Journal articles: 'Trace fossils'

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Hasiotis, S. T., and M. C. Bourke. "Continental trace fossils and museum exhibits: displaying organism behaviour frozen in time." Geological Curator 8, no. 5 (June 2006): 211–26. http://dx.doi.org/10.55468/gc366.

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This paper introduces continental trace fossils, and suggests ways in which modern and ancient traces can be used in museum exhibits. Burrows, tracks, trails, nests, borings, excrement and root patterns represent organism-substratum interactions of terrestrial and aquatic plants, invertebrates and vertebrates, and are preserved in the geologic record as continental trace fossils. Trace fossils are important because they are analogous to behaviour frozen in time and preserve information about organisms not recorded by body fossils. They can be used also as fossil evidence of organisms in the geologic record; an organism can make tens to millions of traces in a lifetime. Trace fossils represent hidden biodiversity; they preserve in situ evidence of food-web relations between fossorial, terrestrial and aquatic communities, and are useful for interpreting palaeoenvironmental, palaeohydrologic and palaeoclimatic settings. Public education on the importance of continental trace fossils to palaeontology and the study of Earth history can be accomplished with side-by-side displays of casts of modern traces and trace fossils, which represent homologs or analogues to modern behaviours. Such displays allow the public to see how scientists study and interpret the significance of trace fossils as behaviour. This kind of exhibit demonstrates also that modern organisms and their behaviours have an evolutionary history through deep geologic time as recorded by the record of body and trace fossils. Several examples of modern traces and ancient trace fossils presented here illustrate ways to produce museum exhibits to educate the public on continental trace fossils.

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Lockley, Martin G. "Tracks and Traces: New Perspectives on Dinosaurian Behavior, Ecology, and Biogeography." Short Courses in Paleontology 2 (1989): 134–45. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s2475263000000921.

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Conventional paleontological wisdom holds that there are two major categories of fossil evidence: body fossils (skeletal remains), and trace fossils (including tracks and traces). Ichnology, the study of trace fossils, requires a parallel taxonomy of scientific names (parataxonomy or ichnotaxonomy), like the form taxa of fossil plant remains. This ichnotaxonomy describes a large variety of traces attributable to invertebrates (Hantzschel, 1975) and vertebrates (Haubold, 1984; Leonardi, 1984; Leonardi et al., 1986).

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Jensen, Sören, and R. James A. Atkinson. "Experimental production of animal trace fossils, with a discussion of allochthonous trace fossil producers." Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Monatshefte 2001, no. 10 (October 23, 2001): 594–606. http://dx.doi.org/10.1127/njgpm/2001/2001/594.

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Maples, Christopher G., and Ronald R. West. "Introduction to Trace Fossils and Dedication to Robert W. Frey." Short Courses in Paleontology 5 (1992): 1–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s2475263000002269.

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Over the years, we've participated in several different workshops and short courses on trace fossils. So why this one? Our intention in bringing together these papers for the Trace Fossil Short Course is to give an overview of how trace fossils can be used in paleontology. Historically, trace fossil research has centered on paleoenvironmental and depositional reconstructions—areas where trace fossils have much to tell. Indeed, the use of trace fossils by sedimentologists has flourished and is experiencing another burst of activity through the use of ichnofabrics in sequence stratigraphic studies. But trace fossils have paleontological stories to tell as well. Their use in uncovering the first occurrences of life in different parts of the stratigraphic column is well documented (e.g., the classic example of trace fossils occurring before body fossils in Precambrian/Cambrian transitional strata) as is their use in detailing different morphological details of unpreserved taxa or body parts.

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Oji, Tatsuo, Stephen Q. Dornbos, Keigo Yada, Hitoshi Hasegawa, Sersmaa Gonchigdorj, Takafumi Mochizuki, Hideko Takayanagi, and Yasufumi Iryu. "Penetrative trace fossils from the late Ediacaran of Mongolia: early onset of the agronomic revolution." Royal Society Open Science 5, no. 2 (February 2018): 172250. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.172250.

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The Cambrian radiation of complex animals includes a dramatic increase in the depth and intensity of bioturbation in seafloor sediment known as the ‘agronomic revolution’. This bioturbation transition was coupled with a shift in dominant trace fossil style from horizontal surficial traces in the late Precambrian to vertically penetrative trace fossils in the Cambrian. Here we show the existence of the first vertically penetrative trace fossils from the latest Ediacaran: dense occurrences of the U-shaped trace fossil Arenicolites from late Precambrian marine carbonates of Western Mongolia. Their Ediacaran age is established through stable carbon isotope chemostratigraphy and their occurrence stratigraphically below the first appearance of the trace fossil Treptichnus pedum . These Arenicolites are large in diameter, penetrate down to at least 4 cm into the sediment, and were presumably formed by the activity of bilaterian animals. They are preserved commonly as paired circular openings on bedding planes with maximum diameters ranging up to almost 1 cm, and as U- and J-shaped tubes in vertical sections of beds. Discovery of these complex penetrative trace fossils demonstrates that the agronomic revolution started earlier than previously considered.

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Hannibal, J. T., and S. G. Lucas. "Trace fossils in two North American museums: the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science." Geological Curator 8, no. 5 (June 2006): 261–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.55468/gc371.

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Ohio and New Mexico are rich in trace fossils (ichnofossils), and both states have longstanding traditions of ichnological research. The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, founded in 1920, has a substantial collection of ichnofossils that includes figured specimens from Ohio, West Virginia and New Jersey. Donations and intensive collecting of trace fossils followed the founding of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science in 1986. This has resulted in North America's largest collection of Permian trace fossils, as well as important collections of trace fossils from several other geological systems. Trace fossils are on exhibit at both museums; both have exhibits showing a model of a large trace maker (a tetrapod in the case of the Cleveland Museum; Arthropleura in the case of the New Mexico Museum), either on or juxtaposed with a real fossil trackway. Among specimens brought to these museums for identification by members of the general public are trace fossils, although not usually identified as such, as well as concretions, which are erroneously thought to be fossil eggs. Trace fossils are also encountered and discussed during urban geological field trips in Cleveland. This article falls under our Open Access policy

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Goldring, R., and S. Jensen. "Trace fossils and biofabrics at the Precambrian–Cambrian boundary interval in western Mongolia." Geological Magazine 133, no. 4 (July 1996): 403–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0016756800007573.

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AbstractA small suite of trace fossils from the Zavkhan Basin (Govi-Altay) includes many of the ichnotaxa typical of the Nemakit-Daldynian, Tommotian and younger Cambrian stages, and other indeterminate forms. The traces are almost entirely from the sandstone intervals of the large-scale alternations of carbonate and siliciclastic sediments, thus emphasizing the facies and taphonomic controls on trace fossil distribution, and hence the inherent difficulties in using trace fossils in detailed global correlation, especially in using first appearances. The assemblage of traces and biofabrics is seen as resulting from the partly non-uniformitarian (non-actualistic) sedimentary environments that pertained over the boundary interval, rather than as evolutionary failures and subsequently vacated environments.

