Ecological succession of a Jurassic shallow-water ichthyosaur fall

Authors

S Danise
RJ Twitchett
K Matts

Abstract

After the discovery of whale fall communities in modern oceans, it has been hypothesized that during the Mesozoic the carcasses of marine reptiles created similar habitats supporting long-lived and specialized animal communities. Here, we report a fully documented ichthyosaur fall community, from a Late Jurassic shelf setting, and reconstruct the ecological succession of its micro- and macrofauna. The early 'mobile-scavenger' and 'enrichment-opportunist' stages were not succeeded by a 'sulphophilic stage' characterized by chemosynthetic molluscs, but instead the bones were colonized by microbial mats that attracted echinoids and other mat-grazing invertebrates. Abundant cemented suspension feeders indicate a well-developed 'reef stage' with prolonged exposure and colonization of the bones prior to final burial, unlike in modern whale falls where organisms such as the ubiquitous bone-eating worm Osedax rapidly destroy the skeleton. Shallow-water ichthyosaur falls thus fulfilled similar ecological roles to shallow whale falls, and did not support specialized chemosynthetic communities.

DOI

10.1038/ncomms5789

Publication Date

2014-09-10

Publication Title

Nature Communications

Volume

5

Issue

1

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC

ISSN

2041-1723

Embargo Period

2024-11-25

Recommended Citation

Danise, S., Twitchett, R., & Matts, K. (2014) 'Ecological succession of a Jurassic shallow-water ichthyosaur fall', Nature Communications, 5(1). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: Available at: 10.1038/ncomms5789