mammendorf, central Germany. Annales Societatis Geologorum
Poloniae, 92(1): 87–107.
doi.org/10.14241/asgp.2022.02
The
Lower Oligocene rocky-shore deposits at
Mammendorf, central Germany yielded a surprisingly
rich brachiopod fauna, containing 13 species
belonging to 11 genera. The short-looped Pliothyrina
grandis, species restricted to the Oligocene
of North Sea Basin, is most common but the
predominant and most diverse group, constituting
nearly 50% of the material, is the family
Megathyrididae, represented by six species in the
Mammendorf assemblage. The Mammendorf brachiopod
fauna displays a great affinity to the Early
Oligocene fauna of the Mainz Basin.
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2022.03.09. PUBLICATION —
Halamski, A.T., Baliński, A. & Koppka, J.,
2022. Middle Devonian brachiopods from northern
Maïder (eastern Anti-Atlas, Morocco). Annales Societatis Gologorum
Poloniae, 92(1): 1-86. doi:
https://doi.org/10.14241/asgp.2022.03
60
species of Middle Devonian brachiopods are described
from Jbel Issoumour ( Anti-Atlas, Morocco), an
area located in terms of palaeogeography on the
southern shore of the Rheic Ocean. Most of them
are the same as or similar to those known from
the Eifel (Germany) and the Holy Cross Mountains
(Poland), areas located in the Devonian on the
northern shore of the Rheic Ocean; this is a new
argument in the controversy about the width of
the Rheic Ocean: given the similarity of the
faunas, the Ocean is likely to have been rather
narrow. Two new brachiopod species are
described: one of them, Prodavidsonia
ebbighauseni is named in honour of Volker
Ebbighausen, the amateur palaeontologist who
assembled the described collection; the other
one, Spinatrypa ennigaldinannae, is
named in honour of Babylonian princess Ennigaldi-Nanna, curator
of the oldest known museum
(6th century B.C.).
Figure: Newly described Middle Devonian
brachiopods from Jbel Issoumour (single shells
in dorsal and lateral views, compare Halamski et
al. 2022, figs 25, 28).
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2022.02.18. PUBLICATION
— Ausich, W.I., Salamon, M.A., Płachno, B. J.,
Brachaniec, T., Krawczyński, W., Boczarowski, A.,
Paszcza, K., Łukowiak, M., Gorzelak, P. 2022. Unraveling
the hidden paleobiodiversity of the Middle Devonian
(Emsian) crinoids (Crinoidea, Echinodermata) from
Poland. PeerJ 10:e12842
doi.org/10.7717/peerj.12842
Devonian crinoids from Holy Cross Mountains,
including a new species - Codiacrinus
sevastopuloi, were described. The species
name is in recognition of the paleontologist
working on fossil crinoids – prof. George
Sevastopulo who recently passed away. The fossils
found are preserved as fragments of stems and,
what is rare, cups and crowns. They indicate a
rich diversity of crinoids in the Devonian of Holy
Cross Mountains.
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2022.02.04. PUBLICATION — Gorzelak, P., Kołbuk, D., Dec, M., Oji, T.,
Oguri, K., Brom, K., Brachaniec, T., Paszcza, K.,
Salamon, M.A. 2022. Recent Advances in Ichnology of
Crawling Stalked Crinoids. Contributions from the
Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan, Vol. 34,
no. 5, pp. 54-62. doi:10.7302/3815
In Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology,
University of Michigan, a special volume to
celebrate the retirement of Prof. Tomasz Baumiller
was published. Among published articles is a paper
on ichnology of stalked crinoids. The paper presents
the results of analyses of time-lapse movies
recording a previously unknown mode of crinoid
locomotion. The traces produced by Recent crinoids
on the sediment surface were documented using 3D
digitization techniques (laser scanning and
photogrammetry). It was stressed that the moment of
key evolutionary changes in crinoids (transition
from sessile to mobile lifestyle) may be identified
in the fossil record with the aid of crinoid trace
fossils.
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2022.01.11. PUBLICATION
— Cisneros-Lazaro, D., Adams, A., Guo, J., Bernard,
S., Baumgartner, L.P., Daval, D., Baronnet, A.,
Grauby, O., Vennemann, T., Stolarski, J., Escrig. J.,
Meibom, A. 2022.
Fast and pervasive diagenetic isotope exchange in
foraminifera tests is species-dependent. Nature Communications 13:113.
doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-27782-8
Paleoclimate reconstructions commonly use oxygen
isotope compositions from fossil foraminifera
tests as proxies. However, the isotopic
composition of these calcitic tests can be
substantially altered during diagenesis. In the
published paper the fluid-mediated isotopic
exchange was examined in pristine tests of three
modern benthic foraminifera species i.e., Ammonia
sp., Haynesina germanica, and
Amphistegina lessonii. Reacted tests
remained texturally ‘pristine’ but their bulk
oxygen isotope compositions revealed rapid and
species-dependent isotopic exchange with the
water; diagenetic alteration is correlated with
test ultra-structure and associated organic
matter. The result implies that the tests that are
considered texturally ‘pristine’ for
paleo-climatic reconstruction purposes may have
experienced substantial isotopic exchange;
critical paleo-temperature record re-examination
is warranted.
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