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Crimes, T. Peter, and N. Chris Hunt. "Onshore-offshore patterns in Late PreCambrian and Lower Palaeozoic trace fossils." Paleontological Society Special Publications 6 (1992): 77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s2475262200006377.

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There was a dramatic increase in abundance and diversity of trace fossils in Upper Precambrian and Lower Cambrian shallow water seas. The trace-producing animals rapidly filled all the available niches and in low energy, muddy, environments they evolved winding, meandering and patterned habits. Traces such as Taphrhelminthopsis, Helminthoida, Nereites, Paleodictyon and Squamodictyon had all evolved in clastic shelf seas during the pre-trilobite Lower Cambrian.Significant colonisation of the deep oceans seems to have mostly been delayed until the Ordovician. A recently described suite of trace fossils from a flysch sequence in Eire includes such deep water types as: Glockerichnus, Helminthopsis, Lorenzinia, Paleodictyon and Taphrhelminthopsis. This migration into the deep sea is accompanied by a virtual absence of such traces from shallow water sequences after the Cambrian.Deep water trace fossils therefore seem to have evolved initially in shallow water clastic seas and then migrated in to the deep ocean, thereby providing an exciting example of an onshore-offshore pattern. This may be of particular significance in that it is presumably mimicked by body fossil migrations in these early seas.

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KEIGHLEY, DAVE G., and RON K. PICKERILL. "Fossils explained 13: Trace fossils 1." Geology Today 11, no. 3 (May 1995): 113–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2451.1995.tb00928.x.

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PICKERILL, RON K., and DAVE G. KEIGHLEY. "Fossils explained 14: Trace fossils 2." Geology Today 11, no. 4 (July 1995): 155–57. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2451.1995.tb00945.x.

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GOLDRING, R., J. E. POLLARD, and A. M. TAYLOR. "Naming trace fossils." Geological Magazine 134, no. 2 (March 1997): 265–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0016756897006717.

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A different approach to the naming of trace fossils is advocated. The primary ichnotaxobase should be the form of the burrow actually occupied, and the secondary ichnotaxobase should be the morphology of the structure that reflects the manner in which this burrow has been displaced and/or extended. Only by attempting to name trace fossils in this way will it be possible to eliminate features due to sedimentological factors that took place on termination of the animal’s activities, including passive infill and diagenesis. To discriminate between different preservational states the citation should include both the taxonomic and preservational aspects.

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12

Schult, Mark F., and James O. Farlow. "Vertebrate Trace Fossils." Short Courses in Paleontology 5 (1992): 34–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s2475263000002282.

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The study of fossil footprints began soon after the birth of vertebrate paleontology. The Reverend Henry Duncan started a study of footprints from the New Red Sandstone (Permian) of Scotland in 1824 (Sarjeant, 1987). Even earlier reports of footprints are known, but the fossils were not studied until later (Sarjeant, 1975). The first experiment in making trackways occurred around 1830, when the Reverend William Buckland walked a turtle across pie crust, wet sand, and soft clay. Chirotherium, one of the most famous ichnogenera, was described by J. F. Kaup in 1835. In 1836, Edward Hitchcock published the first of many papers describing dinosaur and other footprints from the Triassic and Jurassic of the Connecticut Valley (Sarjeant, 1987). The first Carboniferous footprints were discovered in 1841 in Nova Scotia by William Logan, and provided the first evidence of terrestrial vertebrate life older than the New Red Sandstone (Sarjeant and Mossman, 1978). Tertiary footprints were described by Jules Desnoyers in 1859 (Sarjeant, 1987). Studies continued through the nineteenth and the first three decades of the twentieth centuries. Permian trackways from the Grand Canyon were found in 1915 and extensively described by Gilmore (Gilmore, 1926, 1927, 1928; Spamer, 1984). Soon after this, however, the study of vertebrate trace fossils fell into disrepute. In the last decade or two, a resurgence of interest has occurred, primarily spurred by an interest in using dinosaur footprints to learn more about these animals (Sarjeant, 1987).

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Walker, S. E. "Criteria for recognizing marine hermit crabs in the fossil record using gastropod shells." Journal of Paleontology 66, no. 4 (July 1992): 535–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022336000024410.

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Hermit crabs have left a rich fossil legacy of epi- and endobionts that bored or encrusted hermit crab-inhabited shells in specific ways. Much of this rich taphonomic record, dating from the middle Jurassic, has been overlooked. Biological criteria to recognize hermitted shells in the fossil record fall within two major categories: 1) massive encrustations, such as encrusting bryozoans; and 2) subtle, thin encrustations, borings, or etchings that surround or penetrate the aperture of the shell. Massive encrustations are localized in occurrence, whereas subtle trace fossils and body fossils are common, cosmopolitan, and stratigraphically long-ranging. Important trace fossils and body fossils associated with hermit crabs are summarized here, with additional new fossil examples from the eastern Gulf Coast.Helicotaphrichnus, a unique hermit crab-associated trace fossil, is reported from the Eocene of Mississippi, extending its stratigraphic range from the Pleistocene of North America and the Miocene of Europe.

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DEVINE, L. K., and N. J. MINTER. "NEOICHNOLOGY OF AMPHIBIOUS ARTHROPODS: EFFECTS OF SUBAQUEOUS AND SUBAERIAL SUBSTRATE CONDITIONS ON TRACE MORPHOLOGY." PALAIOS 37, no. 10 (October 20, 2022): 585–605. http://dx.doi.org/10.2110/palo.2021.062.

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Abstract Neoichnology, the study of the traces of extant organisms, provides a vital tool for better understanding trace fossils. We conducted neoichnological experiments to test hypotheses regarding producers and the effects of substrate conditions on trace fossils produced by aquatic to amphibious arthropods. Our experiments comprised two protocols: subaerial and subaqueous substrates; and we utilized five arthropods: fully aquatic ostracods (Ostracoda indet.), to amphibious horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus), shore crabs (Carcinus maenas), and scarlet hermit crabs (Paguristes cadenati), and the largely terrestrial sea slaters (Ligia oceanica). The different arthropods were observed performing locomotory, resting/stationary, and feeding behaviors, which all resulted in different traces influenced by the substrate conditions and their preference for living in and out of water. In general, trace depth increased with arthropod mass and, for each individual arthropod except the scarlet hermit crab, trace depth was also greater in subaerial compared to subaqueous substrates. In the majority of cases, comparisons with selected trace fossils supported previous hypotheses as to their producers. The traces of horseshoe crabs, shore crabs, sea slaters, and ostracods resembled the ichnotaxa Kouphichnium, Laterigradus, Pterichnus, and Mermia, respectively. Other experimental work has shown hermit crabs produce traces similar to Coenobichnus and our results further increase the range of trace morphologies that can be attributed to hermit crabs. The results of this research have bearing on debates in ichnology where the interpretation of producers and substrate conditions at the time of trace formation are critical, such as the trace fossil evidence for the colonization of land.

