Mass mortality events of autochthonous faunas in a Lower Cretaceous Gondwanan Lagerstätte

Abstract Mass mortality events are unusual in the Crato Formation. Although mayflies’ accumulations have been previously reported from that unit, they lacked crucial stratigraphic data. Here we provide the first taphonomic analysis of a mayfly mass mortality event, from a layer 285 cm from the top o...

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Autores principales:	Arianny P. Storari, Taissa Rodrigues, Renan A. M. Bantim, Flaviana J. Lima, Antonio A. F. Saraiva
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2021
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/113b313d98f246d4a28581452e650d89
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:113b313d98f246d4a28581452e650d892021-12-02T11:45:02ZMass mortality events of autochthonous faunas in a Lower Cretaceous Gondwanan Lagerstätte10.1038/s41598-021-85953-52045-2322https://doaj.org/article/113b313d98f246d4a28581452e650d892021-03-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-85953-5https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Mass mortality events are unusual in the Crato Formation. Although mayflies’ accumulations have been previously reported from that unit, they lacked crucial stratigraphic data. Here we provide the first taphonomic analysis of a mayfly mass mortality event, from a layer 285 cm from the top of the Formation, with 40 larvae, and an overview of the general biological community structure of a three meters deep excavated profile. The only other autochthonous taxon observed in the mayfly mortality layer was the gonorynchiform fish Dastilbe. The larvae and fishes were smaller than usual in the layer 285 cm, suggesting that they lived in a shallow water column. Their excellent preservation and a lack of preferential orientation in the samples suggest an absence of significant transport. All mayflies belong to the Hexagenitidae, whose larvae lived in quiet waters. We also recovered allochthonous taxa in that layer indicative of drier weather conditions. Adjacent layers presented crystals and pseudomorphs of halite, suggesting drought and high salinity. In other layers, Dastilbe juveniles were often found in mass mortality events, associated with a richer biota. Our findings support the hypothesis that the Crato Formation’s palaeolake probably experienced seasonal high evaporation, caused by the hot climate tending to aridity, affecting the few autochthonous fauna that managed to live in this setting.Arianny P. StorariTaissa RodriguesRenan A. M. BantimFlaviana J. LimaAntonio A. F. SaraivaNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Arianny P. Storari Taissa Rodrigues Renan A. M. Bantim Flaviana J. Lima Antonio A. F. Saraiva Mass mortality events of autochthonous faunas in a Lower Cretaceous Gondwanan Lagerstätte
description	Abstract Mass mortality events are unusual in the Crato Formation. Although mayflies’ accumulations have been previously reported from that unit, they lacked crucial stratigraphic data. Here we provide the first taphonomic analysis of a mayfly mass mortality event, from a layer 285 cm from the top of the Formation, with 40 larvae, and an overview of the general biological community structure of a three meters deep excavated profile. The only other autochthonous taxon observed in the mayfly mortality layer was the gonorynchiform fish Dastilbe. The larvae and fishes were smaller than usual in the layer 285 cm, suggesting that they lived in a shallow water column. Their excellent preservation and a lack of preferential orientation in the samples suggest an absence of significant transport. All mayflies belong to the Hexagenitidae, whose larvae lived in quiet waters. We also recovered allochthonous taxa in that layer indicative of drier weather conditions. Adjacent layers presented crystals and pseudomorphs of halite, suggesting drought and high salinity. In other layers, Dastilbe juveniles were often found in mass mortality events, associated with a richer biota. Our findings support the hypothesis that the Crato Formation’s palaeolake probably experienced seasonal high evaporation, caused by the hot climate tending to aridity, affecting the few autochthonous fauna that managed to live in this setting.
format	article
author	Arianny P. Storari Taissa Rodrigues Renan A. M. Bantim Flaviana J. Lima Antonio A. F. Saraiva
author_facet	Arianny P. Storari Taissa Rodrigues Renan A. M. Bantim Flaviana J. Lima Antonio A. F. Saraiva
author_sort	Arianny P. Storari
title	Mass mortality events of autochthonous faunas in a Lower Cretaceous Gondwanan Lagerstätte
title_short	Mass mortality events of autochthonous faunas in a Lower Cretaceous Gondwanan Lagerstätte
title_full	Mass mortality events of autochthonous faunas in a Lower Cretaceous Gondwanan Lagerstätte
title_fullStr	Mass mortality events of autochthonous faunas in a Lower Cretaceous Gondwanan Lagerstätte
title_full_unstemmed	Mass mortality events of autochthonous faunas in a Lower Cretaceous Gondwanan Lagerstätte
title_sort	mass mortality events of autochthonous faunas in a lower cretaceous gondwanan lagerstätte
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/113b313d98f246d4a28581452e650d89
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Mass mortality events of autochthonous faunas in a Lower Cretaceous Gondwanan Lagerstätte

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