Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: The Fezouata Biota (Morocco) is a Burgess Shale-type (BST) assemblage that provides a wealth of information on Early Ordovician ecosystems. Much work has been done to compare the preservation of the Fezouata Biota to other BSTs. However, studies investigating preservation variations within the Fezouata Biota are rare. Here, we use probabilities to investigate the preservation of various ecological categories of Fezouata eumetazoans. Complex taphonomic processes and phylum-specific constraints have led to the better preservation of predators/scavengers in this biota. However, no differences in preservation are observed between vagile and sessile taxa. Importantly, Tremadocian taxa are better preserved than Floian ones. As such, this study highlights the gradual closure of the BST window of preservation in the Zagora region of Morocco and constitutes a benchmark for future palaeoecological and evolutionary studies on the Fezouata Biota.
Source: Scientific Reports
Institutions: University of Lausanne, Lyon 1 Université, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon : Terre, Planètes et Environnement, National Museums Scotland, Georgia Institute of Technology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Geology
Language: English
Subfield: Paleontology
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,699
Awards: G1103060955, Evolution of the Cambrian and Ordovician Biodiversification Onset Over Space and Time, G3604579774, Elucidating fossil preservation during the Cambrian Explosion, An interdisciplinary study of arthropod moulting: linking genotype, phenotype and life history evolution, G822133371
OpenAlex ID: W4402319458