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Mángano, M. Gabriela, Christopher David Hawkes, and Jean-Bernard Caron. "Trace fossils associated with Burgess Shale non-biomineralized carapaces: bringing taphonomic and ecological controls into focus." Royal Society Open Science 6, no. 1 (January 2019): 172074. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.172074.

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The association of trace fossils and non-biomineralized carapaces has been reported from Cambrian Lagerstätten worldwide, but the abundance, ichnodiversity, taphonomy and ecological significance of such associations have yet to be fully investigated. Two main end-member hypotheses are explored based on the study of a relatively wide variety of trace fossils preserved associated to Tuzoia carapaces from the middle Cambrian Burgess Shale in British Columbia. In the ecological Tuzoia garden hypothesis, the bacterially enriched surface of carapaces provides opportunities for intricate ecologic interactions among trophic levels. In the taphonomic shielding hypothesis, the trace fossil–carapace association results from preferential preservation of traces as controlled by compaction independent of any association in life. In an attempt to better understand the role of the carapace as a medium for preservation of trace fossils and to evaluate the effects of mechanical stress related to burial, a numerical model was developed. Results indicate that the carapace can shield underlying sediment from mechanical stress for a finite time, differentially protecting trace fossils during the initial phase of burial and compaction. However, this taphonomic model alone fails to fully explain relatively high-density assemblages displaying a diversity of structures spatially confined within the perimeter of carapaces or branching patterns recording re-visitation.

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Radley, J. D. "Trace fossils: a smaller museum's perspective." Geological Curator 8, no. 5 (June 2006): 247–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.55468/gc369.

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The Warwickshire Natural History and Archaeological Society, who amassed many specimens, including Triassic reptile tracks, initiated Warwickshire Museum's trace fossil collection during the nineteenth century. In recent decades, renewed interest in the trace fossil specimens has enhanced their value as a repository of scientific and historic data. Warwickshire's geological sites still have considerable potential for yielding trace fossils and, in particular, Jurassic sections have furnished new records in recent years. Triassic reptile tracks were first displayed at the Warwick Market Hall during the nineteenth century; notes are provided on a rediscovered, previously exhibited Chirotherium specimen from Preston Bagot, western Warwickshire. The Warwickshire Museum continues to display a small number of trace fossils.

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Sappenfield, Aaron, Mary L. Droser, and James G. Gehling. "Problematica, trace fossils, and tubes within the Ediacara Member (South Australia): redefining the ediacaran trace fossil record one tube at a time." Journal of Paleontology 85, no. 2 (March 2011): 256–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1666/10-068.1.

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Ediacaran trace fossils are becoming an increasingly less common component of the total Precambrian fossil record as structures previously interpreted as trace fossils are reinterpreted as body fossils by utilizing qualitative criteria. Two morphotypes, Form E and Form F of Glaessner (1969), interpreted as trace fossils from the Ediacara Member of the Rawnsley Quartzite in South Australia are shown here to be body fossils of a single, previously unidentified tubular constructional morphology formally described herein as Somatohelix sinuosus n. gen. n. sp. S. sinuosus is 2-7 mm wide and 3-14 cm long and is preserved as sinusoidal casts and molds on the base of beds. Well-preserved examples of this fossil preserve distinct body fossil traits such as folding, current alignment, and potential attachment to holdfasts. Nearly 200 specimens of this fossil have been documented from reconstructed bedding surfaces within the Ediacara Member. When viewed in isolated hand sample, many of these specimens resemble ichnofossils. However, the ability to view large quantities of reassembled and successive bedding surfaces within specific outcrops of the Ediacara Member provides a new perspective, revealing that isolated specimens of rectilinear grooves on bed bases are not trace fossils but are poorly preserved specimens of S. sinuosus. Variation in the quality and style of preservation of S. sinuosus on a single surface and the few distinct characteristics preserved within this relatively indistinct fossil also provides the necessary data required to define a taphonomic gradient for this fossil. Armed with this information, structures which have been problematic in the past can now be confidently identified as S. sinuosus based on morphological criteria. This suggests that the original organism that produced this fossil was a widespread and abundant component of the Ediacaran ecosystem.

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Sato, Takashi, Marjorie Chan, and Allan Ekdale. "Trace fossils and fluvial-lacustrine ichnofacies of the Eocene Uinta and Duchesne River Formations, northern Uinta Basin, Utah." Geology of the Intermountain West 5 (September 18, 2018): 209–26. http://dx.doi.org/10.31711/giw.v5.pp209-226.

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Trace fossil assemblages in a fluvial-lacustrine sequence stratigraphic context hold significant poten-tial for expanding our understanding of environmental controls and continental basin-fill history. The succession of the Eocene Uinta Formation and four members of the Duchesne River Formation is ex¬tremely well-exposed in the Uinta Basin of northeastern Utah, revealing a robust stratigraphic framework to document broad-scale fluvial-lacustrine facies architectures and associated trace fossil assemblages. Greenish- and gray-colored mudstone beds with interbedded tabular sandstone representing lacustrine environments contain the trace fossils Arenicolites and Gordia (= Haplotichnus). In contrast, red mudstone beds with interbedded channelized sandstone representing upstream fluvial and alluvial environments contain a variety of insect trace fossils, including Scoyenia, Ancorichnus, and nest structures. Transitional, interfingering lithologies of wetland or shallow, short-lived lacustrine environments on the alluvial plain contain the trace fossil Steinichnus. Although there are many small-scale (bed-scale) physical sedimen¬tary structures and trace fossils from continental subenvironments, this study focuses on the large-scale (member-scale) change in trace fossil assemblages, with results indicating that the ichnofacies corroborate continental sequence stratigraphic interpretations in a fluvial-lacustrine setting.

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Sato, Takashi, Marjorie A. Chan, and Allan A. Ekdale. "Trace fossils and fluvial-lacustrine Ichnofacies of the Eocene Uinta and Duchesne River Formations, northern Uinta Basin, Utah." Geology of the Intermountain West 5 (September 29, 2018): 209–26. http://dx.doi.org/10.31711/giw.v5i0.27.

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Trace fossil assemblages in a fluvial-lacustrine sequence stratigraphic context hold significant poten-tial for expanding our understanding of environmental controls and continental basin-fill history. The succession of the Eocene Uinta Formation and four members of the Duchesne River Formation is ex¬tremely well-exposed in the Uinta Basin of northeastern Utah, revealing a robust stratigraphic framework to document broad-scale fluvial-lacustrine facies architectures and associated trace fossil assemblages. Greenish- and gray-colored mudstone beds with interbedded tabular sandstone representing lacustrine environments contain the trace fossils Arenicolites and Gordia (= Haplotichnus). In contrast, red mudstone beds with interbedded channelized sandstone representing upstream fluvial and alluvial environments contain a variety of insect trace fossils, including Scoyenia, Ancorichnus, and nest structures. Transitional, interfingering lithologies of wetland or shallow, short-lived lacustrine environments on the alluvial plain contain the trace fossil Steinichnus. Although there are many small-scale (bed-scale) physical sedimen¬tary structures and trace fossils from continental subenvironments, this study focuses on the large-scale (member-scale) change in trace fossil assemblages, with results indicating that the ichnofacies corroborate continental sequence stratigraphic interpretations in a fluvial-lacustrine setting.

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O'NEIL, GRETCHEN R., LYDIA S. TACKETT, and MICHAEL B. MEYER. "THE ROLE OF SURFICIAL BIOTURBATION IN THE LATEST EDIACARAN: A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF TRACE FOSSIL INTENSITY IN THE TERMINAL EDIACARAN–LOWER CAMBRIAN OF CALIFORNIA." PALAIOS 37, no. 12 (December 29, 2022): 703–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.2110/palo.2021.050.

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ABSTRACT Bioturbating activities have played a vital role in shaping the marine ecosystem throughout metazoan history, influencing the abundance and preservation potential of body fossil-producing taxa and driving major environmental and geochemical changes. The earliest trace making behaviors arose during the late Ediacaran Period (∼ 560–541 Ma), disrupting the substrate previously occupied by dominantly sessile organisms. Simple dwelling and grazing behaviors exploited the organic-rich matgrounds, expanding into the underutilized microbial mat ecosystem. In the western United States, trace assemblages from Ediacaran–Cambrian boundary-spanning deposits document a thriving trace-maker ecosystem. One boundary-spanning deposit in this region, the lower member of the Wood Canyon Formation, crops out along the California-Nevada boundary and contains both trace and body fossil assemblages. The Chicago Pass section of the lower Wood Canyon Formation contains a suite of dominantly simple Ediacaran traces, which become commonplace in the upper part of the stratigraphic section, documenting the onset of prevalent trace-making behaviors in this region. While traces have been previously described from this locality, the addition of the complex trace Lamonte trevallis and quantification of trace fossil density of simple Ediacaran traces provides a more comprehensive ichnological view of the Chicago Pass section. Although Chicago Pass does not yield abundant tubicolous body fossils, as are found elsewhere in the region, the low diversity ichnoassemblages document both burgeoning surficial trace making groups and mat-targeted mining in the latest Ediacaran. The behaviors present at Chicago Pass are similar to those of the Dengying Formation in South China, and highlight the need for petrographic-based trace fossil studies. Additionally, studies of Nama Group trace fossils of the same age from Namibia report higher diversity and complexity in trace-making activities than what has been observed at Chicago Pass, but with similar, low Ediacara biota body fossil diversity. If Ediacara biota diversity is anticorrelated with trace-making behaviors, Chicago Pass represents a low-complexity end-member of the same phenomenon observed in Namibia. The effect of surface sediment disruption on the sessile Ediacaran communities may have been decoupled from complexity of the traces, more so influenced by the presence of general trace-making behaviors in aggregate, including simple traces.

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WISTORT, ZACKERY P., KATHLEEN A. RITTERBUSH, and A. A. EKDALE. "TRACE FOSSILS OF PROBLEMATIC ORIGIN: ASSESSING SILICIFIED TRACE FOSSILS FROM THE PERMIAN OF UTAH, U.S.A." PALAIOS 34, no. 12 (December 19, 2019): 631–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.2110/palo.2019.011.

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ABSTRACT Silicification is a diagenetic process that can affect the fidelity of trace fossil preservation. The combination of compaction and oversilicification associated with chert precipitation can alter the original fabric created by the trace producers. Sedimentary structures and trace fossils in mixed chert-carbonate systems are especially prone to these processes, leading to the preservation of a limited or biased ichno-assemblage and the omission of important paleoecologic detail. We summarize useful criteria for identifying chert-associated trace fossils and present a formal naming scheme. Using this nomenclature, we identified silicified trace fossils in the chert-rich Permian strata from northwestern Utah. An assemblage of burrows is present in outcrops of the Trapper Creek Formation, consisting of nodule-like growths of microcrystalline quartz in close association with bioturbated horizons. Thin section micro-textures of burrow fill lend additional support to the bioturbated origin of chert nodules. Silicified Thalassinoides fossils are present, as are chert nodules with a Rhizocorallium-like morphology.

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Tweet, Justin, Karen Chin, and A. A. Ekdale. "Trace fossils of possible parasites inside the gut contents of a hadrosaurid dinosaur, Upper Cretaceous Judith River Formation, Montana." Journal of Paleontology 90, no. 2 (March 2016): 279–87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jpa.2016.43.

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AbstractTiny sinuous trace fossils have been found within probable gut contents of an exceptionally preserved specimen of a hadrosaurid dinosaur,Brachylophosaurus canadensis, from the Judith River Formation of Montana. Approximately 280 examples of the trace fossils were observed in 19 samples of gut region material. The tubular structures typically are about 0.3 mm across. Many have thin calcareous linings or layers, and some exhibit fine surficial striae. At least two dozen of these trace fossils share walls with adjacent tubular traces, and this association can extend for several millimeters. While the trace fossils share some characteristics with fine rhizoliths, these features are most consistent with tiny burrows, or possibly body impressions, of worms (vermiform organisms) of uncertain biologic affinity. Such trace fossils have not been reported previously, and herein described asParvitubulites striatusn. gen. n. sp. Either autochthonous (parasites) or allochthonous (scavengers) worms may have created the trace fossils, but taphonomic factors suggest that autochthonous burrowers are more likely. Several lines of evidence, such as constant diameters and matching directional changes, suggest that the paired trace fossils were made by two individuals moving at the same time, which implies sustained intraspecific contact.Parvitubulites striatusprovides a rare record of interactions between terrestrial, meiofaunal-sized, soft-bodied invertebrates and a dinosaur carcass. The evidence that the worms may have parasitized a living hadrosaur and subsequently left traces of intraspecific behavior between individual worms adds unique information to our understanding of Mesozoic trophic interactions.

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Crimes, T. P., and M. L. Droser. "Trace Fossils and Bioturbation: The Other Fossil Record." Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 23, no. 1 (November 1992): 339–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.es.23.110192.002011.

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Donovan, Stephen K., and Ron K. Pickerill. "Fossils explained 26: Trace fossils 4 - borings." Geology Today 15, no. 5 (October 1999): 197–200. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2451.1999.1505007.x.

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Johnson, E. W., D. E. G. Briggs, R. J. Suthren, J. L. Wright, and S. P. Tunnicliff. "Non-marine arthropod traces from the subaerial Ordovician Borrowdale Volcanic Group, English Lake District." Geological Magazine 131, no. 3 (May 1994): 395–406. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0016756800011146.

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AbstractArthropod trace fossils are described from the Borrowdale Volcanic Group, a sequence otherwise devoid of faunal evidence. Two forms, both made by the same probably myriapod-like organism, are assigned to the ichnogenera Diplichnites and Diplopodichnus. The lithologies preserving the trace fossils are non-marine and may have been deposited in a freshwater lacustrine environment; some of the traces were probably made in temporarily emergent conditions. The change from one form of trace to the other reflects drying out of the substrate. The trace fossils probably record some of the earliest freshwater arthropods, before the widespread colonization of land by the group.

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Donovan, Stephen K., R. K. Pickerill, and D. J. Blissett. "Collecting invertebrate trace fossils." Geological Curator 8, no. 5 (June 2006): 205–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.55468/gc365.

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Trace fossils result from the behavioural activities between organisms and variable substrates. They form an integral part of the collections of many natural history museums, providing exciting specimens for display and important material for scientific research. Ichnofossils preserved parallel to stratification in sedimentary rocks can be collected in large slabs either from float or liberated by hammering or rock saw. Laterally extensive specimens commonly have a repetitive morphology, so a fragment may provide ample data for identification and description. The morphology of an ichnofossil that cross-cuts stratification will be more difficult to recognise in the field and may require laboratory preparation of slabs using a rock saw. Bioerosive structures in or on litho- or bioclasts may be easy to collect, but care must be taken to collect data relating to provenance, that is, whether the clasts are autochthonous or allochthonous.

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MILLER, WILLIAM. "Complex marine trace fossils." Lethaia 31, no. 1 (March 29, 2007): 29–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1502-3931.1998.tb00486.x.

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Gautier, Achilles. "Trace Fossils in Archaeozoology." Journal of Archaeological Science 20, no. 5 (September 1993): 511–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/jasc.1993.1032.

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DONOVAN, STEPHEN K. "Trace fossils and tropical karst." Geological Magazine 154, no. 1 (February 4, 2016): 166–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0016756815000965.

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AbstractTwo crinoid pluricolumnals from Permian rocks of Timor show similar patterns of external pitting. Platycrinitid sp. preserves circular, parabolic pits that do not cross-cut between columnals, some have raised rims and at least one columnal shows a growth deformity. These pits are interpreted as the trace fossil Oichnus paraboloides Bromley. Crinoid sp. indet. has particularly dense pits cross-cutting columnals on one side of the pluricolumnal only and extending onto the contiguous limestone; it is a Holocene microkarstic solution feature. Care must be taken to separate true bioerosive trace fossils from modern microkarstic features in limestones in the tropics.

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Bown, Thomas M., and Brett C. Ratcliffe. "The origin of Chubutolithes Ihering, ichnofossils from the Eocene and Oligocene of Chubut Province, Argentina." Journal of Paleontology 62, no. 2 (March 1988): 163–67. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022336000029802.

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The distinctive trace fossil Chubutolithes gaimanensis n. ichnosp. occurs in Casamayoran (early Eocene) and Colhuéhaupian (late Oligocene) alluvial rocks of the Sarmiento Formation in eastern Chubut Province, Argentina. Though known for nearly 70 years, its origin has remained obscure. Examination of new specimens and comparisons with modern analogs demonstrate that specimens of Chubutolithes represent the fossil nests of a mud-dauber (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae). Virtually identical nests are constructed today by mud-daubers in areas as disparate as southern Santa Cruz Province, Argentina, and Nebraska, confirming that quite similar trace fossils can be produced by several different taxa in a higher taxonomic clade. No satisfactory ethological term exists for trace fossils that, like Chubutolithes, were constructed by organisms above, rather than within, a substrate or medium. The new term aedificichnia is proposed.Chubutolithes occurs in alluvial paleosols and is associated with a large terrestrial ichnofauna. These trace fossils include the nests of scarab beetles, compound nests of social insects, and burrows of earthworms.

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Pollard, J. E. "Isopodichnus, related arthropod trace fossils and notostracans from Triassic fluvial sediments." Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 76, no. 2-3 (1985): 273–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s026359330001049x.

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ABSTRACTThe commonest arthropod trace fossils from Triassic aquatic red beds are the bilobate traces Isopodichnus and trackways known as ‘Merostomichnites’ triassicus. These trace fossils were probably produced by notostracan branchiopods, similar to Triops. Four arthropod ichnocoenoses from Lower Triassic fluvial sandstones have been analysed in terms of size frequency distribution, behavioural variation and relationship to sedimentary structures and depositional environment. One Isopodichnus ichnofauna associated with flute moulds (Dumfries-shire, Scotland) shows a normal age-structured population of arthropods responding with strong rheotaxis within shallow fluvial channels. The second Isopodichnus assemblage associated with ripple marks (Worcestershire, England) also shows strong rheotaxis but is bimodal in size and morphotype, possibly suggesting change in arthropod behaviour with age. Two ichnocoenoses of trackways with less pronounced rheotaxis associated with ripples (Cheshire, England) and flute moulds (Württemberg, Germany) were produced by larger arthropods than the resting traces. These arthropods probably possessed 6 to 9 pairs of walking limbs.The conclusions derived from these notostracan trace fossils are compared with data on palaeoecology, population size-frequency, morphology and behaviour of Triops cancriformis derived from the analysis of three Triassic body fossil faunas and literature on living populations. Taxonomic consideration favours retention of the name Isopodichnus but the trackways should be included in Acripes Matthew. Brief review of late Palaeozoic Isopodichnus assemblages which appear to predate known notostracan fossils is inconclusive as regards both identifying producers or infallible means of separation from Cruziana assemblages.

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Crimes, T. P., and Jiang Zhiwen. "Trace fossils from the Precambrian–Cambrian boundary candidate at Meishucun, Jinning, Yunnan, China." Geological Magazine 123, no. 6 (November 1986): 641–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0016756800024158.

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AbstractThe Precambrian–Cambrian boundary candidate section at Meishucun, China, has yielded trace fossils which are abundant at some horizons. The earliest occur in Unit 3 of the Zhongyicun Member approximately 8 m above the lower selected stratotype reference point for the boundary and includeArenicolitessp.,Asteriacitessp.,Neonereites biserialis, N. uniserialisandSellaulichnus meishacunensis. The next trace-fossil-bearing horizon is in Unit 6 of the Zhongyicun Member whereCochlichnussp.,Monomorphichnussp.,Neonereites biserialisandN. uniserialisoccur. Immediately above, in Unit 7, areCruzianasp.,Didymaulichnus miettensis, Monomorphichnussp. andRusophycussp. In the Badaowan Member at the top of the section there areDidymaulichnussp. andTaphrhelminthopsis circularisin Unit 9,Arenicolitessp.,Diplocraterionsp.,Gordia molassica, Skolithossp. andT. circularisin Unit 11, andGordia meandria, ?Plagiogmussp.,Skolithossp. andT. circularisin Unit 12.Comparison of this trace-fossil distribution with that in key Precambrian–Cambrian boundary sections in other countries indicates that the ranges of a few trace fossils cross the boundary (e.g.Didymaulichnus, Neonereites, Planolites) but most appear only in the Cambrian. Different ichnogenera seem to appear at various levels above the boundary.ArenicolitesandAsteriacitesare among the first, whileTaphrhelminthopsis circularisis only encountered higher in all sequences. Some have only been recorded at much higher levels and relatively close to the first appearance of trilobites (e.g.Cruziana, Diplocraterion, Rusophycus). This suggests that the first appearance of specific trace fossils or groups of trace fossils may be valuable for locating the boundary in some sections and for correlating late Precambrian and early Cambrian strata.

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Tacker, R. Christopher, Anthony J. Martin, Patricia G. Weaver, and Daniel R. Lawver. "Trace fossils versus body fossils: Oldhamia recta revisited." Precambrian Research 178, no. 1-4 (April 2010): 43–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.precamres.2010.01.008.

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BABCOCK, LOREN E. "Asymmetry in the fossil record." European Review 13, S2 (August 22, 2005): 135–43. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1062798705000712.

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Asymmetry is a fundamental aspect of the biology of all organisms, and has a deep evolutionary history. The fossil record contains evidence of both morphological and behavioural asymmetries. Morphological asymmetry is most commonly expressed as conspicuous, directional asymmetry (either lateral asymmetry or spiral asymmetry) in body fossils. Few examples of fluctuating asymmetry, a form of subtle asymmetry, have been documented from fossils. Body fossil evidence indicates that morphological asymmetry dates to the time of the appearance of the first life on Earth (Archaean Eon). Behavioural asymmetry can be assumed to have been concomitant with conspicuous morphological asymmetry, but more direct evidence is in the form of trace fossils. Trace fossil evidence suggests that behavioural asymmetry, including nervous system lateralization, was in existence by the beginning of the Palaeozoic Era.

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Lehane, James R., and A. A. Ekdale. "Analytical tools for quantifying the morphology of invertebrate trace fossils." Journal of Paleontology 88, no. 4 (July 2014): 747–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.1666/13-080.

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The analysis of trace fossils usually is performed qualitatively, which makes comparing trace fossils from different units less objective than quantitative approaches. Quantifying the shape of trace fossils enables scientists to compare trace fossils described by different people with greater precision and accuracy. This paper describes several methods for quantifying invertebrate trace fossils, including morphology dependent methods (motility index, mesh size, topology, tortuosity, branching angle, and the number of cell sides) and morphology independent methods (fractal analysis, burrow area shape, and occupied space percentage (OSP)). These tools were performed on a select group of graphoglyptid trace fossils, highlighting the benefits and flaws of each analytical approach. Combined together, these methods allow for more objective comparisons between different trace fossils.

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Leonardi, Giuseppe, and Ismar de Souza Carvalho. "Vertebrate Trace Fossils: the Congo's Brasilichnium mammaloid fossil footprints." Italian Journal of Geosciences 140, no. 1 (February 2021): 1–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.3301/ijg.2020.24.

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Crimes, T. Peter. "Evolution, dispersal and habitat preference of deep-sea trace fossils." Paleontological Society Special Publications 6 (1992): 76. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s2475262200006365.

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Cambrian deep-sea sediments have yielded few trace fossils. The first moderately diverse suite is found in an Arenig flysch sequence in Eire. There followed a gradual increase in diversity and abundance of trace fossils in deep-sea niches in the Palaeozoic and early Mesozoic. A major burst of behaviourial evolution appears to have taken place during the Cretaceous and, from then through the Tertiary, high levels of trace fossil abundance and diversity were maintained. This is confirmed by recent work on Miocene deep-sea sequences and from a superbly preserved, diverse, ichnofauna recently discovered in strata of Oligocene and Miocene age in the Makran Range of Iran.In the past, it has been inferred that there was a gradual improvement in behavioral programming in deep-sea traces, with a trend towards economy of effort and perfection. However, Lower Palaeozoic deep water traces show careful, complex, behavioral programming which was to change little through the rest of the Phanerozoic.Within the deep-sea, there are, however, significant variations in the ichnospectrum in different niches. For example, the inner parts of seep-sea sand fans, particularly the channelled areas, have a mixture of “deep” and “shallow” water traces, whereas the outer fan normally has only deep water forms.

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Rose, Makae, Jerald D. Harris, and Andrew R. C. Milner. "A trace fossil made by a walking crayfish or crayfish-like arthropod from the Lower Jurassic Moenave Formation of southwestern Utah, USA." PeerJ 9 (January 26, 2021): e10640. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10640.

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New invertebrate trace fossils from the Lower Jurassic Moenave Formation at the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm (SGDS) continue to expand the ichnofauna at the site. A previously unstudied arthropod locomotory trace, SGDS 1290, comprises two widely spaced, thick, gently undulating paramedial impressions flanked externally by small, tapered to elongate tracks with a staggered to alternating arrangement. The specimen is not a variant of any existing ichnospecies, but bears a striking resemblance to modern, experimentally generated crayfish walking traces, suggesting a crayfish or crayfish-like maker for the fossil. Because of its uniqueness, we place it in a new ichnospecies, Siskemia eurypyge. It is the first fossil crayfish or crayfish-like locomotion trace ever recorded.

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Bhatt, Nishith Y., Paras M. Solanki, Neeru Prakash, and Neelam Das. "Depositional environment of Himmatnagar Sandstone (Lower/Middle Cretaceous): a perspective." Journal of Palaeosciences 65, no. (1-2) (December 31, 2016): 67–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.54991/jop.2016.300.

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Himmatnagar Sandstone (lower to middle Cretaceous) is exposed in between Sabarmati River in the west to Vantada in the east around Himmatnagar Town in north Gujarat, India. The sequence is divisible in two members: The lower member is 65 m thick, mostly massive, horizontally stratified to hummocky stratified with abundant plant and trace fossils in assorted shales and sandstones. The upper member is ~ 12 m thick, cross–stratified and medium to coarse grained–gritty to cobbly in nature. Six lithofacies have been identified in the sequence, viz. 1. grey wacke (GW), 2. silty–shale (SS), 3. cross–stratified sandstone (CS), 4. horizontally stratified sandstone (HSS), and 5. planar cross–stratified sandstone (PCS) in the lower member; and 6. gritty–cobbly cross–stratified sandstone (GCCS) in the upper member. The lower member consists of plant fossils which are poor to moderately preserved and transported. The silty–shale lithofacies contains plant fossils (Pagiophyllum, Brachyphyllum, Gleichenia, Araucarites, circinate vernation of ferns, Williamsonia flower, twigs, petrified wood, conifer and its cone, etc.), body fossil (insect wing) and trace fossils (Skolithos, Monocraterion, Psilonichnus, Thalassinoides, Chondrites, Planolites, Palaeophycus, Calycraterion, Circulichnus, Ophiomorpha, Phoebichnus, etc.). In the cross–stratified sandstone lithofacies, body fossils (mainly fragmented bivalves, plant fossils (Weichselia reticulata, Matonidium indicum, Ptilophyllum, cycadean frond and fossil wood) and trace fossils (Monocraterion, Chondrites, Calycraterion, Thalassinoides, Psilonichnus and Skolithos) are recognized. On the other hand, in horizontally stratified sandstone lithofacies plant fossils (Sphenopteris, Pagiophyllum, Gleichenia, Elactocladus, Brachyphyllum, ferns, petrified wood, etc.) and trace fossils (Skolithos, Ophiomorpha, Psilonichnus, Monocraterion, Arenicolites, Diplocraterion, Thalassinoides, Teichichnus, Palaeophycus, Planolites, etc.) are present. While, large crustacean and vertebrate burrows, Skolithos, Thalassinoides, Ophiomorpha, etc are found in planar cross–stratified sandstone lithofacies. The trace fossils belong to Psilonichnus, Skolithos and Cruziana ichnofacies as per Seilacher (1967). The member also contains wedge shape geometry of beds similar to tidal partings as well as ridge and runnel structures, low–angle to hummocky cross–stratification, herringbone structure and parting lineation. Here, north to northeast palaeo–current direction is indicated by cross–stratification in the member. All these features lead to the depositional environment, which seems to be foreshore–tidal flat to middle shoreface for the lower member of the sequence. The upper member is composed of trough cross–stratified sandstones showing prominently southwest to south palaeo–current direction with angular to sub–rounded pebbles and cobbles of underlying rocks and fossil wood with lower erosional contact and channel structures at places. Based on above characteristics, depositional environment of upper member can be interpreted from estuarine to fluvial.

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Macdonald, Francis A., Sara B. Pruss, and Justin V. Strauss. "Trace Fossils with Spreiten from the Late Ediacaran Nama Group, Namibia: Complex Feeding Patterns Five Million Years Before the Precambrian–Cambrian Boundary." Journal of Paleontology 88, no. 2 (March 2014): 299–308. http://dx.doi.org/10.1666/13-042.

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Here we describe large, complex trace fossils in the late Ediacaran Omkyk Member of the Zaris Formation, Nama Group, southern Namibia. The horizontal trace fossils are preserved on a number of talus blocks from a bedding plane of a cm-thick sandstone lens from a single stratigraphic horizon less than 100 m below an ash bed dated at 547.3 ± 0.7 Ma. The forms consist of overlapping U-shaped spreiten elements with parallel limbs surrounded by an outer tube. Individual U-shaped elements are 0.2 to 1 cm in diameter, the outer tube is less than 3 mm in diameter, and the forms as a whole range from 5 to 30 cm long and 3 to 10 cm wide. The specimens commonly show a change in direction and change in diameter. The morphology of these trace fossils is comparable to backfill structures, particularly specimens of Paleozoic Zoophycos from shallow water environments. Here we interpret these horizontal spreiten-burrows to record the grazing of the trace-maker on or below a textured organic surface. The identification of large late Ediacaran trace fossils is consistent with recent reports of backfilled horizontal burrows below the Precambrian–Cambrian boundary and is suggestive of the appearance of complex feeding habits prior to the Cambrian trace fossil explosion.

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Miller III, William. "Complex trace fossils as extended organisms: a proposal." Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Monatshefte 2002, no. 3 (March 7, 2002): 147–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1127/njgpm/2002/2002/147.

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Bromley, R. G., M. Jensen, and U. Asgaard. "Spatangoid echinoids: Deep-tier trace fossils and chemosymbiosis." Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen 195, no. 1-3 (February 14, 1995): 25–35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1127/njgpa/195/1995/25.

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Izumi, Kentaro, and Kazuko Yoshizawa. "Star-shaped trace fossil and Phymatoderma from Neogene deep-sea deposits in central Japan: probable echiuran feeding and fecal traces." Journal of Paleontology 90, no. 6 (October 11, 2016): 1169–80. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jpa.2016.95.

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AbstractA co-occurrence of the ichnogenus Phymatoderma and a star-shaped horizontal trace fossil was discovered from Neogene deep-marine deposits (Misaki Formation, central Japan), and is described herein for the first time. Phymatoderma consists of a straight to slightly curved tunnel that shows first- or second-order branches. The tunnels are 5.30–27.25 mm in diameter and are filled with ellipsoidal pellets. The relatively well-preserved star-shaped trace fossil is a large horizontal structure (~18 cm×19 cm) that consists of at least 10 spokes with diameters ranging from 11.49–20.96 mm. As compared to modern analogous surface-feeding traces produced by abyssal echiuran worms and their burrow morphology, it is highly likely that the star-shaped trace fossil and Phymatoderma found from the Misaki Formation are feeding and fecal traces of ancient deep-sea echiurans, respectively. Difference in preservation potential between surface and subsurface traces may result in rare occurrence of star-shaped trace fossils as compared to Phymatoderma. Microscopic observation of the pelletal infill of Phymatoderma also reveals that the trace-maker fed on organic debris and microorganisms such as diatoms and radiolaria.

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Belaústegui, Zain, Allan A. Ekdale, Rosa Domènech, and Jordi Martinell. "Paleobiology of firmground burrowers and cryptobionts at a Miocene omission surface, Alcoi, SE Spain." Journal of Paleontology 90, no. 4 (July 2016): 721–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jpa.2016.84.

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AbstractA well-preserved omission surface (sedimentary discontinuity) in an outcrop near Alcoi in southeastern Spain displays trace fossils and body fossils that reflect a dynamic benthic community during the Miocene (Langhian–Tortonian). This outcrop, besides being the type locality of Spongeliomorpha iberica Saporta, 1887, exhibits other abundant trace fossils, such as Glossifungites saxicava Łomnicki, 1886 and Gastrochaenolites ornatus Kelly and Bromley, 1984. These trace fossils are restricted to a single stratigraphic horizon and constitute a typical firmground ichnoassemblage of the Glossifungites ichnofacies. The interiors of some of the Glossifungites and Spongeliomorpha burrows were occupied by encrusting balanomorph barnacles (Actinobalanus dolosus Darwin, 1854). This paper is the first report of cryptic barnacles colonizing the interior of open burrows that constitute a typical firmground ichnocoenose in the fossil record. Detailed ichnologic study demonstrates that the ichnospecies Glossifungites saxicava stands as a valid ichnotaxon and is not a synonym of the ichnogenus Rhizocorallium, as has been suggested by some previous workers.

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Hofmann, Hans J., and Eric W. Mountjoy. "Ediacaran body and trace fossils in Miette Group (Windermere Supergroup) near Salient Mountain, British Columbia, CanadaRevision of the paper was carried out by Dr. Guy Narbonne following the passing away of both Hans Hofmann (†deceased May 19, 2010) and Eric Mountjoy (†deceased June 18, 2010) after manuscript submission." Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 47, no. 10 (October 2010): 1305–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/e10-070.

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Siliciclastic beds in the upper part of the Miette Group in southeastern British Columbia have yielded an assemblage of late Ediacaran soft-bodied macrofossils and trace fossils. The macrofossils comprise Aspidella , Bradgatia ?, and Miettia salientensis gen. et sp. nov. The ichnofossils include Archaeonassa , Cochlichnus , Didymaulichnus ?, Gordia , Halopoa , Helminthoidichnites , Helminthopsis , Planolites , and a large, unnamed crawling trace. In addition, two types of unidentified problematica are recorded, representing either tubular Vendotaenia -like body fossils, or trace fossils. The Bradgatia? constitutes the youngest occurrence of this type of fossil, and is the first to be recorded from Laurentia, having previously been noted only in Avalonia. With Cloudina and Namacalathus in associated shallow-water platform carbonates, the Miette biota in the study area contains a combination of Namibian-type and Avalonian-type elements.

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Shamsuddin, A. A. S., S. Jirin, M. S. F. A. Razak, M. F. A. Kadir, Z. Z. T. Harith, A. F. A. Ghani, and M. Mubin. "The significance of ophiomorpha trace fossils as key sedimentological parameters for paleoenvironment assessment – case example in Klias and Kudat Peninsulas, Sabah." IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1003, no. 1 (April 1, 2022): 012008. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1003/1/012008.

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Abstract Trace fossils amongst other sedimentological features are one of the key sedimentological parameters commonly used to assess paleoenvironment. This paper discusses on the occurrence of trace fossil of ichnogenera Ophiomorpha observed in outcrops of Temburong and Belait formations around Klias and Kudat peninsulas. The burrows which are commonly observed at the outcrop sites belong to four ichnospecies: O. rudis, O. annulata, O. recta and O. nodosa. They are variably oriented from vertical to sub-vertical and horizontal, branched to unbranched. In Temburong Formation, O. rudis, O. annulata, O. recta ichnospecies were observed quite commonly which are associated with deep marine environment. Meanwhile, Ophiomorpha nodosa that typically related with shallow-marine trace fossils only observed in Belait Formations. Based on the trace fossil occurrence in conjunction with other sedimentological observations, the paleoenvironment assessment was further improved.

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Plotnick, Roy E. "Behavioral biology of trace fossils." Paleobiology 38, no. 3 (2012): 459–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1666/11008.1.

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The potential of the ichnofossil record for exploring the evolution of behavior has never been fully realized. Some of this is due to the nature of the trace fossil record itself. Equally responsible is the separation of ichnology from the relevant areas of modern behavioral biology. The two disciplines have virtually no concepts, methods, or literature in common. The study of animal behavior and its evolution is thus bereft of the rich data and insights of ichnologists.One potential pathway forward is for ichnologists to adopt and adapt the movement ecology paradigm proposed several years ago by Ran Nathan and colleagues. This approach views movement as resulting from interactions of the organism's internal state, its movement abilities, and its sensory capabilities with each other and with the external environment. These interactions produce a movement path. The adoption of this paradigm would place trace fossil studies in a far wider common context for the study of movement, while providing the dimension of the evolution of movement behavior in deep time to neontological studies.A second component of this integration would be for paleontologists to develop ataphonomy of behaviorthat places in a phylogenetic context the range of possible behaviors that organisms can carry out and assesses the potential of each of these behaviors in leaving a diagnostic trace. Parallel to other taphonomic concepts, this approach assesses the preservation potential of particular behaviors;behavioral fidelityis the extent to which trace fossils preserve these original behavioral signals.

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Estes-Smargiassi, K. A., and A. A. Klompmaker. "An enigmatic trace fossil from the Upper Triassic (Rhaetian) shales of Western Europe." Netherlands Journal of Geosciences - Geologie en Mijnbouw 94, no. 3 (June 3, 2015): 271–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/njg.2015.15.

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AbstractVarious trace fossils are known from the Upper Triassic (Rhaetian) shale deposits of western Europe, especially from Great Britain. Here we present a unique specimen, unknown from Rhaetian shales in western Europe thus far to our knowledge. The specimen consists of a string of small knobs collected from the dark-coloured Rhaetian shales from the eastern Netherlands, deposited in a marine, near-coastal environment. The specimen represents the first described trace fossil from these shales. The identity of this specimen appears enigmatic. However, SEM-EDS analysis showed that the string of knobs is pyritised and does not contain phosphorus nor did the sediment directly around the specimen, suggesting a non-coprolitic origin of the specimen. Eggs and larvae are also excluded as possibilities. The specimen closely resembles several trace fossils identified as burrows, which is why we favour this interpretation. The rare presence of trace fossils reinforces the hypothesis that the Dutch Rhaetian shales were deposited under a stresses regime with low oxygen conditions.

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Evans, Scott D., Ian V. Hughes, James G. Gehling, and Mary L. Droser. "Discovery of the oldest bilaterian from the Ediacaran of South Australia." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117, no. 14 (March 23, 2020): 7845–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2001045117.

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Analysis of modern animals and Ediacaran trace fossils predicts that the oldest bilaterians were simple and small. Such organisms would be difficult to recognize in the fossil record, but should have been part of the Ediacara Biota, the earliest preserved macroscopic, complex animal communities. Here, we describeIkaria wariootiagen. et sp. nov. from the Ediacara Member, South Australia, a small, simple organism with anterior/posterior differentiation. We find that the size and morphology ofIkariamatch predictions for the progenitor of the trace fossilHelminthoidichnites—indicative of mobility and sediment displacement. In the Ediacara Member,Helminthoidichnitesoccurs stratigraphically below classic Ediacara body fossils. Together, these suggest thatIkariarepresents one of the oldest total group bilaterians identified from South Australia, with little deviation from the characters predicted for their last common ancestor. Further, these trace fossils persist into the Phanerozoic, providing a critical link between Ediacaran and Cambrian animals.

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Keighley, Dave. "Trace Fossils in Evolutionary Palaeoecology." Ichnos 15, no. 1 (December 25, 2007): 44–45. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10420940600864993.

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Journal articles on the topic 'Trace fossils'

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